A group of single cell organisms collected from the ocean was brought into the lab for examination. The lab assistant was concerned that the water had become full of toxic waste products and so added clean water to the culture. All of the organisms died, and when she looked at them under the microscope, all she could see were bits and pieces of them scattered throughout the water. What likely happened?
A)She added water that was hypotonic to the culture of organisms, and they ruptured.
B)She added sea water to which she had added too much salt, and they ruptured.
C)She added water isotonic to the organisms, causing too much water to move in and out of the organism, and they ruptured.
D)She added too little salt to the sea water she added, and the organisms all lost too much water and shriveled up.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Adding hypotonic water to the culture would cause water to move into the cells of the organisms, causing them to burst (cytolysis). This matches the observation that all of the organisms died and their bits and pieces were scattered throughout the water.

A Group of Single Cell Organisms Collected from the Ocean