Cells in Isotonic, Hypertonic and Hypotonic
Storyboard Text
- Slide: 1
- Hey Francisco, Have you ever forgotten to water your plant for a few days and find your once perky arugula a wilted mess?
- Now that I think of it, yes! That happened to me yesterday!
- Slide: 2
- I think I can help to explain this phenomenon to you guys
- Slide: 3
- In the case of a red blood cell (cell without a cell wall), isotonic conditions are ideal, and your body has homeostatic (stability-maintaining) systems to ensure these conditions stay constant. If placed in a hypotonic solution, a red blood cell will bloat up and may explode, while in a hypertonic solution, it will shrivel—making the cytoplasm dense and its contents concentrated—and may die.In the case of a plant cell (cell with a cell wall), however, a hypotonic extracellular solution is actually ideal. The plasma membrane can only expand to the limit of the rigid cell wall, so the cell won't burst, or lyse. In fact, the cytoplasm in plants is generally a bit hypertonic to the cellular environment, and water will enter a cell until its internal pressure—turgor pressure—prevents further influx.
Over 30 Million Storyboards Created