Chapter 1.8 Osmosis in plants

Question 1

What is the definition of turgor?

Answer 1

Turgor, Pressure exerted by fluid in a cell that presses the cell membrane against the cell wall. Turgor is what makes living plant tissue rigid. Loss of turgor, resulting from the loss of water from plant cells, causes flowers and leaves to wilt.

Question 2

What is the definition of plasmolysis?

Answer 2

Plasmolysis is the process in which cells lose water in a hypertonic solution. The reverse process, deplasmolysis or cytolysis, can occur if the cell is in a hypotonic solution resulting in a lower external osmotic pressure and a net flow of water into the cell.

Question 3

What is the definition of osmosis?

Answer 3

Osmosis is the spontaneous net movement of solvent molecules through a selectively permeable membrane into a region of higher solute concentration, in the direction that tends to equalize the solute concentrations on the two sides.

Question 4

Why is osmosis important in the structural support of plant ?

Answer 4

Osmosis helps to maintain the turgidity of cell. … The turgidity of the guard cells regulate the opening and closing of stomata.