Homeostasis: Potato Lab

Question 1

What is turgor pressure?

Answer 1

When water diffuses into plant cells, the water moves into a large central water vacuole. The vacuole
expands and puts pressure on the cell wall. This pressure holds the plant upright.

Question 2

What is plasmolysis?

Answer 2

If a plant does not take in enough water, it diffuses out of the vacuole. The vacuole shrivels
and the cell pulls away from the cell wall. This causes the plant to wilt.

Question 3

Irregulaties in animal cells’ osmosis

Answer 3

Animal cells have no cell wall, so when water moves out of the cell the entire cell shrivels and shrinks.
Conversely, when large amounts of water diffuse into animal cells they can swell and burst.