If I place a saltwater plant into a container of fresh water, the cells of the plant will absorb or release water?
1 Answer
Absorb
Explanation:
Typically the cells of aquatic plants are isotonic with their surrounding environment; i.e. the concentration of solute is equal between the cytosol and surrounding medium. In the case of saltwater/marine plants, the solute concentration within the cytosol of cells will be relatively higher than in freshwater, since saltwater has a higher concentration of solutes (mainly dissolved salts) than freshwater.
When placing a saltwater plant into a container of freshwater, the cells are thus introduced to a hypotonic environment, i.e. the concentration of solute is lower in the external medium than within the cell's cytosol. This establishes a concentration gradient by which water will be drawn into the cells by osmosis, since less water is within the cells than in the external environment.
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As shown in the diagram above, as water flows in, the cell will become turgid; the cell membrane is pushed against the cell wall due to the influx of water.
