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Osmosis quiz #1

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  • What will occur if a bacterial cell with a weakened or damaged cell wall is placed in pure water?
    If a bacterial cell with a weakened or damaged cell wall is placed in pure water (a hypotonic environment), water will enter the cell by osmosis, causing the cell to swell and potentially burst (lyse) due to the lack of structural support from the cell wall.
  • In a hypertonic solution, what typically happens to a bacterial cell?
    In a hypertonic solution, water will exit the bacterial cell by osmosis, causing the cell to shrink and become dehydrated.
  • What happens to bacteria living in a freshwater stream if they are moved to salty seawater?
    When bacteria adapted to a freshwater stream are moved to salty seawater (a hypertonic environment), water will leave their cells by osmosis, leading to cell shrinkage and dehydration.
  • What does the term 'tonicity' refer to in the context of osmosis?
    Tonicity refers to the relative concentration of solute dissolved in two solutions being compared, typically inside and outside of a cell.
  • Why do you need to compare two regions when using the terms hypotonic, isotonic, and hypertonic?
    These terms are comparative and describe the solute concentration of one region relative to another, such as the inside versus the outside of a cell.
  • How does water move in relation to solute concentration during osmosis?
    Water moves from areas of higher water concentration (hypotonic) to areas of lower water concentration (hypertonic) to help equalize solute concentrations.
  • Why do plant cells prefer hypotonic environments?
    Plant cells prefer hypotonic environments because water entry increases turgor pressure, which helps maintain their upright and healthy structure.
  • What happens to animal cells in an isotonic environment?
    In an isotonic environment, water enters and exits animal cells at equal rates, so the cell size remains unchanged, which is preferred by animal cells.
  • How does a hypertonic environment affect plant cells?
    A hypertonic environment causes water to leave plant cells, resulting in low turgor pressure and wilting of the plant.
  • What prevents plant cells from bursting in hypotonic environments?
    The cell wall of plant cells prevents the cell membrane from expanding too much, protecting the cell from lysing in hypotonic environments.