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#plasmolysis

3 public questions tagged with this topic.

Membrane Transportation

Which type of solution would cause plasmolysis in plant cells?

Plant cell physiology depends heavily on water status because central vacuole can occupy 90 percent volume generating hydrostatic turgor pressure essential for cell expansion and mechanical support. Turgor results from water entry driven by intracellular solute accumulation, pressing protoplast against rigid cellulose cell wall. Membrane surrounding protoplast semipermeable allows water but restricts many solutes. If external soil solution or surrounding medium becomes hypertonic containing higher total effective concentration of non-penetrating solutes such as sodium chloride, mannitol or suc

Ref: Taiz & Zeiger, Plant Physiology, Chapter 3: Plasmolysis and Hypertonic Effects in Plant Cells.

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Microbial Physiology

Which bacterial structure prevents plasmolysis in hypertonic conditions?

Hypertonic surroundings draw water out of bacterial cytoplasm through semipermeable inner membrane, generating inward osmotic pressure that tends to detach inner membrane from wall and shrink cytoplasm, a process termed plasmolysis. Survival depends on mechanical resistance supplied by peptidoglycan, a covalently crosslinked heteropolymer forming a single macromolecule sacculus surrounding entire cell, often described as exoskeleton. Its glycan strands crosslinked via peptide bonds possess high tensile strength, allowing it to withstand internal turgor of 2 to5 atmospheres in Gram-negatives an

Ref: Rojas et al., PNAS 2014, Stiffness of Bacterial Cell Wall; Alberts et al., Molecular Biology Cell, Cell Wall Mechanics.

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PSS- Sec-F-Transport

Hechtian strands during plasmolysis are:

Correct option is C, Maintained. In PSS- Sec-F-Transport problems like this, the accurate statement is Maintained; the others are common mix-ups. Not these: A) Destroyed; B) Lost permanently; D) Converted to pits. Tissue transport questions usually turn on xylem vs phloem, living vs dead cells, or source vs sink.

Ref: Best CSIR NET Plant Physiology books: Master Unit 6 with Taiz & Zeiger and Salisbury & Ross. Crack Part C experimental questions with top textbooks.

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