What happens to plant cells placed in a hypertonic solution, and what term describes this process?

• A. Water enters the cell; turgor increases.
• B. Water leaves the cell; plasmolysis occurs.
• C. No change occurs.
• D. The cell swells and bursts.

Answer: (B)

When a plant cell is placed in a hypertonic solution, the outside solution has a higher solute concentration than the inside of the cell, so water moves out by osmosis. As water leaves, the cell loses turgor pressure and the plasma membrane pulls away from the cell wall. This shrinking of the cell contents away from the wall is called plasmolysis. The situation results in a flaccid cell rather than a swollen one, and the cell does not burst because the cell wall provides structural support.