What can happen to animal cells when placed in a hypotonic solution? Explain.
2007-10-16 11:18:46 · 8 answers · asked by Brittany M 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
it gets bigger
water enters the cell because the water inside the cell has less water than outside the cell so water enters.
2007-10-16 11:22:05 · answer #1 · answered by Megan 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hypotonic solutions have a higher concentration of water than the cell has. (The solution has a lower concentration of solute.) More water diffuses into the cell than the amount of water that diffuses out of the cell. The cell swells up with the excess water. In fact, the cell may break open from having too much water.
2007-10-16 18:23:27 · answer #2 · answered by ecolink 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They will expand. The water outside the cell will osmotically enter the cell (which has a higher concentration of solutes--that's the definition of hypotonic and hypertonic) and the cell will get bigger. Sometimes it will actually explode.
2007-10-16 18:22:21 · answer #3 · answered by Mark S, JPAA 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They shrink giving up their electrolytes to the solution containing them.. Oops. Got that backward it is the water that passes into the cell and expands it to make it closer to the hypotonic solution concentration that it is suspended in—can even burst..
2007-10-16 18:23:27 · answer #4 · answered by DrB 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In a hypotonic environment, osmosis causes a net flow of water into the cell, causing swelling and expansion. This swelling can cause the cell to burst.
2007-10-16 18:23:23 · answer #5 · answered by Samma 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
That means that the cell is placed in a solution that has a lower solute concentration than inside the cell. Because of osmosis, water would be drawn into the cell and it would probably lyse.
2007-10-16 18:22:39 · answer #6 · answered by Jenny H 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It expands
2007-10-16 18:45:05 · answer #7 · answered by ryan v 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It fills with fluid..
2007-10-16 18:23:35 · answer #8 · answered by Hummbaba 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋