Question

what would happen to the cells of a plant if it was watered with salt water from the ocean.( the cells of the plant would end up being surrounded by saltwater)

a. the amount of water in the plant cell would not change.
b. the plant cells would gain water .
c. the plant cells would lose water.
d. osmosis will cause water to flow from the hypertonic plant cell to the hypotonic solution surrounding the cells.
e. osmosis would change the plant cells such as the plant is now adapted for a salt water environment.

Answer 1

Hypertonic solutions have more solute concentration and less water concentration. Seawater is hypertonic as its slat concentration is much higher than water concentration. Hypotonic solutions have less solute and more water content. Hence, the plant cell will be hypotonic.

Plant cells usually live in a hypotonic environment wherein water enters the plant cell by osmosis. Thus, the plant cell remains turgid as pressure is exerted by influx of water on cell wall. This water potential helps in movement of water from roots to the top of the plant.

Osmosis is the movement of water from low solute concentration to a region of high solute concentration across a semi-permeable membrane.

When plants are placed in salt water from ocean, the high salinity of the seawater causes water to move from the plant cells into the surrounding environment of seawater. This is known as reverse osmosis and will cause loss of water by the plant cell. As a result, the plant cell will shrivel and die. All land plants will shrivel and die due to loss of water. Only halophyte plants survive in seawater by increasing osmolarity of their roots.

Right option is c. plant cells would lose water.