Tonicity

Front

What is tonicity?

Back

Tonicity refers to the ability of a solution to affect the shape and volume of cells by altering the movement of water across the cell membrane.

Front

What happens to cells in a hypertonic solution?

Back

Cells lose water and shrink, as water moves out of the cell to the area of higher solute concentration.

Front

What happens to cells in a hypotonic solution?

Back

Cells gain water and may swell or burst, as water moves into the cell from the area of lower solute concentration.

Front

What is isotonic solution?

Back

An isotonic solution has the same solute concentration as the cell, resulting in no net movement of water.

Front

Define diffusion.

Back

Diffusion is the movement of solute particles from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration.

Front

What is osmosis?

Back

Osmosis is the movement of water across a selectively permeable membrane from an area of low solute concentration to an area of high solute concentration.

Front

What does selectively permeable mean?

Back

Selectively permeable means that a membrane allows certain substances to pass while blocking others.

Front

What is active transport?

Back

Active transport is the movement of substances against their concentration gradient, requiring energy (ATP).

Front

What is facilitated diffusion?

Back

Facilitated diffusion is the process of passive transport of molecules across a membrane via specific transmembrane proteins.

Front

What is the effect of a hypertonic solution on plant cells?

Back

Plant cells become plasmolyzed, where the cell membrane pulls away from the cell wall due to water loss.