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Which one of the following will be resulted when an animal cell is surrounded by a medium with lower concentration of water?
Explanation
When an animal cell is placed in a medium with a lower concentration of water compared to its internal environment, the medium is considered hypertonic [1]. Osmosis is the net movement of water molecules from a region of higher water concentration to a region of lower water concentration across a selectively permeable membrane. In this scenario, water will diffuse out of the cell and into the surrounding solution [1]. This loss of water causes the animal cell to shrink and shrivel, a process specifically referred to as crenation in red blood cells. Unlike plant cells, which have a rigid cell wall to maintain structure, animal cells lack this support and undergo significant volume reduction when losing water. Consequently, the cell will lose water and decrease in size [1].
Sources
- [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557609/