Final answer:
If the plant is placed in a hypertonic solution, such as seawater, the cell loses water, and the plasma membrane pulls away from the cell wall.
Step-by-step explanation:
In a hypertonic solution, such as seawater, a plant cell loses water and the plasma membrane pulls away from the cell wall. This process is called plasmolysis. In plants, the cell wall prevents the cell from bursting, but as the cell loses water, the plasma membrane detaches from the cell wall and constricts the cytoplasm.
Plasmolysis occurs because the hypertonic solution has a higher concentration of solutes than the cell's cytoplasm. This creates a concentration gradient where water moves out of the cell, causing a decrease in turgor pressure and the cell to shrink.
So therefore in a hypertonic solution, a plant cell loses water and the plasma membrane pulls away from the cell wall in a process called plasmolysis. This occurs due to the higher concentration of solutes outside the cell compared to the cytoplasm, causing water to move out of the cell.