Final answer:
In a hypertonic solution, an animal cell, which lacks a rigid cell wall, will lose water to the environment, causing it to shrink and potentially die from crenation. Plant cells experience plasmolysis under these conditions, but their cell walls provide some support.
Step-by-step explanation:
When an animal cell is placed in a hypertonic solution, the external environment has a higher concentration of solutes compared to the inside of the cell. This difference in solute concentration causes water to leave the cell to balance the solute concentration on both sides of the cellular membrane, resulting in the cell losing water and shrinking.
A cell that lacks a rigid cell wall, such as an animal cell, undergoes a process known as crenation when placed in a hypertonic solution. This process leads to the cell becoming shriveled as the plasma membrane contracts and detaches from the cell wall in the case of plant cells, known as plasmolysis. However, plant cells withstand this water loss better because their rigid cell walls prevent them from complete collapse.
An animal cell operates optimally in an isotonic environment where the concentration of solutes inside and outside the cell is equal. Red blood cells, for example, are susceptible to the effects of osmotic pressure and can quickly become damaged if the environment is not isotonic, as they will either burst in a hypotonic solution or shrivel in a hypertonic one.