Final answer:
Animal cells in a hypotonic solution swell and may burst due to lack of a rigid cell wall, while plant cells become turgid due to their cell wall, increasing their turgor pressure. In a hypertonic solution, both animal and plant cells lose water, leading to crenation in animal cells and plasmolysis in plant cells.
Step-by-step explanation:
How Animal and Plant Cells React Differently in a Hypotonic Solution
When placed in a hypotonic solution, water enters animal cells and plant cells due to osmosis. For animal cells, such as a red blood cell, excessive entry of water leads to swelling and eventually lysis (bursting) because they lack a rigid exterior to prevent overexpansion. Contrastingly, plant cells equipped with a cell wall can resist lysis even as they swell; water moves into the cytosol and vacuoles, producing turgor pressure that stiffens and supports the cell. However, if exposed to a hypertonic solution, both animal and plant cells lose water. An animal cell shrinks and may die, a phenomenon known as crenation. Plant cells undergo plasmolysis, where the plasma membrane detaches from the cell wall, causing the plant to wilt due to a loss of turgor pressure.