Final answer:
In biology, the bursting of a cell that has become too bloated is known as lysis.
Step-by-step explanation:
In biology, when cells become bloated and burst due to an inability to contain the expanding contents within the plasma membrane, this process is known as lysis. This often occurs when a cell takes on water in an environment where the concentration of solutes inside the cell is higher than outside, leading to water influx by osmosis. The plasma membrane of a cell is only so flexible and when the cell swells excessively, the membrane can no longer maintain its integrity, leading to the cell breaking apart, or lysing. Other cell processes like mitosis (cell division), apoptosis (programmed cell death), and differentiation (development of cells into different forms) are distinct from lysis and do not involve bursting of cells due to swelling.