Answer:
When a plant cell is placed in a solution with a lower water potential than the cell, water will move out of the cell due to the process of osmosis. This movement of water will continue until the water potential inside and outside the cell is equal.
The cell wall of a plant cell is freely permeable to water, so water will move across it. However, the cell surface membrane is only partially permeable, meaning that some substances can pass through while others cannot. This partially permeable membrane allows the movement of water, but not of larger solutes such as ions or sugars.
Inside the plant cell, there is a large central vacuole surrounded by a tonoplast, which is a partially permeable membrane. The cytoplasm of the cell also contains solutes, such as salts and sugars, which contribute to the solute potential of the cell.
As water moves out of the cell, the solute concentration inside the cell will increase, leading to a decrease in the water potential of the cell. At the same time, the pressure potential inside the cell will decrease because there is less water pushing against the cell wall.
If the loss of water continues, the cell membrane will eventually pull away from the cell wall, resulting in a phenomenon known as incipient plasmolysis. This means that the protoplast, which includes the cytoplasm and the cell's organelles, will shrink and pull away from the cell wall.
If the water loss continues, the protoplast will shrink further, and the cell will become plasmolyzed. This means that the cytoplasm has pulled away from the cell wall, and the cell membrane has collapsed inwardly.
At this point, the water potential inside the cell and outside the cell will be the same, and the movement of water will stop. The cell will be unable to perform its normal functions, and if too many cells in a plant become plasmolyzed, the plant may wilt and die.
In summary, when a plant cell is placed in a solution with a lower water potential than the cell, water will move out of the cell due to osmosis, causing the solute concentration and the pressure potential inside the cell to decrease. This can lead to incipient plasmolysis and eventually plasmolysis, which can result in the death of the cell or the plant.
Step-by-step explanation: