Question

Recall what you know about hypertonic, hypotonic, and isotonic solutions. What happens to the cell in a hypotonic solution?(1 point)
Responses

The cell and the environment have an equal amount of solute, so there is no net movement of solvent in and out of the cell.
The cell and the environment have an equal amount of solute, so there is no net movement of solvent in and out of the cell.

The cell has less solute in its environment, so the cell membrane extends around the solute and takes it out of the cell.
The cell has less solute in its environment, so the cell membrane extends around the solute and takes it out of the cell.

The cell has more solute than its environment, so solvent moves from outside the cell to inside the cell, causing the cell to swell.
The cell has more solute than its environment, so solvent moves from outside the cell to inside the cell, causing the cell to swell.

The cell has less solute that its environment, so solvent moves from inside the cell to outside the cell, causing the cell to shrink.

1 answer

In a hypotonic solution, the cell has more solute than its environment, which means the concentration of solutes is lower outside the cell compared to the inside. This causes water to move into the cell from the surrounding environment in order to balance the solute concentrations. As a result, the cell swells and may eventually burst if too much water enters.

Therefore, the correct response is:

The cell has more solute than its environment, so solvent moves from outside the cell to inside the cell, causing the cell to swell.