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

Answer 1

In a hypotonic solution, the cell has more solute than its environment, which means that the concentration of solvent (usually water) is lower outside the cell compared to the inside. As a result, solvent moves from the area of lower solute concentration (outside the cell) to the area of higher solute concentration (inside the cell). This influx of water causes the cell to swell and can potentially lead to it bursting if the difference in concentrations is significant enough.

Therefore, the correct response to what happens to the cell in a hypotonic solution 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.