Lab

Lab Introduction Water plays a vital role in biological systems. Some species are able to survive in diverse environment such as fishes in salt water, Cactus plants in dry land and mammalian cells in aqueous surrounding because of the specialized underlying structures of these life-forms. In order for us to appreciate these special adaptation, we first need to know how a typical plant or an animal cell organelle behaves in different water and solute concentrations. In this lab, we will determine the effects of hypertonic, isotonic and hypotonic solutions on plant and animal cells. In general when an animals cell's placed in hypertonic solution it shrivels; a plant cell on the other hand undergoes plasmolysis. When an animal cell's placed in hypotonic solution, it begins to swell and then finally lyse; a plant cell placed in this type of solution however, is said to be turgid. In isotonic solution, the animal cell stays the same (normal) whereas the plant cell becomes flaccid.en: Epidermi s cells of Rhoeo Discolor; the vacuole...