Question

Assume that you place a freshwater plant into a saltwater solution and examine it under a microscope. What happens to the plant cells? What if you placed a saltwater plant in pure water? Explain. Draw pictures to illustrate your explanation.

Short answer

The plant will wilt when left in salt water, because of the different concentrations of salt in the plant cell and in the salt water.

Step-by-step solution

Step 1:Explain the reasoning

The plant will wilt when left in salt water and will grow in the pure water. The salt water is Hypertonic solution when compared to the inside of the plant cell. So, there is a gradient of concentration leading to osmotic pressure. Therefore, the water will diffuse from the plant cell, ultimately drying it out.