A company seeks to develop an herbicide that kills plants by directly interfering (at the cellular level) with plants’ ability to maintain turgor pressure. An herbicide could accomplish this by disrupting the membrane of _____.
To determine the answer to this question, we need to understand what turgor pressure is and how it is maintained in plants.
Turgor pressure is the force that is exerted on the cell wall by the cell's contents, mainly the vacuole, which is filled with water. It helps maintain the rigidity and structure of plant cells. This pressure is essential for supporting plant tissues, providing mechanical support, and allowing plants to maintain their shape and function properly.
At the cellular level, turgor pressure is maintained by a process called osmosis, which involves the movement of water across the plant cell membrane. When water moves into the cell through osmosis, it builds up pressure against the cell wall, creating turgor pressure. This movement of water is regulated by the selective permeability of the cell membrane.
Now, coming back to the question, an herbicide that disrupts the membrane to interfere with the plants' ability to maintain turgor pressure would likely target the membrane responsible for regulating water movement and controlling osmosis. This membrane is called the plasma membrane or cell membrane.
So, in summary, the correct answer is the plasma membrane or cell membrane. Disrupting this membrane would hinder the selective permeability that regulates the movement of water into and out of the plant cell, thus impacting the maintenance of turgor pressure.