What will happen to a turgid plant cell with an initial water potential of 0.5 MPa when dropped into a large beaker of water and solute that has a water potential of -1.5 MPa?
To determine what will happen to a turgid plant cell in this scenario, we need to compare the water potential of the cell with the water potential of the surrounding solution.
Water potential measures the tendency of water to move from one location to another. It is influenced by factors such as pressure, solute concentration, and gravity. Water always moves from an area of higher water potential to an area of lower water potential.
In your question, the turgid plant cell has an initial water potential of 0.5 MPa, indicating that it has a higher water potential compared to the surrounding solution with a water potential of -1.5 MPa.
Since water moves from higher to lower water potential, the water from inside the turgid plant cell would move out into the surrounding solution with the lower water potential. This movement of water out of the cell is known as osmosis.
As water moves out of the plant cell, it undergoes plasmolysis, which is the shrinking of the protoplast (cell contents) away from the cell wall. The cell becomes flaccid, which means it loses its turgidity or firmness.
In summary, when the turgid plant cell with an initial water potential of 0.5 MPa is dropped into a beaker of water and solute with a water potential of -1.5 MPa, water will move out of the cell through osmosis, leading to plasmolysis and causing the cell to become flaccid.