Imman S. answered • 12/01/20
Undergraduate Biology Student, Avid Reader and current writer
When plant cells are kept in water,what tends to happen is a influx of water into the cell. Plant cells have a lower solute concentration inside their plasma membrane versus outside the cell, which is the definition of hypotonic cell. Hypotonic cells swell up because water rushes into the cell. Due to the cell wall in plant cells, such as carrots, the cells cannot burst from the influx of water, and instead pushes the plasma membrane close to the cell wall, creating “crispiness”.
To help you remember, hypo means low and tonic refers to the amount of solute within a cell. Hypertonic would mean having too much solute within the cell.
