OSMOSIS

Hello all my bright sparks;

The main focus of our journey today will be on Osmosis.

What is Osmosis?

Osmosis is a process in which a fluid passes through a semipermeable membrane, moving from an area in which a solute such as salt is present in low concentrations to an area in which the solute is present in high concentrations.

The Importance of Osmosis

This is important for two reasons, water is important for many biological processes and it also regulates the water potential of the cell.it helps the cell keep its structure, water diffuses into the cell causing the cell to expand and become larger, if water diffuses out of the cell because the environment has a lot of solute then the cell shrivels up. The preferred shape depends on the cell you are working with, plants prefer their environment to be Hypotonic(more water outside than inside the cell) so water diffuses in and causes them to be turgid or very full. Animals prefer to be isotonic to their environment, so they have the same amount of water inside and out, assuming a flaccid shape( not shriveled or bursting). No cell prefers being shriveled(plasmolyzed).

https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-importance-of-osmosis-for-a-cell