Cambridge O Level Biology · Syllabus 5090 · Movement Into and Out of Cells
Cell Response to Water Potential
What is Cell Response to Water Potential?
A cell placed in a solution of higher water potential gains water by osmosis; one placed in a solution of lower water potential loses water. An animal cell has no cell wall, so it swells and may burst when water enters, and shrinks when water leaves. A plant cell is enclosed by a rigid cellulose cell wall which resists the outward pressure, so it becomes turgid rather than bursting, and becomes flaccid or plasmolysed when water is lost.
This definition is part of the Movement Into and Out of Cells chapter in Cambridge O Level Biology.
Last reviewed Syllabus 2026-2028