Biology I / Mitochondria, Plastids and the Plant Cell
Practice question · Multiple choice

Why does a plant wilt when it loses water?

Hints
  1. Ask what holds a non-woody plant upright in the first place.
  2. Turgor pressure from full vacuoles pressing outward against rigid walls provides the support.
Show the answer

A. The vacuoles lose turgor pressure, so the cells no longer press against their walls

Why

A non-woody plant is held up by turgor: full vacuoles press outward against rigid walls, and the tissue becomes stiff. Lose the water and the pressure falls, so the tissue goes limp, support is hydraulic, not skeletal.

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