Meaning & use
plasmolysis
Last updated
The shrinking of a plant cell's cytoplasm away from its cell wall due to loss of water in a hypertonic solution.
See it in a sentence
Students observed plasmolysis in onion cells after adding salt water under the microscope.
Excessive fertilizer can cause plasmolysis in plant roots by drawing water out of their cells.
A note on using this word
A key concept in cell biology, plasmolysis demonstrates osmosis and helps determine whether a solution is hypertonic to plant cells.
Words with an opposite meaning
deplasmolysis
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