Plant Biology (Botany): How Trees Lift Water Without Pumps
From cell walls and sunlight to pollen, ferns and flytraps, how plants build themselves, move water and sense the world.
Plant Biology (Botany) · 50 questions
Try 3 questions
1. Why does a lettuce leaf go limp when it dries out?
- Its chlorophyll breaks down
- Its cells lose their water pressure
- Its cell walls dissolve away
Show the answer
Answer: Its cells lose their water pressure
Soft plant tissues stay firm because water-filled cells press against their walls; losing water removes that turgor.
2. Why don't plant cells burst in pure water the way animal cells can?
- They have no water channels
- Their vacuoles pump water out
- A rigid wall resists the pressure
Show the answer
Answer: A rigid wall resists the pressure
Water still rushes in, but the cellulose wall pushes back, so the cell becomes firm instead of rupturing.
3. In a mature plant cell, how much of the volume can the central vacuole take up?
- About 5 percent at most
- Exactly half of the cell
- Up to about 90 percent
Show the answer
Answer: Up to about 90 percent
The large water-filled vacuole lets cells grow big cheaply and keeps them firm, squeezing the cytoplasm into a thin layer.
The whole quiz comes before your apps
BrainTok asks a few questions like these before the apps you choose open, so your screen time turns into learning. For iPhone.
Join the beta