Osmosis Is Serious Business! Case Study

Osmosis is Serious Business! Case Study

1. What sort of environment (hypotonic, hypertonic, isotonic) did the extra fertilizer create around the roots of the corn?

The extra fertilizer created a hypertonic environment around the roots of the corn.

2. Keeping in mind your answer to the previous question, what do you believe caused the corn plants to wilt and eventually die?

Water diffused from the plant cells to the soil by osmosis as a result of the excessive fertilizer, causing the plant cells to shrink. The plants eventually wilted and died due to the lack of water remaining in the plant cells.

3. If Michael’s mistake had been caught earlier, is there anything that could have been done to prevent the corn from dying?

He could have removed the fertilizer as well as watered the plants more frequently.

4. Generally, people water their plants with 100% H2 O—no solutes added. What sort of environment does this create around the roots of the plant?

It creates an isotonic environment around the roots, enabling them to draw up minerals through the soil faster and easier than if they used a substance with solutes added that could potentially block the absorption of the minerals.

5. Briefly explain why plants generally thrive in this sort of environment.

Plants usually thrive in a moist environment because the water helps transport minerals through the soil to the roots while osmotic pressure is maintained to prevent wilting or dying.

6. What problem did the distilled water in the patient’s bloodstream create?

The water resulted in a hypotonic environment that caused the diffusion of water into the patient's red blood cells.

7. What happed to the patient’s blood cells as a result?

The cells eventually burst due to the swelling caused by the water intake of the cell.

8. Considering the function of red blood cells, why did the patient’s oxygen levels fall?

Red blood cells carry oxygen to all parts of the body. The bursting of these cells...