From the cell webquest and the onion and cheek cell labs you've learned a few fundamental differences between plant and animal cells. Both plant and animal cells have a cell membrane, but only the plant cell also has a cell wall. In the elodea lab you can clearly see the structure and function of each. The process you will see is called plasmolysis - you'll do some further reading on it in the lab. Plasmolysis in action!
- What happens to the cells as the salt water flows under the cover slip?
- Why does this happen?
- Why didn’t the outer boundary of the cell collapse?
- Why do plants wilt when there is not enough water?
