What does plasmolysis mean?
Plasmolysis is the contraction of a plant cell's protoplast when water leaves the cell, causing the plasma membrane to pull away from the relatively rigid cell wall. The process commonly occurs when a plant cell is placed in a hypertonic solution, such as concentrated salt or sugar water, and the external water potential is lower than that inside the cell. Although the cell contents shrink during plasmolysis, the cell wall often retains its shape. The term is useful in plant physiology because it demonstrates the semipermeability of the plasma membrane and the movement of water by osmosis. It can also be reversed: when a plasmolyzed cell is transferred to a hypotonic or sufficiently dilute solution, water enters the cell and the protoplast expands again, a process called deplasmolysis.
nounPlasmolysis is the process in which a plant cell loses water and the plasma membrane pulls away from the cell wall as the protoplast shrinks. It usually occurs when the cell is placed in a hypertonic solution and can be reversed by transferring it to a hypotonic solution.
- The shrinkage of a plant-cell protoplast and the separation of its plasma membrane from the cell wall as a result of water loss, usually in a hypertonic environment.
"When the plant cell was placed in a concentrated salt solution, it underwent plasmolysis and the protoplast contracted."
"The cells showed clear plasmolysis after being exposed to a concentrated sugar solution."
"Researchers used plasmolysis to study the osmotic behaviour of plant cells."
The plural is plasmolyses, used when referring to multiple instances of the process.
"The samples showed several plasmolyses after exposure to the hypertonic solution."
Watch a plant cell in salty water: its living contents pull away from the rigid wall, revealing a process you can see through a microscope.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does plasmolysis come from?
The word combines Greek plasma, meaning something formed or molded, with lysis, meaning a loosening or breaking. In biological terminology, plasma refers to the fluid or living contents of a cell, while lysis refers to the breakdown of cells or cell structures. The combined term was developed in plant physiology to describe the specific separation of the protoplast from the cell wall caused by water loss.
Related word forms
How plasmolysis is actually used
This is a specialized biological term, chiefly used in botany, plant physiology, and cell biology. It is normally used with plant cells, and the process is distinguished from general cell lysis.
Easily confused with plasmolysis
Plasmolysis is the shrinking of a plant-cell protoplast caused by water loss, whereas deplasmolysis is the reversal of that process when the cell takes up water.
Lysis is the general breaking down or disruption of cells or cell membranes, while plasmolysis specifically describes the contraction of a plant-cell protoplast away from its cell wall.