Osmosis Diagram for Biology Education

This educational biology diagram vividly illustrates the crucial process of osmosis and its impact on both animal (red blood) cells and plant cells when immersed in solutions of different tonicities. The top row showcases red blood cells experiencing crenation in a hypertonic environment, maintaining their normal biconcave disc shape in an isotonic solution, and undergoing hemolysis (bursting) due to swelling in a hypotonic solution. The middle row visually depicts the net movement of water (H2O) into or out of a single red blood cell under these conditions. The bottom row highlights the effects on plant cells: plasmolysis in a hypertonic solution where the cell membrane pulls away from the cell wall, a flaccid state in an isotonic environment, and a turgid state in a hypotonic solution where the vacuole expands, pushing the cell membrane against the cell wall. This visual guide is excellent for understanding cell behavior and water potential concepts in biological contexts.

osmosis - cells - biology - tonic solutions - plant cells - blood cells