A houseplant goes unwatered for several days and wilts. Which structure has shrunk and left the cell walls unsupported?
AThe nuclear envelope
BThe Golgi apparatus
CThe central vacuole
DThe mitochondrion
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. The central vacuole
1. The central vacuole regulates the plant cell's water concentration as conditions change.
2. When soil water drops below the water level inside the plant, water moves out of the central vacuoles and cytoplasm.
3. As the central vacuole shrinks, it leaves the cell wall unsupported.
4. Without that support the cell walls sag, and the plant takes on its wilted appearance.
5. The other three organelles play no role in propping up the wall, so their names are decoys here.
_Source: OpenStax Biology (1st ed., CC BY 4.0), Ch 4 "Cell Structure", section 4.3 Eukaryotic Cells_
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