Question

a student used a microscope to observe a wet - mount slide of red onion epidermal cells that were suspended in a 1% nacl solution. the student then added a 15% nacl solution to the slide and observed the changes that occurred. the students observations are represented in figure 1. which of the following most directly explains the changes in the cells? the lysis of chloroplasts in the cells the degradation of dna in the nuclei of the cells the movement of water from the central vacuoles of the cells into the solution the movement of nacl from the solution into the cytoplasm of the cells

Explanation:

The change observed in the onion cells is due to osmosis. When a 15% NaCl solution is added, the external environment becomes hyper - tonic compared to the cell's interior. Water moves out of the cells from an area of lower solute concentration (inside the cell) to an area of higher solute concentration (outside the cell in the 15% NaCl solution). This is the movement of water from the central vacuoles of the cells into the solution.

Answer:

The movement of water from the central vacuoles of the cells into the solution