= Plasmolysis
{wiki}
<Plasmolysis> is withdrawal of the membrane-bounded contents from parts of a <cell wall> after <water> loss. A sufficiently concentrated external <hypertonic solution>, with <solutes> effectively excluded by the <cell membrane> over the observation time, can cause this. The <cell wall> remains; the enclosed material contracts. <Plasmolysis> is therefore distinct from <osmotic lysis>, which breaks the cellular boundary during excessive swelling. A return to a less concentrated surrounding <chemical solution> can reverse <plasmolysis> if the <biological cell> remains functional.<Biology 2e by Mary Ann Clark and others/5.2 Passive Transport>[Biology 2e, §5.2, Tonicity in Living Systems and Figure 5.13: membrane withdrawal under hypertonic conditions]{ref}
\Image[/cell-wall-osmotic-experiment-logic.png]
{title=<Plasmolysis> with a retained <cell wall>, and osmotic challenge after wall removal}
{description=Original qualitative experiment logic. The upper pair compares a turgid <plant> cell with <plasmolysis> in an external <hypertonic solution>. The lower pair compares a supported <protoplast> with <osmotic lysis> after dilution for a susceptible preparation. Arrows indicate interventions or possible net <water> movement, not measured rates. The dilution comparison concerns <lysozyme>-susceptible <bacteria>; the upper comparison concerns <plant> cells. No measured dimensions, times or survival fractions are implied.}
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