How do vacuoles and plant cells help keep the plant upright?

Question

How do vacuoles and plant cells help keep the plant upright?

2 Answers

Answer Question

Answer 1

If I remember correctly from biology class all those years ago, plant cells contain rigid cell walls that give plants their structure.

Animal cells don't have cell walls, so we rely on handy structures like our skeleton to keep us upright.

The vacuole also absorbs water and moisture within a plant, keeping the pressure up, and maintaining the plant's rigidity. When a vacuole stops absorbing water, the plant goes limp.

Answer 2

In mature plant cells the vacuole takes up most of the cell and is contributory to turgor pressure from the inwards out and against the cell wall to maintain greater rigidity. Plant cells are generally in a hypotonic condition and young plant cells depend on this fully to maintain turgor pressure.