Question

Do plants have contractile vacuoles?

Answer 1

Contractile vacuoles:

1. Contractile vacuole is a specialized vacuole of eukaryote cells found particularly in protozoa.
2. It is involved in osmoregulation, i.e., it allows the flow of water from the cytoplasm and then discharges this externally by the opening of a permanent narrow neck.
3. In aquatic unicellular organisms such as protozoa and algae, the cell has higher concentration of solutes than the environment.
4. As a result, the water tends to flow into the cell through osmosis.
5. The contractile vacuole helps to prevent excessive water influx that could cause rupture (lysis) to the cell.
6. Contraction of vacuole expels water out of the cell.