Vacuoles are a membrane-bound storage sacs filled with a watery fluid. Mature plant cells may have only one vacuole occupying up to 90% of the total plant cell volume.
Some of the function of a plant vacuole include:
* store wastes
* isolate materials that might be harmful to the cell
* maintain internal hydrostatic pressure (turgor) within the cell
* store pigments, such as anthocyanin
* store nutrients
Vacuoles are responsible for the size, shape, and structure of plant cells.
Vacuoles contribute to turgor pressure, which is the pressure within plant cells. When a plant is properly watered, water colle cts in its cell vacuoles, which enlarge making the cells rigid. Without sufficient water, the vacuoles shrink in size, turgor pressure is reduced and the plant wilts. Wilt is a common term for the plant becoming flacid.
![46870: Janice VanCleave"s Plants: Mind-Boggling Experiments You Can Turn Into Science Fair Projects](http://ag.christianbook.com/g/thumbnail/4/46870t.gif "46870: Janice VanCleave"s Plants: Mind-Boggling Experiments You Can Turn Into Science Fair Projects") |
Janice VanCleave’s Plants: Mind-Boggling Experiments You Can Turn Into Science Fair Projects |
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