Biology 2023 JAMB Past Questions - Question 3: The filaments of Spirogyra were put into equal volumes of sugar solutions X and Y. After 5 minutes, filaments from solution X had their cell contents rounded up while those from Y were unaffected. The experiment shows that

Correct Answer

A

Explanation

The experiment described suggests that solution X is hypertonic to the cell contents of Spirogyra, while solution Y is isotonic or hypotonic.Here's the breakdown:

1. Filaments from Spirogyra were placed into equal volumes of sugar solutions X and Y.
2. After 5 minutes, the cell contents of filaments from solution X rounded up, indicating water loss and plasmolysis due to a hypertonic environment. This means that solution X has a higher solute concentration compared to the cell contents of Spirogyra.
3. Filaments from solution Y were unaffected, indicating that the concentration of solutes in solution Y is either equal to or lower than the concentration within the cell contents of Spirogyra. This suggests that solution Y is either isotonic or hypotonic to the cell contents of Spirogyra.

So, the solution to the question is that the experiment shows solution X is hypertonic and solution Y is isotonic or hypotonic to the cell contents of Spirogyra.