How does turgor pressure effect animal cell membranes?
An animal cell is normally as salty as its external solution. Animal cells do not have cell walls so have no turgor pressure. An animal cell transferred from an isotonic to a hypertonic solution will shrink as water moves out of the cell via osmosis. An animal cell transferred from isotonic to hypotonic will gain water via osmosis and swell. If the solution is dilute enough, the cell may burst because it has no cell wall to prevent the cell membrane from stretching as the cell expands. Turgid and flaccid are terms that really only apply to cells with cell walls, such as plant cells. Animal cells may shrink or swell when placed in hypertonic and hypotonic solutions, respectively, but they never have turgor because the cell membrane is too weak. A cell wall is required for a cell to have a turgor potential.
