Why do plants thrive in hypotonic environments?
Subsequently, one may also ask, do plants like to be hypertonic or hypotonic?
In a hypertonic solution, a cell with a cell wall will lose water too. The plasma membrane pulls away from the cell wall as it shrivels, a process called plasmolysis. Animal cells tend to do best in an isotonic environment, plant cells tend to do best in a hypotonic environment.
Similarly, why would plant cells not lyse in a hypotonic environment?
When they are exposed to hypotonic environments, water rushes into the cell, and the cell swells. Eventually, if water is not removed from the cell, the pressure will exceed the tensile strength of the cell, and it will burst open, or lyse.
Plant cells prefer hypotonic environments and animal cells prefer isotonic environments.