Which plant cell structure stores water and maintains turgor pressure in plant cells?

Which plant cell structure stores water and maintains turgor pressure in plant cells?

• A. Mitochondrion
• B. Chloroplast
• C. Large central vacuole
• D. Golgi apparatus

Answer: (C)

The large central vacuole is the plant cell structure that stores water and provides turgor pressure. When this vacuole is full of water, it pushes against the cell wall, creating rigidity that helps keep the plant upright and maintains its shape. The vacuole can also store minerals, pigments, and waste, but its role in water storage and pressure is what underpins turgor. Mitochondria make ATP through cellular respiration, chloroplasts carry out photosynthesis, and the Golgi apparatus processes and ships cellular products—these functions don’t directly involve storing water or maintaining turgor.

The large central vacuole is the plant cell structure that stores water and provides turgor pressure. When this vacuole is full of water, it pushes against the cell wall, creating rigidity that helps keep the plant upright and maintains its shape. The vacuole can also store minerals, pigments, and waste, but its role in water storage and pressure is what underpins turgor. Mitochondria make ATP through cellular respiration, chloroplasts carry out photosynthesis, and the Golgi apparatus processes and ships cellular products—these functions don’t directly involve storing water or maintaining turgor.