Which of the following can cause shrinkage of living cells?

A hypertonic solution can cause shrinkage of living cells. Hypertonic refers to a solution with a higher concentration of solutes (such as salt) compared to the inside of a living cell. When a living cell is placed in a hypertonic solution, water from inside the cell will move out of the cell through osmosis in an attempt to balance the concentration of solutes. This causes the cell to lose water and shrink in size, leading to a process called plasmolysis. In contrast, an isotonic solution has the same concentration of solutes as the inside of a living cell, so there is no net movement of water in or out of the cell. A hypotonic solution has a lower concentration of solutes compared to the inside of a living cell, causing water to move into the cell and potentially causing it to burst or undergo lysis. Deionized water, which has had its ions removed, is hypotonic in nature and can cause lysis of living cells when they are placed in it. Therefore, the correct option that can cause shrinkage of living cells is "hypertonic solution."