Basic Concepts (Modules 13-15)

Question 1

What percentage of vascular plants benefit from fungi?

Answer 1

90%

Question 2

What are fungi?

Answer 2

Major decomposers, pathogens, and mutualists.

Question 3

What are the characteristics of fungi?

Answer 3

Eukaryotic 
Heterotrophic 
Saprodic decomposers, parasites, or mutualists 
Related to animals than plants  
Chitin in their cell walls 
Filamentous or unicellular (or both)

Question 4

What are filamentous fungi composed of?

Answer 4

Hyphae, which can form a mycelium.

Question 5

What is a common trait between unicellular and filamentous fungi?

Answer 5

Both can reproduce either asexually, sexually or both. Spores can be produced sexually or asexually.

Question 6

What is in the cell wall of fungi?

Answer 6

Chitin

Question 7

What affects the length of hyphae?

Answer 7

Cytoplasmic streaming.

Question 8

The importance of a high surface area?

Answer 8

The volume ratio of hyphae makes fungi very efficient at absorption.

Question 9

What do fungi do?

Answer 9

Secrete enzymes into their substrate to break down organic compounds, then absorb smaller organic molecules (decomposers, pathogens, mutualists).

Question 10

What do fungi that are mutualistic with plant roots have?

Answer 10

Mycorrhizae “fungus roots”

Question 11

Benefits of mycorrhizae for vascular plants and some conifers and orchids?

Answer 11

Provides water and nutrients from soil
More efficient than plant roots alone- much greater surface area
Protects plants roots
Plants provide carbs and other nutrients
Affect the relationship between plants
Affect competitive interactions between invasive species and native species

Question 12

What are endophytes?

Answer 12

Neutral or beneficial fungi found in plant tissues. Fights against pathogens and stress.

Question 13

What are lichens?

Answer 13

fungi in mutualism with algae and cyanobacteria (provide protection from light and desiccation as well as physical protection.

Question 14

What are the types of pollination?

Answer 14

Wind, by animals,

Question 15

What are the benefits of wind pollination?

Answer 15

Don't need to attract pollinators 
Male flowers are higher 
Grows in large populations 
Lots of pollen 
Long stigma/style 
Ex: Corn

Question 16

Animal pollinated plants

Answer 16

Offer rewards such as nectar, pollen, oil, site for egg-laying

Question 17

Pollination by animals?

Answer 17

Signals that attract pollinators

Relationships general or specific

Question 18

What kind of signals might a plant use?

Answer 18

Visual signals (colors, markings, shapes)
Olfactory signals
Temperature

Question 19

What keeps bees from falling off flowers?

Answer 19

Velcro

Question 20

What attracts bats to flowers?

Answer 20

Usually open at night, pale and very fragrant with large quantities.

Question 21

What is the main disadvantage to specialized pollination?

Answer 21

Dependent upon pollinator populations.

Question 22

What are the advantages to specialized pollination?

Answer 22

More assurance of pollination if rare.

Question 23

What is a selective pressure?

Answer 23

The need to attract pollinators

Question 24

Why is outcrossing preferrable?

Answer 24

Genetic recombination, avoids inbreeding,

Question 25

When might selfing be more favorable?

Answer 25

when individuals are mored adapted/stable in their environment, or if pollinators are unreliable or absent.

Question 26

Mutualistic partnerships

Answer 26

Mycorrhizae and plants Nitrogen fixing bacteria and plants Pollinators

Question 27

What is pollinator confusion?

Answer 27

When subspecies overlap.

Question 28

How has drought and heat stress affected plants and seedlings.

Answer 28

Reduced the range within which seedlings survive.

Question 29

What is ecology?

Answer 29

The study of relationships of organisms to each of their environments.

Question 30

What is a population?

Answer 30

Groups of individuals of the same species that are connected geographically.

Question 31

What is a community?

Answer 31

Groups of populations living and interacting with each other in the same place.

Question 32

What is an ecosystem?

Answer 32

Both the living and non-living components in an environment.

Question 33

What is something all organisms have in common?

Answer 33

All need to acquire and use energy.

Question 34

Producers

Answer 34

Acquire energy from the environment.

Question 35

Primary consumers

Answer 35

herbivores, feed directly on producers.

Question 36

Secondary consumers

Answer 36

Predators, feed on primary consumers.

Question 37

Decomposers

Answer 37

Break down dead organic materials

Question 38

Food chain/web

Answer 38

the flow of energy from/through trophic levels.

Question 39

Where is the most energy stored in trophic levels?

Answer 39

Primary producers

Question 40

What supports aquatic food chains?

Answer 40

Phytoplankton.

Question 41

What happens to chemical energy once acquired by producers?

Answer 41

It gets passed to other organisms.

Question 42

What trophic efficiency?

Answer 42

The fraction of energy passed on to the next trophic levels.

Question 43

Types of relationships between individuals and species?

Answer 43

Anyshonistic, mutually beneficial, or neutral

Question 44

What is mutualism?

Answer 44

When both parties benefit from the relationship.

Question 45

Predation or herbivory?

Answer 45

When one party consumes the other

Question 46

Competition

Answer 46

Fitness of both parties is reduced by appropriation or defense of resources.

Question 47

Commensalism

Answer 47

When one benefits and the other is unaffected.

Question 48

Where can carbon move from/ to?

Answer 48

Atmosphere and water, and aquatic food chain.

Question 49

Carbon in living organisms?

Answer 49

Photosynthesizing organisms take CO2 from the atmosphere and fix the carbon into organic molecules.

Question 50

How does the carbon cycle and nitrogen cycle differ in relation to plants?

Answer 50

Unlike carbon, plants cannot directly acquire nitrogen from the atmosphere.

Question 51

What is nitrogen fixation?

Answer 51

Conversion of N2 to ammonia and compounds

Question 52

How is nitrogen returned to the atmosphere?

Answer 52

Certain bacteria and by human activitiy.

Question 53

What is an autotroph?

Answer 53

produces complex organic compounds from simple substances present in its surroundings,

Question 54

How are patterns of plant distribution determined?

Answer 54

Climate, temperature, and precipitation.

Question 55

How are biomes categorized?

Answer 55

plant characteristics and climate patterns.

Question 56

Tropical rain forest

Answer 56

Adaptions to compete for light or utilize low light

Question 57

Desert

Answer 57

adaptions to access water, reduce water loss, and protect from excess light

Question 58

What are the 3 factors that affect biome distribution?

Answer 58

Ocean currents Continuality Rain shadows

Question 59

Rain Shadows

Answer 59

As air is forced up and over mountains it cools and releases moisture.

Question 60

Continuality

Answer 60

Oceans moderate changes in air temp

Question 61

Elevation/Altitude

Answer 61

Affects temperature, humidity, wind, soils, etc.

Question 62

What are plants able to change?

Answer 62

The abiotic environment, provide and create microclimate.

Question 63

Temperate grasslands

Answer 63

Less rain, cold winters, hot summers, seasonal

Question 64

What is the largest biome?

Answer 64

Grasslands

Question 65

What is Ecosystem services?

Answer 65

Benefits to humans provided by an ecosystem. | (carbon storage, water filtration, and storage, and oxygen production.

Question 66

How are grasslands categorized?

Answer 66

Vegetation types: savanna or steppe

Question 67

Steppe (including prairies)

Answer 67

grasslands with no trees or just a few isolated trees