Biology set 3 Flashcards
What are the two main parts of a plant?
Shoot system and root system are the two main parts of the plant
What are the three main parts of the shoot system?
Leaves, stems and reproductive structures are the main parts of the shoot system
What is the root system made up of?
Roots only
What is the role/job of leaves?
provide a place for photosynthesis, absorb/move water (transpiration)
What are the two parts of a leaf?
The lamina, the petiole
What is the lamina?
The lamina is the leaf blade
What is the petiole?
The petiole is the leaf stalk
Do all leaves have a lamina and petiole?
No, but most do have these two parts
Why do some leaves have unusual shapes and sizes?
Leaves with unusual shapes/sizes have specialized functions
Why might leaves have a small size or waxy coating?
The waxy coating or small size stops water loss
What are the red ‘flowers’ on a Poinsettia plant in winter?
The red ‘flowers’ are actually specialized leaves called bracts (the flowers are the little yellow centres)
What is the purpose of the bracts?
The purpose of the red bracts is to attract insects to pollinate the plant
What does pollen contain?
Pollen contains the sperm of a plant
What are pollinators?
Pollinators are insects or birds that will transport the pollen from one plant to another
what is the stem of a plant?
The stem of a plant is the core of the shoot system
What are the two parts of a stem?
The stem is divided into the nodes and internodes.
What are nodes?
Nodes are where buds grown into leaves or other stems or flowers
What are internodes?
Internodes are the parts between nodes.
Most stems are above ground, unless the plant is what kind of plant?
Plants called tubers, such as potatoes, have stems under the ground
What is the role of the stem?
The role of the stem is to provide support for the plant, place for leaves and fruit/flowers to grow, keeps leaves facing the sunlight, transports nutrients and water, stores nutrients.
How might humans use a plant’s stem?
Stems might have sugar (sugar cane) or maple syrup (sap)
What is the stem of a tree?
tree stems are called trunks
What else do we get from tree stems or bark?
we get wood, paper from the stem, cinnamon, cork come from bark
Where do you find roots?
Roots are usually, but not always, below ground
What is the role of roots?
Roots anchor the plant to the ground, take up water and minerals for growth, store food and nutrients, and provide a means of reproduction (asexual)
How do roots get the oxygen they need to survive?
Roots can get oxygen naturally from between the grains of soil.
When the ground is saturated with water what happens to the roots?
When there is too much water, the roots cannot get oxygen in the soil, so they grown outside of the soil
What are fibrous roots?
Fibrous roots are thin and hairlike, those of a tomato plant
What are taproots?
Tap roots are thick and short… like carrots
What are buttress roots?
Buttress roots are somewhere in between … like a fig tree.
What are the four ways that plants might reproduce?
Asexual reproduction, fragmentation, or sexually
What is asexual reproduction in plants?
Asexual reproduction is when algae just clones itself by fission (splitting)
What is fragmentation?
Fragmentation is when a plant breaks apart and both regrow
What is plant sexual reproduction?
When plants have male and female eggs and sperm that are spread by insects or birds
What are spores?
Spores are reproductive cells that are able to develop into a new individual without fusing with another cell. (these are not like seeds)
What type of plants have spores?
Non seed bearing plants have spores, such as algae, moss, ferns
What do spores need to grown new plants?
A spore needs favorable conditions and then it will grow a new plant
How do spores get to a new location to grow?
Often they are under the leaves of plants and are carried by wind or rain.
What might ‘eat’ spores?
Bacteria and fungi might consume spores
What is the job of a flower?
A flower gives a way for sperm to find the eggs, thus making a new plant
What are the sepals?
The sepals are the green parts outside/around the petals.
What are petals?
Petals are usually colourful, and are modified leaves similar to the bracts of a Pointsettia
What is a stamen?
A stamen contains a filament topped by pollen producing cells
What is the carpel?
The carpel contains the plant’s ovary (where the eggs are located)
What are seeds?
Seeds are the embryonic (immature) plants enclosed in a protective coating
What is endosperm?
Endosperm is rich in oil, starch and protein, and is a seed’s stored nutrients
How are seeds dispersed (sent to new places)?
Seeds can be dispersed by wind, by water, by animals.
How do animals disperse seeds?
They eat them and poop them out, or they get stuck in fur and spread that way.
Which is more evolutionary advanced seeds or spores?
Seeds are more evolutionarily advanced
What is the difference between gymnosperms and angiosperms?
Gymnosperms seeds are covered by the scales of cones, angiosperms the seed becomes covered with a fleshy or hard fruit
What are cones?
Cones are the part of a conifer which contains the reproductive structures.
What is the difference between male and female cones?
Female cones produce ovules, males cones which are smaller and less visible produce pollen (a yellowish powder)
Where do you find male and female cones on a fir tree?
Male cones are closer to the ground, female cones are higher up.
What is cross-pollination?
Cross-pollination is being fertilized by another plant
What is self-pollination?
Self-fertilization is when the plant is fertilized by itself. Plants must avoid this.
Why are male and female cones in different spots on a tree?
The wind will carry the pollen from the females downwards to a new tree.
