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Intro to Earth Science > C-Terrestrial Ecosystems > Flashcards

C-Terrestrial Ecosystems Flashcards

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Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

What were the 4 major events in the early colonisation of land by plants?

A

1) Tetrad spores - from non-vascular plants (bryophytes (mosses)), in Late Cambrian onwards
2) Trilete spore - from seed-free vascular plants (ferns), in Ordovician
3) Fossils of spore-bearing vascular plant (Cooksonia), in Silurian
4) Stem of seed-bearing vascular plant, in Early Devonian

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2
Q

General information about plants (4)

A

Modular organisms
Disrticulate into various organs (leaves, stems, roots, reproductive structures)
Occurs as part of plant’s life cycle and upon death
One plant = potentially different fossils

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3
Q

What are the 2 categories of land plants?

A

Non vascular plants (Bryophytes - liverworts, hornworts, mosses)
Vascular plants

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4
Q

What are the 2 categories of vascular plants?

A

Seedless vascular plants (club mosses, ferns, horsetails)

Seed vascular plants

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5
Q

What are the 2 categories of seed vascular plants?

A

Angiosperms and gymnosperms

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6
Q

What are angiosperms?

A

Also called flowering plants

Have seeds enclosed in an ovary (usually fruits)

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7
Q

What are gymnosperms?

A

Have no flowers or fruits
Unenclosed/naked seeds on surface of scales/leaves
Seeds often configured as cones

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8
Q

What are the 2 vascular systems in plants?

A

Xylem and Phloem

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9
Q

Describe non-vascular plants

A

No xylem or phloem
Simpler tissues for internal transport of water
Not true leaves - single sheets of cells with no stomata
No wide variety of specialised tissue types

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10
Q

What is the reproductive product of seedless vascular plants?

A

Spores

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11
Q

What is the reproductive product of seed vascular plants?

A

Pollen

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12
Q

What are spores and seeds?

A

Reproductive organs in the plant kingdom

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13
Q

What is the main difference between spores and seeds?

A

Spores don’t contain stored food resources and require more favourable conditions for germination
Seeds contain stored food in their endosperm, allowing them to germinate in harsher conditions

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14
Q

What is the function of xylem?

A

Conducts water and dissolved nutrients upwards

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15
Q

What is the function of phloem?

A

Conducts photosynthetic products (sugars) downward

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16
Q

What are the cell walls of xylem and phloem made from and what does that mean?

A

Cellulose

Results in rigidity in life and recalcitrance after death

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17
Q

What is recalcitrance?

A

The ability to resist microbial decomposition because of certain molecular properties

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18
Q

What do bryophytes never form and what does this mean?

A

Xylem so it is less recalcitrant

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19
Q

What does the difference in biomolecules in vascular and non-vascular plants mean?

A

Some biomolecules used only/to a greater extent by vascular plants
eg. structural tissues (polysaccharides) - cellulose and lignin

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20
Q

What are phytoliths? What is their function? How well preserved are they?

A

Microscopic mineralised bodies (silica) in plant cells.
They provide structure and support, they make plants more difficult to consume and digest
Very Well Preserved

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21
Q

What are plant propagules?

A

Spores in non-vascular and some vascular plants

Seeds and pollen in vascular plants

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22
Q

What is plant propagules preservation potential and why?

A

Good preservation potential due to decay resistant biomolecules

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23
Q

Name the different modes of preservation. (6)

A

3D remains, Compression, Charcoalification, Casts of stems and roots, Perimineralisation, Petrifaction

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24
Q

What do 3D remains usually preserve?

A

Common for pollen and spores

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25
Q

What does compression retain?

A

The carbon film (2D)
Can retain ultrastructure of of organic remains
Impression is the counterpart

26
Q

What does charcoalification preserve and ho?

A

3D structure of organic remains
Burning by fire in absence of oxygen allows cell walls to be carbonised (cell contents volatised)
Preserves delicate structures eg. flowers

27
Q

What do casts preserve?

A

Stems (sagillaria and lepidodendron)
Roots (stigmaria)
Of carboniferous plants

28
Q

What occurs in perimineralisation?

A

Dissolved minerals fill voids and pores inside plant tissues - often infill cells as cell contents decay more rapidly than cell walls

29
Q

What can cell walls persist as?

A

Carbon (residues of original tissues)
Often silica (silicification) (common mode of preservation in unicellular organisms)
Calcite (coal balls)
Pyrite (iron sulphide)

30
Q

What occurs in petrifaction?

A

Involves replacement of tissues by minerals

Typically cell walls are replaced as well as any spaces being infilled

31
Q

What is an example of petrifaction?

A

Grass stem from medieval cess pit in Kilkenny
Cell interiors infilled with calcium phosphate
Cell walls replaced with calcium phosphate

32
Q

The Colonisation of Land by Plants (3)

A

Significant evolutionary event
Implications for biosphere and geosphere (development of pedosphere)
Understanding impacted by differences in fossilisation potential of different plant groups and parts of plants (spores=high preservation potential)

33
Q

What are the challenges of a terrestrial setting? (4)

A

Avoiding dessication
Support (effects of gravity - need structural tissues which enhances preservation potential)
Respiration
Reproduction outside water

34
Q

What occurred with reference to plants in relation to the late Proterozoic?

A 
Microbial film (bacterial mats) and fungi coat land surfaces
Comparable to cyanobacterial crusts in dry environments today
35
Q

What were the earliest land plants? What is their history? What are they like today?

A

Bryophyte-like (non-vascular)
Limited macrofossil record
Middle-Late Ordovician onwards: tetrad spores
Today: tetrad spores predominantly non-vascular (mosses etc)

36
Q

What occurred with reference to plants in relation to the Early Silurian?

A

Major change in plant microfossil record

Addition of trilete spores: typically produced by vascular plants such as ferns

37
Q

What occurred with reference to plants in relation to the Late Silurian/Early Devonian?

A

Entire vascular land plant organs (stems and reproductive organs)
Eg. Cooksonia: Y-shaped, sporangia (brown spore-bearing capsule) at tip of stem
Small stature vascular plants widely established

38
Q

What do Cooksonia look like?

A

Y- shaped
Sporangia at tip of stem (brown spore-bearing capsule)
No leaves or roots

39
Q

How old is Rhynie Chert?

A

400mya

40
Q

What does Rhynie Chert contain?

A

Flora and terrestrial fauna (arthropods) preserved in geothermal setting
7 different vascular plants (about 0.5m tall)
15+ terrestrial and freshwater arthropods
Algae, fungi, bacteria

41
Q

What is special about Rhynie Chert?

A

Oldest hot spring system with surface features (eg. geysers) preserved

42
Q

What is preservation like in the Rhynie Chert?
How were things preserved?
Where were they preserved?

A

Variable - decayed litter reduced to carbonaceous residues before silicification
Cellular level detail: 3D: perimineralisation and petrifaction
Some plants preserved in situ

43
Q

What are the adaptations for subaerial existence of vascular plants?

A 
Vascular tissues (xylem and phloem)
Stomata
44
Q

What are the function of stomata?

A

Regulate CO2 and O2 - respiratory

45
Q

What open and closes stomata?

A

Guard Cells

46
Q

What are stomata?

A

Tiny opening/pore used for gas exchange - mostly found on under-surface of leaves

47
Q

What evidence is there of cyanobacteria in Rhynie Chert? (slide 30)

A

Darker layers contain relic filament that may represent cyanobacteria

48
Q

When was the rise of the first forests?

A

Middle Devonian

49
Q

Where was evidence found for the rise of the first forests?

A

Gilboa, New York

50
Q

What were the first forests like and what did they evolve from?

A

Height = several metres

Evolved from different groups - related to ferns and horsetails

51
Q

What is an example of a tree from the first forests?

A

Wattieza

52
Q

What was the Wattieza like?

A 
Large bulbous base
Strap-like roots
Long tapering trunk
Crown of leafless branches in cone shape
Stem tips photosynthetic
Not like modern tree: Many xylem strands in main axis with small amounts of wood surrounding these bundles
53
Q

What evidence is there of Wattieza? What do these casts show about the tree?

A

Sandstone casts
Several metres tall
Lignin skeleton

54
Q

When were archaeopetris the main forest trees?

A

Late Devonian (360 mya) to Middle Carboniferous (325 mya)

55
Q

What were archaeoptris hibernica?

A

Vascular plant reminiscent of conifers
Produced spores (non-seed bearing)
Formed extensive forest
Up to 30m tall

56
Q

What evidence is there of archaeopetris?

A

Devonian (360 mya) plant fossils in Kiltorcan Quarry (Beds), Co. Kilkenny

57
Q

What was a lepidodendron?

A

Primitive, vascular plant - spore producing
Soft tissues and bark-like trunk (not woody)
Up to 50m tall and 1.8m in diameter

58
Q

What are lepidodendron related to?

A

Club Mosses

59
Q

What do lepidodendron fossils look like?

A

Diamond shaped leaf scars left by leaves which fell off

60
Q

When was the lepidodendron common?

A

Carobinferous (325-300mya)

61
Q

Where has evidence of lepidodendron been found?

A

Leitrim and Castlecomer Coalfields

Arigna Mine, Roscommon

Intro to Earth Science (13 decks)

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