Chapter 30 Questions

Question 1

Why do two sperm nuclei travel down the pollen tube?

a. They both stimulate growth of the pollen tube.
b. One fertilizes the egg, and the other combines with the two polar nuclei.
c. One fertilizes the egg, and the other fertilizes the synergid.
d. One is for fertilizing the egg, and one directs the pollen tube toward the micropyle.
e. If one fails in fertilization, there is a backup nucleus.

Answer 1

b. One fertilizes the egg, and the other combines with the two polar nuclei.

Question 2

Adaptations critical to plant success in terrestrial environments include seeds, vascular tissue, cuticle, and flowers. Which lists these adaptations in the order in which they appeared?

a. seeds, vascular tissue, flowers, cuticle
b. cuticle, seeds, flowers, vascular tissue
c. cuticle, vascular tissue, seeds, flowers
d. vascular tissue, cuticle, seeds, flowers

Answer 2

c. cuticle, vascular tissue, seeds, flowers

Question 3

Four adaptations—cuticle, vascular tissue, seeds, and flowers—are key characters defining four major modern plant groups. Which group first evolved vascular tissue?

a. ferns
b. bryophytes
c. flowering plants
d. gymnosperms

Answer 3

a. ferns

Question 4

Four adaptations—cuticle, vascular tissue, seeds, and flowers—are key characters defining four major modern plant groups. Which group first evolved seeds?

a. ferns
b. bryophytes
c. flowering plants
d. gymnosperms

Answer 4

d. gymnosperms

Question 5

The flowers of wind-pollinated plants __.

a. usually have flat blades to direct the wind.
b. produce sticky pollen.
c. are usually green and inconspicuous.
d. are usually white and small.
e. usually occur on separate male and female plants.

Answer 5

c. are usually green and inconspicuous.

Question 6

An ancient date palm seed germinated and grew into a healthy plant. What was the source of nutrients for the young sporophyte during germination?

a. sunlight
b. food stored within the seed
c. water taken up by the germinating seed
d. the surrounding soil

Answer 6

b. food stored within the seed

Question 7

Why is seed dormancy adaptive for many plant species?

a. Seed dormancy increases the longevity of an individual sporophyte plant.
b. Seed dormancy allows seeds to germinate when conditions are favorable for seedling growth.
c. Seed dormancy ensures that a seedling does not compete with its parents.
d. Seed dormancy ensures that a seedling does not germinate when a source of food is not available for the young seedling.

Answer 7

b. Seed dormancy allows seeds to germinate when conditions are favorable for seedling growth.

Question 8

Which of the date palm seeds that were analyzed for 14C content is the youngest?
Table.
a. seed 1 (not planted - 0.7656 C14 remaining)
b. seed 2 (not planted - 0.7752 C14 remaining)
c. seed 3 (germinated - 0.7977 C14 remaining)
d. It is not possible to tell from the data given.

Answer 8

c. seed 3 (germinated - 0.7977 C14 remaining)

Question 9

Which feature does not fit with the others?

a. three petals
b. fibrous roots
c. branched veins
d. six carpels
e. one cotyledon

Answer 9

c. branched veins

Question 10

Which product(s) is/are derived from angiosperms?

a. wood
b. medicine
c. human food
d. animal feed
e. all of the above

Answer 10

e. all of the above

Question 11

Which leads to the most functional gametes?

a. megaspore
b. microspore
c. pollen grain
d. embryo sac
e. none of the above

Answer 11

b. microspore

Question 12

If you discovered a new plant with fan-shaped leaves and seeds without fruits, you would have found a new kind of __.

a. angiosperm.
b. cycad.
c. conifer.
d. Ginkgophyta.
e. cycad.

Answer 12

d. Ginkgophyta.

Question 13

Your lab partner asks you to hand over a flower part that will eventually enclose something with endosperm, so you give her a__.

a. petal.
b. sepal.
c. carpel.
d. stamen.
e. receptacle.

Answer 13

c. carpel.

Question 14

The cycads, a mostly tropical phylum of gymnosperms, evolved about 300 million years ago and were dominant forms during the age of the dinosaurs. Though their sperm are flagellated, their ovules are pollinated by beetles. These beetles get nutrition from the pollen and shelter from the microsporophylls. Upon visiting megasporophylls, the beetles transfer pollen to the exposed ovules. In cycads, pollen cones and seed cones are born on different plants. Cycads synthesize neurotoxins, especially in the seeds, that are effective against most animals, including humans.
On the Pacific island of Guam, large herbivorous bats called “flying foxes” commonly feed on cycad seeds, a potent source of neurotoxins. The flying foxes do not visit male cones. Consequently, which of the following statements should be accurate?
a. Flying foxes are attracted to cycad fruit and eat the enclosed seeds only by accident.
b. Flying foxes disperse cycad seeds if the seeds sometimes get swallowed whole (in other words, without getting chewed).
c. Flying foxes assist the beetles as important pollinating agents of the cycads.
d. Flying foxes are highly susceptible to the effects of the neurotoxins because the toxin attacks the action of the central nervous system.

Answer 14

b. Flying foxes disperse cycad seeds if the seeds sometimes get swallowed whole (in other words, without getting chewed).

Question 15

In terms of alternation of generations, the internal parts of the pollen grains of seed-producing plants are most similar to a __.

a. fern gametophyte bearing only antheridia
b. moss sporophyte
c. fern sporophyte
d. moss gametophyte bearing both male and female gametangia

Answer 15

a. fern gametophyte bearing only antheridia

Question 16

A researcher has developed two strains for use with seed plants. One stains sporophyte tissue blue; the other stains gametophyte tissue red. If the researcher exposes pollen grains to both stains, and then rinses away the excess stain, what should occur?

a. The pollen grains will be pure blue.
b. The pollen grains will have blue interiors and red exteriors.
c. The pollen grains will be pure red.
d. The pollen grains will have red interiors and blue exteriors.

Answer 16

d. The pollen grains will have red interiors and blue exteriors.

Question 17

Which leads to the most functional gametes?

a. megaspore
b. microspore
c. pollen grain
d. embryo sac
e. none of the above

Answer 17

b. microspore

Question 18

One day, you go outside and see that the cars on the street are covered in a yellow “dust.” Which of the following statements can be correctly applied to this “dust”?

a. The dust is the seed production of ferns and is so abundant because the seeds are tiny and take very little energy to produce.
b. The dust is pine pollen and is so abundant because the pines are wind-pollinated.
c. The dust is the spore production of ferns and is so abundant because the spores are wind-dispersed.
d. The dust is the seed production of pines and is so abundant because the seeds are tiny and take very little energy to produce.

Answer 18

b. The dust is pine pollen and is so abundant because the pines are wind-pollinated.

Question 19

If you wanted to grow a garden filled with the earliest living flowering plants, you would need to plant __.

a. eudicots.
b. basal angiosperms.
c. monocots.
d. magnoliids.

Answer 19

b. basal angiosperms.

Question 20

The cycads, a mostly tropical phylum of gymnosperms, evolved about 300 million years ago and were dominant forms during the age of the dinosaurs. Though their sperm are flagellated, their ovules are pollinated by beetles. These beetles get nutrition from the pollen and shelter from the microsporophylls. Upon visiting megasporophylls, the beetles transfer pollen to the exposed ovules. In cycads, pollen cones and seed cones are born on different plants. Cycads synthesize neurotoxins, especially in the seeds, that are effective against most animals, including humans.
On the Pacific island of Guam, large herbivorous bats called “flying foxes” commonly feed on cycad seeds, a potent source of neurotoxins. The flying foxes do not visit male cones. Consequently, which of the following statements should be accurate?
a. Flying foxes are attracted to cycad fruit and eat the enclosed seeds only by accident.
b. Flying foxes disperse cycad seeds if the seeds sometimes get swallowed whole (in other words, without getting chewed).
c. Flying foxes assist the beetles as important pollinating agents of the cycads.
d. Flying foxes are highly susceptible to the effects of the neurotoxins because the toxin attacks the action of the central nervous system.

Answer 20

b. Flying foxes disperse cycad seeds if the seeds sometimes get swallowed whole (in other words, without getting chewed).

Question 21

The generative cell of male angiosperm gametophytes is haploid. This cell divides to produce two haploid sperm cells. What type of cell division does the generative cell undergo to produce these sperm cells?

a. meiosis
b. meiosis without subsequent cytokinesis
c. binary fission
d. mitosis

Answer 21

d. mitosis

Question 22

In terms of alternation of generations, the internal parts of the pollen grains of seed-producing plants are most similar to a __.

a. fern gametophyte bearing only antheridia
b. moss sporophyte
c. fern sporophyte
d. moss gametophyte bearing both male and female gametangia

Answer 22

a. fern gametophyte bearing only antheridia

Question 23

Spruces and pines both have needlelike leaves, with the adaptive advantage of __.

a. increased surface area, increasing photosynthesis
b. increased surface area, increasing gas exchange
c. decreased surface area, reducing water loss
d. decreased surface area, reducing gas exchange

Answer 23

c. decreased surface area, reducing water loss

Question 24

In seed plants, which of the following is part of a pollen grain and has a function most like that of the seed coat?

a. sporopollenin
b. stigma
c. sporangium
d. sporophyll

Answer 24

a. sporopollenin

Question 25

Theobroma cacao (cacao) is the tree that produces seeds that are turned into chocolate. These trees provide many poor people in the tropics with some cash income. However, these farmers face many obstacles to production of their crop, including temperature and rainfall changes caused by atmospheric CO2 increases, and many diseases and pests. Analysis of the cacao genome showed that there is some (but not a lot) of genetic variation in the 10 major varieties.
Which of the following strategies would be most useful in the long term in reducing pressures faced by cacao farmers?
a. Plant trees farther apart so that disease transmission rates from one tree to the next will be lower.
b. Crossbreed cacao strains that produce high-quality cacao beans and ones resistant to a disease.
c. Plant more trees in the temperate zone.
d. Fertilize the trees in closely spaced areas and add fungicides and pesticides to eliminate pests.

Answer 25

b. Crossbreed cacao strains that produce high-quality cacao beans and ones resistant to a disease.

Question 26

Which of the following characteristics is functionally important in cells of the gametophytes of both angiosperms and gymnosperms?

a. mitochondria
b. diploid nuclei
c. endosperm
d. chloroplasts

Answer 26

a. mitochondria

Question 27

Within a gymnosperm megasporangium, which of the following developmental sequences is correct, assuming fertilization occurs?

a. megaspore, sporophyte embryo, female gametophyte, egg cell
b. sporophyte embryo, megaspore, female gametophyte, egg cell
c. sporophyte embryo, megaspore, egg cell, female gametophyte
d. megaspore, female gametophyte, egg cell, sporophyte embryo

Answer 27

d. megaspore, female gametophyte, egg cell, sporophyte embryo

Question 28

In onions (Allium), cells of the sporophyte have 16 chromosomes within each nucleus. Match the number of chromosomes present in each of the following onion tissues. How many chromosomes should be in an endosperm nucleus?

a. 8
b. 16
c. 24
d. 32

Answer 28

c. 24

Question 29

A researcher has developed two strains for use with seed plants. One stains sporophyte tissue blue; the other stains gametophyte tissue red. If the researcher exposes pollen grains to both stains, and then rinses away the excess stain, what should occur?

a. The pollen grains will be pure blue.
b. The pollen grains will have blue interiors and red exteriors.
c. The pollen grains will be pure red.
d. The pollen grains will have red interiors and blue exteriors.

Answer 29

d. The pollen grains will have red interiors and blue exteriors.

Question 30

Among plants known as legumes (beans, peas, alfalfa, clover, for example) the seeds are contained in a fruit that is itself called a legume, better known as a pod. Upon opening such pods, it is commonly observed that some ovules have become mature seeds, whereas other ovules have not. Thus, which of the following statements is/are likely accurate?

a. Pollen tubes did not enter all of the ovules in such pods, and fruit can develop even if all ovules within have not been fertilized.
b. Pollen tubes did not enter all of the ovules in such pods, and the ovules that failed to develop into seeds were derived from sterile floral parts.
c. There was apparently not enough endosperm to distribute to all of the ovules in such pods, and fruit can develop even if all ovules within have not been fertilized.
d. The flowers that gave rise to such pods were not pollinated, and fruit can develop even if all ovules within have not been fertilized.

Answer 30

c. There was apparently not enough endosperm to distribute to all of the ovules in such pods, and fruit can develop even if all ovules within have not been fertilized.

Question 31

One day, you go outside and see that the cars on the street are covered in a yellow “dust.” Which of the following statements can be correctly applied to this “dust”?

a. The dust is the seed production of ferns and is so abundant because the seeds are tiny and take very little energy to produce.
b. The dust is pine pollen and is so abundant because the pines are wind-pollinated.
c. The dust is the spore production of ferns and is so abundant because the spores are wind-dispersed.
d. The dust is the seed production of pines and is so abundant because the seeds are tiny and take very little energy to produce.

Answer 31

b. The dust is pine pollen and is so abundant because the pines are wind-pollinated.

Question 32

Arrange the following structures, which can be found on male pine trees, from the largest structure to the smallest structure (or from most inclusive to least inclusive).

a. sporophyte, microspores, microsporangia, pollen nuclei, pollen cone
b. pollen cone, microsporangia, microspores, pollen nuclei, sporophyte
c. sporophyte, pollen cone, microsporangia, microspores, pollen nuclei
d. pollen cone, sporophyte, microspores, microsporangia, pollen nuclei

Answer 32

c. sporophyte, pollen cone, microsporangia, microspores, pollen nuclei

Question 33

Immature seed cones of conifers are usually green before pollination, and flowers of grasses are inconspicuously colored. What does this indicate of their pollination?

a. They probably attract pollinators using strong fragrances.
b. Their pollinating insects are probably color blind.
c. They are probably wind pollinated.
d. They probably self-fertilize and do not need pollen carried from one plant to another.

Answer 33

c. They are probably wind pollinated.

Question 34

Compared to animal-pollinated plants, wind-pollinated angiosperms ___.

a. produce much more pollen because winds disperse pollen randomly
b. produce more seeds because winds disperse seeds greater distances
c. produce fewer seeds because winds disperse seeds in a targeted manner
d. produce much less pollen because winds disperse pollen in a highly targeted manner

Answer 34

a. produce much more pollen because winds disperse pollen randomly

Question 35

The generative cell of male angiosperm gametophytes is haploid. This cell divides to produce two haploid sperm cells. What type of cell division does the generative cell undergo to produce these sperm cells?

a. meiosis
b. meiosis without subsequent cytokinesis
c. binary fission
d. mitosis

Answer 35

d. mitosis

Question 36

What adaptation should one expect of the seed coats of angiosperm species whose seeds are dispersed by frugivorous (fruit-eating) animals, as opposed to angiosperm species who seeds are dispersed by other means?

a. The seed coat should be able to withstand high acidity, and the seed coat should be resistant to the animals digestive enzymes.
b. The seed coat should contain secondary compounds that irritate the lining of the animal’s mouth, and the seed coat should be able to withstand high acidity.
c. The exterior of the seed coat should have barbs or hooks, and the seed coat should contain secondary compounds that irritate the lining of the animal’s mouth.
d. The seed coat, upon its complete digestion, should provide vitamins or nutrients to animals.

Answer 36

a. The seed coat should be able to withstand high acidity, and the seed coat should be resistant to the animals digestive enzymes.

Question 37

Oviparous (egg-laying) animals have internal fertilization (sperm cell encounter eggs within the female’s body). Yolk and/or albumen is (are) provided to the embryo, and a shell is then deposited around the embryo and its food source. Eggs are subsequently deposited in an environment that promotes their further development, or are incubated by one or both parents.
The internal fertilization that occurs prior to shell deposition has what type of analog in angiosperms?
a. seed coat hardening
b. fusion of carpels into a fruit
c. endosperm proliferation
d. growth of pollen tube and delivery of sperm nuclei

Answer 37

d. growth of pollen tube and delivery of sperm nuclei

Question 38

Robbie and Saurab are pre-med and pre-pharmacy students, respectively. They complain to their biology professor that they should not have to study plants because plants have little relevance to their chosen professions. Which of the following statements are correct with regard to what physicians and pharmacists need to know about plants?

a. Crop plants often produce more seeds than their wild relatives.
b. Land plants often provide food for pollinators.
c. Land plants produce poisons and medicines.
d. Crop plants can often interbreed with their wild relatives.

Answer 38

c. Land plants produce poisons and medicines.

Question 39

Theobroma cacao (cacao) is the tree that produces seeds that are turned into chocolate. These trees provide many poor people in the tropics with some cash income. However, these farmers face many obstacles to production of their crop, including temperature and rainfall changes caused by atmospheric CO2 increases, and many diseases and pests. Analysis of the cacao genome showed that there is some (but not a lot) of genetic variation in the 10 major varieties.
Which of the following strategies would be most useful in the long term in reducing pressures faced by cacao farmers?
a. Plant trees farther apart so that disease transmission rates from one tree to the next will be lower.
b. Crossbreed cacao strains that produce high-quality cacao beans and ones resistant to a disease.
c. Plant more trees in the temperate zone.
d. Fertilize the trees in closely spaced areas and add fungicides and pesticides to eliminate pests.

Answer 39

b. Crossbreed cacao strains that produce high-quality cacao beans and ones resistant to a disease.

Question 40

Where in an angiosperm would you find a megasporangium?

a. in the style of a flower
b. enclosed in the stigma of a flower
c. within an ovule contained within an ovary of a flower
d. packed into pollen sacs within the anthers found on a stamen

Answer 40

c. within an ovule contained within an ovary of a flower

Question 41

Key features of seed plants facilitating life on land include three of the following four traits. Select the exception.

a. homospory
b. pollen
c. reduced gametophytes
d. seeds

Answer 41

a. homospory

Question 42

With respect to angiosperms, which of the following is incorrectly paired with its chromosome count?

a. egg—n
b. megaspore—2n
c. microspore—n
d. zygote—2n

Answer 42

b. megaspore—2n

Question 43

Which of the following is not a characteristic that distinguishes gymnosperms and angiosperms from other plants?

a. dependent gametophytes
b. ovules
c. pollen
d. alternation of generations

Answer 43

d. alternation of generations

Question 44

Gymnosperms and angiosperms have the following in common except

a. seeds.
b. pollen.
c. ovaries.
d. ovules.

Answer 44

c. ovaries.