Exam 1

Question 1

What are the plant essential nutrients? There are 17

Answer 1

C,H,O,P,K,Ca,Mg,S,Fe,Mn,B,Cu,Zn,Mo,Cl,Ni

Question 2

Which of the 17 nutrients are incorporated into the plant by photosynthesis? There are 3 of them.

Answer 2

C,H,O

Question 3

Which of the 17 are macronutrients that plants get from the soil?

Answer 3

N,P,K,Ca,Mg,S

Question 4

Which of the 17 are micronutrients that plants get from the soil?

Answer 4

Fe,Mn,B,Cu,Zn,Mo,Cl,Ni

Question 5

What must happen with photosynthesis, respiration, and essential nutrient availability for growth to occur?

Answer 5

The rate of photosynthesis must be higher than respiration to sustain energy for growth. Plant nutrients and water needed for growth must be available.

Question 6

Why is an element being found in the cells of the plant not a requirement for essentially?

Answer 6

If a plant has a nutrient that isn’t necessarily required for growth, then it can be known as a beneficial nutrient, which the plant does not need but it can benefit from having

Question 7

Why is an element found in high concentrations in the plant cell, not a requirement for essentiality?

Answer 7

A plant may have an abundance of a particular element because it has been supplied more of that nutrient than it necessarily needs. This element may not necessarily be essential for the plant to have in order to sustain life but can be beneficial if supplied in the right amounts for the plant, it can also be detrimental to the health of the plant if supplied in quantities that are unnecessary for the plant

Question 8

What are the requirements for essentiality?

Answer 8

Must be able to complete its life cycle
Function must not be replaceable
Directly involved in metabolism or required
For a distinct metabolic step in the reaction (growth is abnormal if deprived)

Question 9

What are the requirements of a beneficial nutrient?

Answer 9

Compensate for the toxic effects of other elements

Question 10

From where can a plant acquire nutrients? There are 5 places

Answer 10

Soil, Organic matter, Air, Irrigation, Fertilizer

Question 11

In the soil, what are the two sources of nutrients?

Answer 11

Minerals
Organic Matter- either old or new

Question 12

How are nutrients released from soil’s parent material?

Answer 12

from different processes of weathering

Question 13

How are nutrients released from soil’s organic matter (humus)?

Answer 13

The nutrients are released through the decomposition of the plants/parent material that has died off

Question 14

What is the difference between old and new organic matter? Which (old or new) organic matter sources is highest in nutrients? What is the value of old organic matter in soils?

Answer 14

Old organic matter comes from the parent material of the soil. Generally N,P,S,B,Cu,Mn,Mo,Zn are supplied through parent material. New organic matter is generally added to the system by means of leaves falling, mulch added, animal wastes being added, etc.

Question 15

How are nutrients brought into soil from the air?

Answer 15

Usually these nutrients include N and S, and are brought into the plant by the stomata or through the root.

Question 16

What are the possible beneficial and harmful components in irrigation water? What adjustments in fertilizer programs need to be made with regard to irrigation water?

Answer 16

The good proponents in irrigation water are;
N,P,K,CA,MG,S,FE,MN,B,CL,ZN,MO,CU,NA,AL,microbes.
The bad proponents in irrigation water are;
Fluoride, Na,Cl, microbes.
If this is the case, adjusting fertilizers will often fix the problem

Question 17

Fertilizers are:

Answer 17

A source of nutrient to the plant

Question 18

Explain antagonism and stimulation of Mulder’s chart

Answer 18

Antagonism is the decreased availability of a nutrient due to an excessive presence of another nutrient. Stimulation suggests that a high level of one nutrient necessitated uptake of another nutrient in order to balance out the amount of available nutrients within the plant

Question 19

Explain the ion pecking order. What impact does it have on ion uptake by the plant and ion composition on the CEC of the soil?

Answer 19

Ion pecking order is the strength that a cation is held onto the CEC of the soil. Al3+ is most important for a plant to uptake within the ion pecking order, and Na is the least important plant to uptake.

Question 20

Explain how pH affects the availability of nutrients in the root zone

Answer 20

If the pH is low, then the concentration of nutrients in the root zone will more likely become toxic to the plant. The roots are like natura loofas which uptake all the nutrients they can whilst they can

Question 21

How do the CEC and solid and liquid phases of soil affect the root zone ion composition?

Answer 21

In a solid phase, a nutrient will enter the root and go into the cytoplasm of the plants cell. In a liquid phase, the root will excrete things back into the soil

Question 22

When soils have low organic matter, what nutrients are likely to be deficient?

Answer 22

Nitrogen and Molybdenum (possible P)

Question 23

Why is water limiting in tundra?

Answer 23

Water is limited in a tundra because it is too cold for water to be in a liquid state. Ice isn’t beneficial to plants because they cannot take it up into the plant.

Question 24

Why is water limiting in an arid environment such as grasslands/prairies and Bryce’s Canyon and Zion canyon?

Answer 24

water is limited in arid environments because of irregular rainfall patterns, evapotranspiration and fire happening in these environments.

Question 25

How does limited water availability affect the plants that can grow in an area and the growth rate of plants growing in the area?

Answer 25

Plants will adapt to their given conditions in an environment, plants that grow in a tundra and have limited access to liquid forms of water are often times perennial and are short/grow close to the ground. These plants growing in tundra situations have a very slow growth rate.

Question 26

Why do low nutrient levels (in comparison to high nutrient levels) negatively affect the growth of most of our crop and horticultural plants, while the same results are not seen in alpine tundra plants such as Silene acaulis?

Answer 26

Low nutrient levels are negatively affected by things like;
low nutrient uptake rates, low growth rates of roots and shoots, low nutrient storage

Question 27

How are alpine tundra plant able to grow in thin soil layers that accumulate in rock crevices?

Answer 27

The roots begin to look for nutrients and water, so they extend out into the rocks crevices

Question 28

Compare and contrast the N uptake of Eriphorum and Hordeum. Why does the adaptive N uptake ability of Eriophorum enable it to thrive in soils of the high alpine tundra of the Rocky Mountains?

Answer 28

Eriophorum tends to grow best with just amino acids added to the soils. Amino acids find their way into the soil after a plant dies and begins decomposing, which is why Eriophorum has an advantage of growing in high alpine regions, since there is a decent amount of plant death (and possibly permafrost) accumulating and beginning its slow decomposition process. Horeum grows best with either nitrate or ammonium added, but does not do well in a -N or just amino acid situations.

Question 29

How do the thin layers of soil in the tundra and Craters of the Moon National Monument affect plant growth?

Answer 29

Plants grow very slowly in these conditions, flower cycles are quick so they can get their germplasm into the environment

Question 30

How does the statement “grow where the soil is” apply to the Grand Canyon, Bryce’s Canyon, and Zion Canyon?

Answer 30

These plant will grow anywhere there is a mineral/organic matter present

Question 31

How do the soils of a rift valley differ from the soils of a valley formed by a river such as the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon?

Answer 31

The soils in a rift valley are very lush, deep, moist, and full of lots of organic matter. This allows for a rich soil system

Question 32

What controls the nutrient levels in the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone?

Answer 32

Parent material controls the nutrient levels in Lamar Valley. Erosion and deposition aren’t happening very often in the soils. Leaching, erosion, organic matter, pH

Question 33

How does the Yellowstone Caldera affect the soils of Yellowstone? There are at least two ways

Answer 33

The soils are much hotter. The soils have a higher concentration of sulfur from the geysers, sulfur pots, etc.

Question 34

How do you think plants are able to grow up to the edges of the sulfur pots in Yellowstone?

Answer 34

I think that over time the plants have become more tolerable of the amounts of sulfur in the soil/air

Question 35

Describe the two different strategies that plants have adapted to be able to grow in acid mineral soils

Answer 35

1.Tolerating-being able to live in the conditions with the toxicity of acid-mineral soils
2.Avoiding-not taking up any of the mineral that is abundant in the soil

Question 36

How does freezing and thawing effect the erosion characteristics of the soils at Bryce’s Canyon?

Answer 36

The freezing causes gauges in the rocks, which can eventually be the home to many plant roots. The thawing creates these sort of walkways in between the rocks where the water can flow once it begins to warm up

Question 37

In what form is each of the beneficial nutrients absorbed?

Answer 37

Silicon; silicilic acid Si(OH)4
Cobolt; N2 fixation
Selenium; selenate, selenite, Se2-
Aluminum; Al3+
Sodium; Na+

Question 38

Where is sodium found in the environment?

Answer 38

sodium is the most abundant mineral in the earths crust

Question 39

Natrophilic

Answer 39

Growth of a plant is enhanced by sodium

Question 40

Natrophobic

Answer 40

Growth of a plant is inhibited by sodium

Question 41

Non-halophytes (glycophytes)

Answer 41

Plants that can only tolerate low levels of salt in the soil. These plants can be damaged by amount of sodium

Question 42

Na can substitute for what nutrient in some plants?

Answer 42

Na can replace K in some plants

Question 43

Where is silicon found in the environment?

Answer 43

Silicon is the 2nd most abundant element in the earths crust

Question 44

Silicon accumulators

Answer 44

accumulate large amounts of silicon through the roots, more silicon than water in most cases. An example: horsetail

Question 45

Silicon non-accumulators

Answer 45

Don’t take up as much silicon through the roots. Is regulated by the plants metabolism, not the plants transpiration

Question 46

How does silicon benefit plants?

Answer 46

Silicon helps keep the xylem of the plant open. When a plant begins to dry up the xylem cells collapse, Si helps maintain transpiration when this happens to a plant

Question 47

Co is beneficial for plants that can absorb what form of N?

Answer 47

N2 fixation

Question 48

What plant essential nutrient is selenium similar to?

Answer 48

Selenium is similar to sulfur

Question 49

Selenium accumulator

Answer 49

capable of growing in high selenium soils

Question 50

Selenium non-accumulator

Answer 50

Selenium is toxic to the plant if over 100 ppm in the soil

Question 51

Selenium indicator

Answer 51

group between accumulator and non-accumulator that allows plants to take up selenium. Broccoli and mustard are examples

Question 52

Aluminum accumulator

Answer 52

A plant capable of growing in soils with high levels of aluminum

Question 53

What plant is an example of an Al accumulator?

Answer 53

Camellia sinensis (tea), Hydrangea

Question 54

If a plant have very small leaves, low nutrient needs, slow rate of growth, and stays low to the ground, would it be a good candidate for a green roof and/or a living wall?

Answer 54

Yes