Exam 3 chapter 31 Flashcards
The green plants consist of
Green algae and land plants
What kind of ecosystem services do plants provide
• Enhance life-supporting attributes of the physical, nonliving components of an ecosystem
Produce oxygen
• Build soil by providing food for decomposers
• Hold soil and prevent erosion by wind and water
• Water retention in soil
Moderate climate by providing shade with windbreaks
Land plants are the dominant ___ in terrestrial ecosystems
Primary producers
What important resources do plants provide for humans
• Food • Fuel • Fibers • Building materials Medicines
How do biologists study green plants
• Comparing morphological traits
• Analyzing the fossil record
Estimating phylogenetic trees based on DNA sequences from homologous
Most green algae are
Aquatic
Most land plants are
terrestrial
The transition from aquatic to terrestrial life occurred when land plants evolved from what
Multicellular green algae
What structures in green algae and land plants tell us that they are closely related
Similar chloroplast structure
Thylakoid arrangements are similar
Cell walls, sperm, and peroxisomes similar in structure and composition
What three major phyla are plants grouped into
Nonvascular plants (bryophytes)
Seedless vascular plants
Seed plants
Which phyla are mosses in
non vascular plants
Which phyla are angiosperms in
seed plants
The reproductive cells of plants are called
spores
The sheets of waxy coating that helped prevent dessication are called
cuticle
Why is prevention of dessication an important early innovation
Dessication means removing the moisture from something. It’s important to prevent moisture loss from plants because they need moisture to survive
What is the difference between gymnosperms and angiosperm
Angiosperms, also called flowering plants, have seeds that are enclosed within an ovary (usually a fruit), whilegymnospermshave no flowers or fruits, and have unenclosed or “naked” seeds on the surface of scales or leaves.Gymnospermseeds are often configured as cones.
which appeared first in the fossil record to which appeared last.
Green algae, nonvascular plants, seedless vascular plants, seed plants
Describe adaptations that prevented water loss from cells
The cuticle is a watertight sealant that covers the aboveground parts of the plants and gives them the ability to survive in dry environments. It’s a waxy layer that prevents water loss from stems and leaves
Stomata: consists of an opening called a pore surrounded by specialized guard cells. The pore opens and closes as the guard cells change shape. Gas exchange is accomplished through the pore
Describe adaptations that provided protection from UV irradiation
Most plants make and accumulate compounds that absorb UV light. These compounds act as sunscreen and protect the plant’s DNA
Describe adaptations that helped move water from tissues with direct access to water to tissues without direct access
Growing upright plants had to be able to transport water against gravity and stay upright despite gravity and wind. They were able to do these things with the help of vascular tissue. A characteristic of vascular tissue is the presence of lignin in the walls of water-conducting cells. Tracheids also evolved (they are complex supportive and water-conducting tissues. Long, thin, tapering, water-conducting cells) Vessel elements (most specialized type of water-conducting cell) are shorter and wider than tracheids. They have gaps on both ends where both cell walls are missing
Which pair of morphological traits is used to define the three categories into which land plants are classifieda.
Whether or not the plants contain vascular tissue, and whether or not they produce seeds
Plants must take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere for photosynthesis, but the waxy substance that covers the plant to prevent water loss also prevents the exchange of gases. What structure found in modern plants is the solution to this problem
stoma
Why are we discussing green algae along with the land plants
Land plants evolved from green algae and they have a lot of similar characteristics
Which species colonized terrestrial environments first, plants or animals
plants
In what way are plants “primary producers
They harvest the energy from the sun using photosynthesis to produce sugar and oxygen from CO2
Describe the process of plant domestication
Humans started about 10,000 years ago with completely wild plants and selected traits that they liked in those plants and after awhile those plants change to become the way humans wanted them to
What are some ways that biologists can study plants
Fossil record
Genetics
Morphological traits
In what ways are green algae similar to land plants
Chloroplasts are similar
Thylakoid membrane in chloroplasts are similar
What are the three primary groups of land plants and how are they differentiated based on morphology
Seedless vascular
Nonvascular
Seed plants (angiosperms and gymnosperms)
What does the fossil record tell us about the evolution of land plants
Plants originated Sylerian Devonian explosion – all modern innovations of plants evolved during this Carboniferous was next – coal deposits in swamps now we are to current day – angiosperm radiation
