Gymnosperm Diversity I

Question 1

Gymnosperms

Answer 1

1. naked seed plants
2. their seeds are not enclosed in an ovary (fruit)
3. no flowers (reproductive structures are usually cones)

Question 2

Four living gymnosperm groups

Answer 2

1. Conifers
2. Cycads
3. Ginkgo
4. Gnetophytes

Question 3

Cycad Sporophytes

Answer 3

1. large and palm like to small with subterranean stems
2. large pinnately compound leaves (fronds); leaves in spiral
3. stems smooth or with persistent leaf bases
4. limited branching, branching dichotomous

Question 4

Cycad roots

Answer 4

Coralloid roots with cyanobacteria

Question 5

Cycad Reproduction

Answer 5

Dioecious “two houses” = pollen and ovule-producing structures on separate plants

Ovules and pollen sacs on sporophylls

Question 6

Megastrobilus

Answer 6

female cone; also ovulate cone or seed cone in gymnosperms

Question 7

Microstrobilus

Answer 7

male conel ; also, pollen cone in gymnosperms

Question 8

Microsporangia

Answer 8

pollen sacs

Question 9

Gingko

Answer 9

1. Auxillary branching:
   branches arise from buds in leaf axils

***characteristic of all gymnosperms except cycads

2. Ovules on stalks

Question 10

Deciduous

Answer 10

lose their leaves seasonally

Question 11

Gnetophyta

Answer 11

1. Typically dioecious
2. Reproductive structures are compound cones
3. sperm lack flagella

Question 12

Three genera of Gnetophyta

Answer 12

1. Ephedra
2. Gnetum
3. Welwitschia

Question 13

Ephedra

Answer 13

1. Common name: Mormon tea
2. Occur in dry areas
3. distinct nodes and internodes
4. leaves opposite or whorled

Question 14

Welwitschia

Answer 14

“an extraordinary plant monster”

1. crato formation
2. well-known for insects

Question 15

Phylum Coniferophyta

Answer 15

1. the most diverse clade of living gymnosperm
2. woody plants: trees and shrubs
3. axillary branching

Question 16

Conifer leaves

Answer 16

1. simple leaves (not divided into segments)

2. Form somewhat variable: narrow or broad, short or long

Question 17

Resins

Answer 17

1. liquids that solidify on exposure to air
2. flammable
3. amorphous
4. found in gymnosperms and angiosperms; occur in phloem, xylem
5. function probs protective

Question 18

Rosin

Answer 18

Solid portion of resin

e.g baseballs

Question 19

Terpentine

Answer 19

distilled liquid portion of resin

e.g cleaning agent, solvent

Question 20

Amber

Answer 20

fossil resin

Question 21

Dioecious

Answer 21

“two houses”: plants male or female

Question 22

monoecious

Answer 22

“one house”: pollen cones and ovulate cones on the same plant

Question 23

Pollen cones are often simple

Answer 23

strobilus with sporophylls bearing sporangia

Question 24

Ovulate cones compound

Answer 24

1. branching systems

2. ovules not on a sporophyll, but on modified axillary branches

Question 25

Axil

Answer 25

fleshy outgrowth from base/stalk of seed (kinda looks like a small tomato