Intro to botany Flashcards
What 3 plant families were used to make early masks
- Moraceae (silk)
- Linaceae (linen)
- Malvaceae (cotton)
Name the dates these events occurred
1. the big bang
2. creation of the sun
3. creation of the earth and moon
4. prokaryotes
5. eukaryotes
6. complex multicellularity
- 13.7bya
- 4.6bya
- 4.5 bya
- 3.5 bya
- 2 bya
- 600 mya
What is the great dying and when did it occur?
occurred 251 mya - mass extinction event that occurred at the end of the Permian period where 95% of ocean species and 70% of land species died
Order in the evolution of plants
Aquatic plants
Early land plants
Vascular plants
seed plants
flowering plants
what two toxins do cycads produce
Cycasin and BMAA
What is cycasin and what is its mechanism of action?
a toxic glycoside: acts as a substrate for Na/glucose cotransporters and as a mutagen in DNA
substrate - cycasin is transported across the BBB via Na/glucose transporters: cycasin is carried into the cell with Na
mutagen- specifically interacts with guanine bases in DNA and disrupts normal base pairing
G:C to MeG:T
how is cycasin minimized in food
washing repeatedly in changes of water
what is BMAA and what is its mechanism of action
non-proteogenic amino acid produced by cyanobacteria in the roots of cycads
BMAA replaces the amino acid L-Serine in proteins and leads to protein misincorporation that disrupts protein function
what is the flying fox theory suggested by Dr. Cox
the role of flying foxes in the potential transmission of BMAA from cycads to humans and its link to neurodegenerative diseases (ALS-PDC)
what is the cause of the flying fox theory
flying foxes feed on the seeds of cycads - accumulating BMAA
The indigenous chamorro people of guam eat the flying foxes and thus consume BMAA
Linnaean taxonomy
a classification system by establishing a hierarchical naming system for organism
binomial nomenclature : Genus species
e.g. Papaver somniferum
Medical botany vs medicinal botany
Medical botany - how plants, fungi, etc. effect human health
Medicinal botany - focuses on how plants can be used as medicine
what percent of the modern drugs are based on plants/fungi
25-50%
what are secondary metabolites
non essential carbon containing molecules adapted for defense, protection, attraction, etc.
what is a receptor
a component of the cell that reacts with a chemical to produce a measurable response
3 main groups of secondary metabolites
terpenoids
phenolics
nitrogen containing
what cyanobacteria can be consumed by humans
spirulina (family: Arthrospira)
what is brevatoxin and what is its mechanism of action
a neurotoxin produced by harmful algal blooms
binds to voltage gated sodium channels and causes and Na+ influx
what is emetine and what is it produced by
a toxic alkaloid produced by the Rubiaceae family (Carapichea ipecacuanha)
used as an emetic to induce vomitting
name 3 toxic lectins
abrin
ricin
phytohemagglutinin
what is the mechanism of action of lectins
bind to carbohydrates to affect cell signaling
what two plant families (3 plants) produce lectin
Fabaceae
plants- Abrus precatorius (rosary pea) produces Abrin
Phaseolus vulgaris (kidney beans) produce phytohemagglutinin
Euphorbiaceae
plant- Ricinus communis (castor bean) produces ricin
what are mycotoxins
secondary metabolites produced by fungi
what are the main 4 mycotoxins
Aflatoxins
Ergot alkaloids
Fumonisins
Trichothecenes
