Lab Girl Flashcards

1
Q

… are used to determine the chemical formula of mineral powder, the spacing and intensity allows us to reconstruct the shape

A

x-rays

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2
Q

Trees grow by…

A

producing one new sheath after another (tree rings)

  • a thicker ring means that more growth occurred during that year
  • if a ring is thicker on one side, it is likely that a branch fell off and the tree is evening out the weight of the crown
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3
Q

When it becomes very dry, a cactus…

A

sheds its roots to prevent the parched soil from sucking all the water back out of it

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4
Q

Resurrection plants (Selaginella lepidophylla) curl up when it gets dry and their leaves fill with sucrose, why is this?

A

it helps to stabilize and preserve the leaf

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5
Q

During peak growth plants … more

A

‘sweat’ more (high rates of evapotranspiration)

  • more photosynthesis is taking place
  • When most of the new leaves have regrown on a tree after the winter less water evaporates from their stomata
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6
Q

Alaska previously belonged to …

A

Russia but was bought by the US for 2¢per acre

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7
Q

VOCs (volatile organic compounds)

A

airborne chemicals released by trees (and other sources)

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8
Q

When a tree is attacked by caterpillars it …

A

signals the attack to other trees using VOCs so that they can produce caterpillar poison before they are attacked

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9
Q

Plants produce … when they are wounded

A

jasmonic acid

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10
Q

Most plants don’t cope well with frost because…

A

the water inside the plant cells freezes and expands until the cell wall bursts

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11
Q

Animal cells are more tolerant to freezing because…

A

their cells produce energy by burning sugars (plants produce their own sugar using sunlight, but there usually isn’t a lot of sunlight during the cold season)

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12
Q

In order to freeze a liquid must have a…

A

nucleation spot

(a chemical aberration from which the crustal pattern can start to build, if water wouldn’t have such a site it could be cooled to cooled to -40°C and still be in its liquid phase)

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13
Q

A nucleation spot

A

a chemical aberration from which the crustal pattern can start to build, if water wouldn’t have such a site it could be cooled to cooled to -40°C and still be in its liquid phase

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14
Q

How do conifers and deciduous trees prepare for winter

A
  • cells become more permeable and water flows out
  • the sugars, proteins, and acids that are left behind act as an anti-freeze which has a syrup-like consistency and will remain a fluid even below freezing temperatures
  • trees do not undergo this process of change when the temperature changes, but when the days begin to shorten (photoperiod)
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15
Q

Most fossilized trees have undergone a process where they were petrified…

A

by fluids that passed through them and exchanged molecules for minerals slowly turning the tree into a rock

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16
Q

Taproot

A

extends straight down

17
Q

Shallow roots (ones closer to the surface) support…

A

the tree’s weight and structure

18
Q

Shallow roots often loose more moisture through osmosis because…

A

the soil is usually drier close to the surface (usually happens when the sun is down, and less water is lost through the stomata)

19
Q

Smaller plants at the upper soil horizons benefits from the moisture that… leaks out of the roots of trees

A

leaks out of the shallow roots of trees

20
Q

Palm trees don’t have…

A

rings (don’t produce cambium)

21
Q

Monocots (monocotyledon)

A

plant embryos that bear a single leaf

22
Q

Dicots (dicotyledon)

A

plant embryos that bears two seed leafs

23
Q

What are a plant’s options in regards to utilizing nutrients?

A
  • grow
  • repair
  • defend
  • reproduce
24
Q

If CO2 levels further increase, vegetables are likely to…

A

increase in size but contain fewer nutrients