Lecture 4 - Vegetation and Succession

Question 1

Non-Vascular Plants

Answer 1

simple, evolved before vascular plants

• no specialized tissues, heigh limited

Question 2

Vascular Plants

Answer 2

plants with vascular tissues: xylem and phloem, which move water and sugars around plants

Question 3

Obligate Wetland Plants

Answer 3

can only survive in wetlands

Question 4

Facultative Wetlands Plants

Answer 4

can survive either in wetland or uplands

Question 5

Aerenchyma

Answer 5

air spaces in roots and stems, allowing gas flow between roots and stems

Question 6

Adventitious Roots

Answer 6

roots that form from non-root tissue

Question 7

Stem Hypertrophy

Answer 7

swelling on lower stems

Question 8

Buttress

Answer 8

woody tabs or wings connecting shallow roots to stem, a type of stem hypertrophy in trees

Question 9

Fluted Trunks

Answer 9

similar to buttresses but have rounded protrusions going to roots

Question 10

Rapid Stem Elongation

Answer 10

rapid growth upwards to get tissue above water line, often in seedlings

Question 11

Shallow Root Systems

Answer 11

used to avoid anaerobic soil lower down

Question 12

Prop Roots

Answer 12

arched adventitious roots that prop up plant

Question 13

Lenticels

Answer 13

pororous tissue that helps bring oxygen to roots

Question 14

Pneumatophore

Answer 14

air roots that protrude out of the ground to collect oxygen

Question 15

Pressurized Gas Flow

Answer 15

some wetland plants can pressurize gas and move it between leaves and roots

Question 16

Rhizosphere Oxygenation

Answer 16

some wetland plants pump enough O2 down into the roots that it diffuses out into soil/sediment

Question 17

Sulfide Avoidance and Removal

Answer 17

sulfide in anoxic soil is toxic to plants so there are advantages plants have to remove it

Question 18

Anaerobic Respiration

Answer 18

respiration without oxygen, done by plants in anoxic conditions

Question 19

Timing of Seed Production

Answer 19

whole plant strategy to time seed production in the non-flood season

Question 20

Buoyant Seeds (or tubers)

Answer 20

float until they can land on dry ground

Question 21

Vivipary

Answer 21

seeds germinate while still on the plant then drop off and float to new area

Question 22

Persistent Seed Bank

Answer 22

plants produce many seeds that can last several years, so a large number of seeds are available to germinate

Question 23

Resistant Tubers, Roots, Seeds

Answer 23

can survive long periods of submergence (often submerged species)

Question 24

Functional Groups

Answer 24

plants that perform similar ecosystem function and have similar form

Question 25

Emergent plants

Answer 25

roots may be under water, plant grows up through standing water

Question 26

Broad-Leafed Cattail

Answer 26

common marsh and shallow water emergent plant - thick grasslike leaves, rhizomes, aerenchyma, pressurized gas flow to roots, persistent seed bank

Question 27

Emergent Graminoid Plants

Answer 27

sedges, rushes, grasses

Question 28

Sedges

Answer 28

"have edges" often triangle-shaped in cross-section

Question 29

Rushes

Answer 29

round in cross section

Question 30

Grasses

Answer 30

have segmented stem (largest group)

Question 31

Submersed Plants

Answer 31

plants entirely underwater

Question 32

Floating Plants

Answer 32

float on surface, not anchored to bottom

Question 33

Ecological Succession

Answer 33

a predictable change in the species making up a community over time

Question 34

Community

Answer 34

al the species found in one geographical area

Question 35

Ecosystem

Answer 35

the living (community) and non-living parts that interact as a system in one geographic

Question 36

Autogenic Succession

Answer 36

changes in community thought to be controlled by biota - linear changes, directed to a mature, stable climax community

Question 37

Allogenic Succession

Answer 37

succession controlled by outside factors: climate, water level, etc... - can go "backwards" if climate becomes wetter

Question 38

Non-Native Species

Answer 38

species that humans have brought to a new ecosystem

Question 39

Invasive Species

Answer 39

non-native species that dramatically alter ecosystems they are introduced to

Question 40

Phragmites australis

Answer 40

an invasive sub-species from Europe - salt tolerant grass, aerenchyma, pressurized gas flow, spreads by seeds and rhizomes