Plant Diversity Flashcards
A life cycle in which there is both a multicellular diploid form, the sporophyte, and a multicellular haploid form, the gametophyte; characteristic of plants and some algae.
alternation of generations
A flowering plant, which forms seeds inside a protective chamber called an ovary.
angiosperm
In an angiosperm, the terminal pollen sac of a stamen, where pollen grains containing sperm-producing male gametophytes form.
anther
In plants, the male gametangium, a moist chamber in which gametes develop.
antheridium
Embryonic plant tissue in the tips of roots and buds of shoots; its dividing cells enable the plant to grow in length.
apical meristem
In plants, the female gametangium, a moist chamber in which gametes develop.
archegonium
A member of one of three clades of early-diverging lineages of flowering plants; examples are Amborella, water lilies, and star anise and its relatives.
basal angiosperm
An informal name for a moss, liverwort, or hornwort; a nonvascular plant that lives on land but lacks some of the terrestrial adaptations of vascular plants.
bryophyte
The ovule-producing reproductive organ of a flower, consisting of the stigma, style, and ovary.
carpel
Member of the largest gymnosperm phylum; most are cone-bearing trees, such as pines and firs.
conifer
In angiosperms, the transfer of pollen from an anther of a flower on one plant to the stigma of a flower on another plant of the same species.
cross-pollination
A mechanism of fertilization in angiosperms in which two sperm cells unite with two cells in the female gametophyte (embryo sac) to form the zygote and endosperm.
double fertilization
The female gametophyte of angiosperms, formed from the growth and division of the megaspore into a multicellular structure that typically has eight haploid nuclei.
embryo sac
Alternate name for land plants that refers to their shared derived trait of multicellular, dependent embryos.
embryophyte
In angiosperms, a nutrient-rich tissue formed by the union of a sperm with two polar nuclei during double fertilization; provides nourishment to the developing embryo in angiosperm seeds.
endosperm
Member of a clade that contains the vast majority of flowering plants that have two embryonic seed leaves, or cotyledons.
eudicot
In an angiosperm, the stalk portion of the stamen, the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower.
filament
In an angiosperm, a specialized shoot with up to four sets of modified leaves, bearing structures that function in sexual reproduction.
flower
(1) The portion of a bryophyte sporophyte that gathers sugars, amino acids, water, and minerals from the parent gametophyte via transfer cells. (2) One of the three main parts of a mollusc; a muscular structure usually used for movement.
foot
A mature ovary of a flower; protects dormant seeds and often aids in their dispersal.
fruit
Multicellular plant structure in which gametes are formed; female types are called archegonia, and male types are called antheridia.
gametangium
In organisms (plants and some algae) that have alternation of generations, the multicellular haploid form that produces haploid gametes by mitosis. The haploid gametes unite and develop into sporophytes.
gametophyte
A vascular plant that bears naked seeds – seeds not enclosed in protective chambers.
gymnosperm
Referring to a plant species that has two kinds of spores: microspores, which develop into male gametophytes, and megaspores, which develop into female gametophytes.
heterosporous
Referring to a plant species that has a single kind of spore, which typically develops into a bisexual gametophyte.
homosporous
A small, herbaceous, nonvascular plant that is a member of the phylum Anthocerophyta.
hornwort
Layer of sporophyte tissue that contributes to the structure of an ovule of a seed plant.
integument
A hard material embedded in the cellulose matrix of vascular plant cell walls that provides structural support in terrestrial species.
lignin
A small, herbaceous, non-vascular plant that is a member of the phylum Hepatophyta.
liverwort
An informal name for a phylum which includes club mosses, spike mosses, and quillworts.
lycophyte
Member of the angiosperm clade that is most closely related to the combined eudicot and monocot clades; extant examples are magnolias, laurels, and black pepper plants.
magnoliid
A leaf with a highly branched vascular system, characteristic of the vast majority of vascular plants.
megaphyll
In lycophytes, a small leaf with a single unbranched vein.
microphyll
A pore in the integuments of an ovule.
micropyle
A spore from a heterosporous plant species that develops into a male gametophyte.
microspore
Member of a clade consisting of flowering plants that have one embryonic seed leaf, or cotyledon.
monocot
A small, herbaceous, nonvascular plant that is a member of the phylum Bryophyta.
moss
A mutualistic association of plant roots and fungus.
mycorrhiza
(1) In flowers, the portion of a carpel in which the egg-containing ovules develop. (2) In animals, the structure that produces female gametes and reproductive hormones.
ovary
A structure that develops within the ovary of a seed plant and contains the female gametophyte.
ovule
Extensive deposits of partially decayed organic material often formed primarily from the wetland moss Sphagnum.
peat
A ring of interlocking, tooth-like structures on the upper part of a moss capsule (sporangium), often specialized for gradual spore discharge.
peristome
A modified leaf of a flowering plant; are the often colourful part of a flower that advertise it to insects and other pollinators.
petal
Vascular plant tissue consisting of living cells arranged into elongated tubes that transport sugar and other organic nutrients throughout the plant.
phloem
In seed plants, a structure consisting of the male gametophyte enclosed within a pollen wall.
pollen grain
The transfer of pollen to the part of a seed plant containing the ovules, a process required for fertilization.
pollination
An extinct seedless vascular plant that may be ancestral to seed plants.
pro-gymnosperm
An informal name for a member of the phylum Pterophyta, which includes ferns, horsetails, and whisk ferns and their relatives.
pterophyte
A long, tubular single cell or filament of cells that anchors bryophytes to the ground; unlike roots they are not composed of tissues, lack specialized conducting cells, and do not play a primary role in water and mineral absorption.
rhizoid
An organ in vascular plants that anchors the plant and enables it to absorb water and minerals from the soil.
root
An adaptation of some terrestrial plants consisting of an embryo packaged along with a store of food within a protective coat.
seed
An informal name for a plant that has vascular tissue but lacks seeds; form a paraphyletic group that includes the phyla Lycophyta (club mosses and their relatives) and Pterophyta (ferns and their relatives).
seedless vascular plant
A modified leaf in angiosperms that helps enclose and protect a flower bud before it opens.
sepal
The elongated stalk of a bryophyte sporophyte.
seta
A cluster of sporangia on a fern sporophyll; may be arranged in various patterns, such as parallel lines or dots, which are useful in fern identification.
sori
A multicellular organ in fungi and plants in which meiosis occurs and haploid cells develop.
sporangium
(1) In the life cycle of a plant or alga undergoing alternation of generations, a haploid cell produced in the sporophyte by meiosis; can divide by mitosis to develop into a multicellular haploid individual, the gametophyte, without fusing with another cell. (2) In fungi, a haploid cell, produced either sexually or asexually, that produces a mycelium after germination.
spore
A diploid cell, also known as a spore mother cell, that undergoes meiosis and generates haploid spores.
sporocyte
A modified leaf that bears sporangia and hence is specialized for reproduction.
sporophyll
In organisms (plants and some algae) that have alternation of generations, the multicellular diploid form that results from the union of gametes; produces haploid spores by meiosis.
sporophyte
A durable polymer that covers exposed zygotes of charophyte algae and forms the walls of plant spores, preventing them from drying out.
sporopollenin
The pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower, consisting of an anther and a filament.
stamen
The sticky part of a flower’s carpel, which receives pollen grains.
stigma
Microscopic pores surrounded by guard cells in the epidermis of leaves and stems that allows gas exchange between the environment and the interior of the plant.
stomata
The technical term for a cluster of sporophylls known commonly as a cone, found in most gymnosperms and some seedless vascular plants.
strobi
The stalk of a flower’s carpel, with the ovary at the base and the stigma at the top.
style
A long, tapered water-conducting cell found in the xylem of nearly all vascular plants; when functioning they are no longer living.
tracheid
A plant with vascular tissue; include all living plant species except liverworts, mosses, and hornworts.
vascular plant
Plant tissue consisting of cells joined into tubes that transport water and nutrients throughout the plant body.
vascular tissue
Vascular plant tissue consisting mainly of tubular dead cells that conduct most of the water and minerals upward from roots to the rest of plant.
xylem
Concept 7.1 ___(a)___ plants evolved from ___(b)___.
(a) Land
(b) green algae
Concept 7.2 Mosses and other ___(a)___ plants have life cycles dominated by ___(b)___.
(a) non-vascular
(b) gametophytes
Concept 7.3 ___(a)___ and other seedless vascular plants were the first plants to grow ___(b)___.
(a) Ferns
(b) tall
Concept 8.1 ___(a)___ and ___(b)___ grains are key adaptations for life on land.
(a) Seeds
(b) pollen
Concept 8.2 ___(a)___ bear “naked” seeds, typically on ___(b)___.
(a) Gymnosperms
(b) cones
Concept 8.3 The reproductive adaptations of angiosperms include ___(a)___ and ___(b)___.
(a) flowers
(b) fruits
Concept 8.4 ___(a)___ welfare depends greatly on ___(b)___ plants.
(a) Human
(b) seed
The most recent common ancestor of all land plants was probably similar to modern- day members of which group?
A. green algae. B. red algae.
C. charophytes. D. brown algae. E. angiosperms.
C.
The structural integrity of bacteria is to peptidoglycan as the structural integrity of plant spores is to
A. lignin.
B. cellulose.
C. secondary compounds. D. sporopollenin.
E. chitin.
D.
The following are common to both charophytes and land plants except A. sporopollenin.
B. lignin.
C. chlorophyll a.
D. cellulose.
E. chlorophyll b.
B.
On a field trip, a student in a marine biology class collects an organism that has differentiated organs, cell walls of cellulose, and chloroplasts with chlorophyll a. Based on this description, the organism could be a brown alga, a red alga, a green alga, a charophyte recently washed into the ocean from a freshwater or brackish water source, or a land plant washed into the ocean. The presence of which of the following features would definitively identify this organism as a land plant?
A. alternation of generations.
B. sporopollenin.
C. rosette cellulose-synthesizing complexes. D. flagellated sperm.
E. embryos.
E.
Some green algae exhibit alternation of generations. All land plants exhibit alternation of generations. No charophytes exhibit alternation of generations. Keeping in mind the recent evidence from molecular systematics, the correct interpretation of these observations is that
A. charophytes are not related to either green algae or land plants.
B. plants evolved alternation of generations independently of green algae.
C. alternation of generations cannot be beneficial to charophytes.
D. land plants evolved directly from the green algae that perform alternation of
generations.
E. scientists have no evidence to indicate whether or not land plants evolved
from any kind of alga.
B.
Some green algae exhibit alternation of generations. All land plants exhibit alternation of generations. No charophytes exhibit alternation of generations. Keeping in mind the recent evidence from molecular systematics, the correct interpretation of these observations is that
A. charophytes are not related to either green algae or land plants.
B. plants evolved alternation of generations independently of green algae.
C. alternation of generations cannot be beneficial to charophytes.
D. land plants evolved directly from the green algae that perform alternation of
generations.
E. scientists have no evidence to indicate whether or not land plants evolved
from any kind of alga.
B.
Which of the following taxa includes the largest amount of genetic diversity among plant-like organisms?
A. Embryophyta. B. Viridiplantae. C. Plantae.
D. Charophyceae. E. Tracheophyta.
B.
Bryophytes have all of the following characteristics except A. multicellularity.
B. specialized cells and tissues.
C. lignified vascular tissue.
D. walled spores in sporangia.
E. a reduced, dependent sporophyte.
C.
Plant spores are produced directly by A. sporophytes.
B. gametes.
C. gametophytes.
D. gametangia. E. seeds.
A.
Beginning with the germination of a moss spore, what is the sequence of structures that develop after germination? 1. Embryo; 2. Gametes; 3. Sporophyte; 4. Protonema; 5. Gametophore.
A. 4→1→3→5→2. B. 4→3→5→2→1. C. 4→5→2→1→3. D. 3→4→5→2→1. E. 3→1→4→5→2.
C.
A fungal infection damages all peristomes, preventing them from performing their function. Which process will be directly hindered as a result?
A. growth of the sporophyte.
B. ability of sperm to locate eggs. C. growth of the protonema.
D. lengthening of rhizoids.
E. broadcast of spores.
E.
If you are looking for structures that transfer water and nutrients from a bryophyte gametophyte to a bryophyte sporophyte, then on which part of the sporophyte should you focus your attention?
A. spores.
B. seta.
C. foot.
D. sporangium. E. peristome.
C.
You are hiking in a forest and happen upon a plant featuring a central stem-like structure from which sprout many, tiny, leaf-like structures. Which of these would be the most certain means of distinguishing whether it was a true moss, or a club moss?
A. its colour.
B. its height.
C. if seeds are present.
D. if conducting tissues are present.
E. the appearance of its spore-producing structures.
E.
The following characteristics all helped seedless plants become better adapted to land
except
A. a dominant gametophyte.
B. vascular tissue.
C. a waxy cuticle.
D. stomata on leaves.
E. a branched sporophyte.
A.
A botanist discovers a new species of plant in a tropical rain forest. After observing its anatomy and life cycle, the following characteristics are noted: flagellated sperm, xylem with tracheids, separate gametophyte and sporophyte generations with the sporophyte dominant, and no seeds. This plant is probably most closely related to
A. mosses.
B. charophytes.
C. ferns.
D. gymnosperms. E. flowering plants.
C.
You are hiking in a forest and come upon a mysterious plant, which you determine is either a lycophyte sporophyte or a pterophyte sporophyte. Which of the following would be most helpful in helping you correctly classify the plant?
A. whether it has true leaves or not.
B. whether it has microphylls or megaphylls. C. whether or not it has seeds.
D. its height.
E. whether it has chlorophyll a or not.
B.
A major change that occurred during the evolution of plants from their algal ancestors was the origin of a branched sporophyte. What advantage would branched sporophytes provide in this stage of the life cycle?
A. increased gamete production.
B. increased spore production.
C. increased potential for independence of the diploid stage from the haploid
stage.
D. increased fertilization rate.
E. increased size of the diploid stage.
C.
Sporophylls can be found in which of the following? A. mosses.
B. liverworts. C. hornworts. D. pterophytes. E. charophytes.
D.
Assuming that they all belong to the same plant, arrange the following structures from largest to smallest (or from most inclusive to least inclusive). 1. Spores; 2. Sporophylls; 3. Sporophytes; 4. Sporangia.
A. 2,4,3,1. B. 2,3,4,1. C. 3,1,4,2. D. 3,4,2,1. E. 3,2,4,1.
E.
Working from deep geologic strata toward shallow geologic strata, what is the sequence in which fossils of these groups should make their first appearance? 1. Charophytes; 2. Single-celled green algae; 3. Hornworts; 4. Plants with a dominant sporophyte.
A. 1→3→2→4. B. 3→1→2→4. C. 2→1→3→4. D. 3→2→4→1. E. 2→4→1→3.
C.
During glacial periods in the early evolution of land plants, which of these is a beneficial adaptation regarding the number of stomata per unit surface area, and what accounts for it?
A. increased numbers of stomata, to maximize absorption of increasing levels of atmospheric CO2.
B. increased numbers of stomata, to maximize ability to absorb ever-decreasing levels of atmospheric CO2.
C. decreased numbers of stomata, to retain CO2 produced by the chloroplasts.
D. decreased numbers of stomata, to maximize absorption of ever-decreasing
levels of atmospheric CO2.
E. none of these.
D.
The result of heterospory is
A. the existence of male and female sporophytes.
B. the existence of male and female gametophytes.
C. the absence of sexuality from both plant generations. D. both (A) and (B) above.
E. Both (A) and (C) above.
B.
Which of the following is an ongoing trend in the evolution of land plants? A. decrease in the size of the leaf.
B. reduction of the gametophyte phase of the life cycle.
C. elimination of sperm cells or sperm nuclei.
D. increasing reliance on water to bring sperm and egg together. E. replacement of roots by rhizoids.
B.
All of the following cellular structures are functionally important in cells of the gametophytes of both angiosperms and gymnosperms, except
A. haploid nuclei. B. mitochondria. C. cell walls.
D. chloroplasts. E. peroxisomes.
D.
I In addition to seeds, which of the following characteristics are unique to the seed- producing plants?
A. sporopollenin.
B. lignin present in cell walls.
C. pollen.
D. use of air currents as a dispersal agent. E. megaphylls.
B.
In angiosperms, which number most nearly represents the event that initiates the formation of endosperm?
A. 4. B. 6. C. 8. D. 10. E. 12.
D.
Generally, wind pollination is most likely to be found in seed plants that grow A. close to the ground.
B. in dense, single-species stands.
C. in relative isolation from other members of the same species.
D. along coastlines where prevailing winds blow from the land out to sea. E. in well-drained soils.
B.
Which trait(s) is (are) shared by many modern gymnosperms and angiosperms? 1. pollen transported by wind; 2. lignified xylem; 3. microscopic gametophytes; 4. sterile sporophylls, modified to attract pollinators; 5. endosperm.
A. 1 only.
B. 1and3.
C. 1,2,and3. D. 1,3,and5. E. 2,4,and5.
C.
Which structure is common to both gymnosperms and angiosperms? A. stigma.
B. carpel. C. ovule. D. ovary. E. anthers.
C.
Which of the following is a characteristic of all angiosperms? A. complete reliance on wind as the pollinating agent. B. double internal fertilization.
C. free-living gametophytes.
D. carpels that contain microsporangia.
E. ovules that are not contained within ovaries.
B.
Which of these statements is true of monocots?
A. They are currently thought to be polyphyletic.
B. The veins of their leaves form a netlike pattern.
C. They, along with the eudicots, magnoliids, and basal angiosperms, are
currently placed in the phylum Anthophyta.
D. Each possesses multiple cotyledons.
E. They are the clade that includes most of our crops, except the cereal grains.
C.
Carpels and stamens are
A. sporophyte plants in their own right. B. gametophyte plants in their own right. C. gametes.
D. spores.
E. modified sporophylls.
E.
Which of the following flower parts develops into a seed? A. ovule.
B. ovary. C. fruit.
D. style.
E. stamen.
A.
Which of the following flower parts develops into the pulp of a fleshy fruit? A. stigma.
B. style.
C. ovule.
D. ovary.
E. micropyle.
D.
Angiosperms are the most successful terrestrial plants. Which of these features is unique to them and helps account for their success?
A. wind pollination.
B. dominant gametophytes.
C. fruits enclosing seeds.
D. embryos enclosed within seed coats. E. sperm cells without flagella.
C.
Over human history, which process has been most important in improving the features of plants that have long been used by humans as staple foods?
A. genetic engineering. B. artificial selection. C. natural selection.
D. sexual selection.
E. pesticide and herbicide application.
C.
