plant diversity Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the closest relatives of land plants?

A

Charophytes (green algae)

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2
Q

What traits do land plants share with charophytes?

A

1.Rings of cellulose-synthesizing complexes
2. Peroxisome enzymes
3. Structure of flagellated sperm
4. Formation of phragmoplast

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3
Q

What prevents exposed zygotes from drying out in charophytes?

A

A layer of durable polymer called sporopollenin

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4
Q

Where else is sporopollenin found in plants?

A

In plant spore walls

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5
Q

What advantages did the movement of charophyte ancestors onto land provide?

A
  • Unfiltered sun
  • More plentiful CO2
  • Nutrient-rich soil
  • Few herbivores or pathogens
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6
Q

What challenges did the move to land present for charophyte ancestors?

A
  • Scarcity of water
  • Lack of structural support
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7
Q

What may the accumulation of traits that facilitated survival on land have opened the way to?

A

Colonization of land by plants

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8
Q

What are systematists currently debating regarding the plant kingdom?

A

The boundaries of the plant kingdom

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9
Q

What do some biologists propose regarding the expansion of the plant kingdom?

A

Including some or all green algae

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10
Q

How are plants currently defined in light of the ongoing debate?

A

As embryophytes, plants with embryo

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11
Q

What are the derived traits that appear in nearly all land plants but are absent in charophytes?

A
  1. Alternation of generations and multicellular, dependent embryos
  2. Walled spores produced in sporangia
  3. Multicellular gametangia
  4. Apical meristems
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12
Q

Question: What is alternation of generations in plants?

A

A reproductive cycle where plants alternate between two multicellular stages.

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13
Q

Describe the gametophyte stage in alternation of generations.

A

The gametophyte is haploid and produces haploid gametes by mitosis.

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14
Q

What happens during fusion of gametes in alternation of generations?

A

Fusion of gametes gives rise to the diploid sporophyte.

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15
Q

What does the sporophyte produce and how in alternation of generations?

A

The sporophyte produces haploid spores by meiosis

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16
Q

How is the diploid embryo retained in land plants?

A

The diploid embryo is retained within the tissue of the female gametophyte.

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17
Q

How are nutrients transferred from parent to embryo in land plants?

A

Nutrients are transferred from parent to embryo through placental transfer cells.

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18
Q

Why are land plants called embryophytes?

A

Land plants are called embryophytes because of the dependency of the embryo on the parent.

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19
Q

Where are spores produced in land plants?

A

Spores are produced in organs called sporangia.

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20
Q

What type of cells undergo meiosis to generate spores?

A

Diploid cells called sporocytes undergo meiosis to generate haploid spores.

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21
Q

What is the role of sporopollenin in spore walls?

A

Sporopollenin makes spore walls resistant to harsh environme

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22
Q

Where are gametes produced in land plants?

A

Gametes are produced within organs called gametangia.

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23
Q

What is the function of female gametangia in land plants?

A

Female gametangia, called archegonia, produce eggs and are the site of fertilization.

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24
Q

What is the function of male gametangia in land plants?

A

Male gametangia, called antheridia, produce and release sperm.

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25
Q

What is the nature of plant growth?

A

Plant growth is modular, occurring in repeated units.

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26
Q

Where does continual growth occur in plants?

A

Continual growth occurs in apical meristems

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27
Q

What happens to meristem cells in plant growth?

A

Meristem cells differentiate into various tissues.

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28
Q

What is the role of meristematic growth in plants?

A

Meristematic growth is equivalent to human stem cells, driving plant growth and development.

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29
Q

What is the cuticle in land plants?

A

The cuticle is a waxy covering of the epidermis.

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30
Q

What are mycorrhizae in land plants?

A

Mycorrhizae are symbiotic associations between fungi and land plants that may help plants without true roots to obtain nutrients.

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31
Q

What are secondary compounds in land plants?

A

Secondary compounds are substances that deter herbivores and parasites.

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32
Q

When did fossil evidence suggest that plants were on land?

A

Fossil evidence indicates that plants were on land at least 475 million years ago.

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33
Q

What evidence supports the presence of plants on land 475 million years ago?

A

Fossilized spores and tissues have been extracted from 475-million-year-old rocks.

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34
Q

How can land plants be informally grouped?

A

Land plants can be informally grouped based on the presence or absence of vascular tissue.

35
Q

What are vascular plants?

A

Vascular plants are those with vascular tissue.

36
Q

What are nonvascular plants commonly called?

A

Nonvascular plants are commonly called bryophytes.

37
Q

Are bryophytes a monophyletic group?

A

No, bryophytes are not a monophyletic group. Their relationships to each other and to vascular plants are unresolved.

38
Q

What are the two main clades of seedless vascular plants?

A

Lycophytes (club mosses and their relatives) and Pterophytes (ferns and their relatives).

39
Q

How are seedless vascular plants classified in terms of biological organization?

A

Seedless vascular plants are paraphyletic and are of the same level of biological organization, known as a grade.

40
Q

What are the two main clades of seed plants?

A

Gymnosperms, the “naked seed” plants, including conifers, and Angiosperms, the flowering plants.

41
Q

What are the three phyla of small herbaceous plants representing bryophytes?
Answer:

A
  1. Liverworts, phylum Hepatophyta
    2.Hornworts, phylum Anthocerophyta
  2. Mosses, phylum Bryophyta
42
Q

What is the difference between “Bryophyte” and “Bryophyta”?

A
  • Bryophyte refers to all nonvascular plants.
  • Bryophyta refers specifically to the phylum of mosses.
43
Q

What is the relationship between gametophytes and sporophytes in bryophytes?

A

In all three bryophyte phyla, gametophytes are larger and longer-living than sporophytes.

44
Q

When are sporophytes typically present in bryophytes?

A

Sporophytes are typically present only part of the time in bryophytes.

45
Q

What does a spore germinate into in bryophytes?

A

A spore germinates into a gametophyte composed of a protonema and a gamete-producing gametophore.

46
Q

Why is the height of gametophytes in bryophytes constrained?

A

The height of gametophytes is constrained by the lack of vascular tissues.

47
Q

How are gametophytes anchored to the substrate in bryophytes?

A

Rhizoids anchor gametophytes to the substrate.

48
Q

What do mature gametophytes in bryophytes produce?

A

Mature gametophytes produce flagellated sperm in antheridia and an egg in each archegonium.

49
Q

How do sperm in bryophytes reach and fertilize the egg?

A

Sperm swim through a film of water to reach and fertilize the egg.

50
Q

Sperm swim through a film of water to reach and fertilize the egg.

A

Bryophyte sporophytes grow out of archegonia.

51
Q

What are the components of a bryophyte sporophyte?

A

A bryophyte sporophyte consists of a foot, a seta (stalk), and a sporangium (capsule).

52
Q

What are the characteristics of bryophyte sporophytes compared to other plant groups?

A

Bryophyte sporophytes are the smallest and simplest sporophytes of all extant plant groups.

53
Q

What is the function of the sporangium in a bryophyte sporophyte?

A

The sporangium, also called a capsule, discharges spores through a peristome

54
Q

How do hornwort and moss sporophytes differ from liverwort sporophytes in terms of gas exchange?

A

Hornwort and moss sporophytes have stomata for gas exchange, while liverworts do not.

55
Q

In what types of environments are mosses commonly found?

A

Mosses are especially common in moist forests and wetlands.

56
Q

What role do some mosses play in soil?

A

Some mosses might help retain nitrogen in the soil

57
Q

What types of plants were prevalent during the first 100 million years of plant evolution?

A

Bryophytes and bryophyte-like plants were the prevalent vegetation during the first 100 million years of plant evolution.

58
Q

When did vascular plants begin to diversify?

A

Vascular plants began to diversify during the Devonian and Carboniferous periods.

59
Q

What advantage did vascular tissue provide to plants during their diversification?

A

Vascular tissue allowed these plants to grow tall.

60
Q

What characteristics do seedless vascular plants typically have, and where are they usually found?

A

Seedless vascular plants have flagellated sperm and are usually restricted to moist environments.

61
Q

When do fossils of the forerunners of vascular plants date back to?

A

Fossils of the forerunners of vascular plants date back about 425 million years.

62
Q

What characterized the early tiny plants that were the forerunners of vascular plants?

A

These early tiny plants had independent, branching sporophytes.

63
Q

What are the characteristics of living vascular plants?

A
  • Life cycles with dominant sporophytes
  • Vascular tissues called xylem and phloem
  • Well-developed roots and leaves.
64
Q

How do the sporophytes of seedless vascular plants compare to those of bryophytes in terms of size?

A

Sporophytes of seedless vascular plants are the larger generation, contrasting with bryophytes where gametophytes are dominant.

65
Q

Describe the size of gametophytes in seedless vascular plants.

A

Gametophytes of seedless vascular plants are tiny plants that grow on or below the soil surface.

66
Q

What are the two types of vascular tissue in vascular plants?

A

Xylem and phloem.

67
Q

What is the primary function of xylem in vascular plants?

A

Xylem conducts most of the water and minerals.

68
Q

What are the characteristics of water-conducting cells in xylem?

A

Water-conducting cells in xylem are strengthened by lignin and provide structural support.

69
Q

What does phloem consist of and what does it distribute?

A

Phloem consists of living cells and distributes sugars, amino acids, and other organic products.

70
Q

How did the presence of vascular tissue contribute to the evolutionary advantage of vascular plants?

A

Vascular tissue allowed for increased height, providing an evolutionary advantage.

71
Q

What are roots in vascular plants?

A

Roots are organs that anchor vascular plants and enable them to absorb water and nutrients from the soil.

72
Q

How do roots contribute to the function of vascular plants?

A

Roots enable vascular plants to absorb water and nutrients from the soil.

73
Q

What is one proposed evolutionary origin of roots?

A

Roots may have evolved from subterranean stems.

74
Q

What is the function of leaves in vascular plants?

A

Leaves increase the surface area of vascular plants, capturing more solar energy for photosynthesis.

75
Q

What are the two types of leaves?

A

Microphylls: Leaves with a single vein.
Megaphylls: Leaves with a highly branched vascular system.

76
Q

How did microphylls likely evolve according to one model?

A

Microphylls likely evolved as outgrowths of stems

77
Q

What are sporophylls?

A

Sporophylls are modified leaves with sporangia.

78
Q

How may megaphylls have evolved according to one model?

A

Megaphylls may have evolved as webbing between flattened branches.

79
Q

What are sori?

A

Sori are clusters of sporangia on the undersides of sporophylls.

80
Q

What are strobili?

A

Strobili are cone-like structures formed from groups of sporophylls.

81
Q

What is heterospory?

A

All seed plants and some seedless vascular plants are heterosporous. Heterosporous species produce megaspores, which give rise to female gametophytes, and microspores, which give rise to male gametophytes.

82
Q

What is homospory?

A

Most seedless vascular plants are homosporous, producing one type of spore that develops into a bisexual gametophyte.

83
Q

What are the two phyla of seedless vascular plants?

A

Phylum Lycophyta, which includes club mosses, spike mosses, and quillworts.
Phylum Pterophyta, which includes ferns, horsetails, whisk ferns, and their relatives