Topic 13 - Major flowerless, gymnosperm and monocot talons (identification and importance)

Question 1

Unit in taxonomy

Answer 1

Taxon

Question 2

Basic unit of biological classification

Answer 2

Species

Question 3

Species

Answer 3

A group whose members are descended from a common ancestor

Question 4

Subspecies

Answer 4

Specific geographical distribution or ecological attributes

Question 5

Variety

Answer 5

No specific geographical distribution, but specific heritable attributes

Question 6

Form

Answer 6

Noticable morphological deviation with, but inheritance my be doubtful

Question 7

Nomenclature of cultivated plants

Answer 7

Cultivar

Cultivated botanical variety (provarietas): a group with similar morphology

Cultivated race consists of similar groups of varieties

Question 8

Higher taxonomic ranks

Answer 8

Species
Genus
Family -ceae
Class -opsida
Phylium -phyta

Question 9

Clade

Answer 9

Consisting of common ancestors and all the lineal descendants

e.g. mosses, ferns, conifers, flowering plants

Question 10

Algae (divisions)

Answer 10

Phyla of prokaryotes and eukaryotes with ~40-50 000 taxa

Species colonize dried and moist habitats including extreme environmental conditions (e.g. hypersaline lakes, polar sites, geothermal wells)

Question 11

forms of algae

Answer 11

Uni- or multicellular without tissues and organs that produce oxygen

Question 12

Algae size

Answer 12

range from µm up to 50-100 meter sized individuals

Question 13

Importance of algae

Answer 13

supply 60% of world’s oxygen source

Freshwater food webs (phytoplankton) → fishery and fish flour production are based on the organic matter produced by algae

Fixation of atmospheric nitrogen

Dietetic food supply for humans

Forage supply for livestock (protein supply, decreasing rumen acidosis)

Indicators of freshwater quality

Question 14

Algae poisoning

Answer 14

Waterbloom of drinking water

Mainly caused by cyanobacteria

Neurotoxic alkaloids, hepatotoxic compounds

Poisonings are rare, occurs mainly in summer if there is a heavy water bloom

Ruminant, birds and dogs are susceptible

Question 15

Lichens

Answer 15

Formerly an individual phylum, currently a group of fungi

A colonial symbiotic organism consists of mycobiont and photobiont

∼13,000 species

About 700 different secondary metabolites, and ∼ 650 occurs only in lichens (lichen acids or lichen substances)

Question 16

Importance of lichens

Answer 16

Species used as an expectorant

Some species have antibiotic effect → medicinal, veterinarian application

Natural forage (reindeer lichen)

Widely used in cosmetics and paints

Question 17

Divisions of mosses

Answer 17

Formerly one division → currently divided into three different ones

A transitional group btw. vascular and non-vascular species

The two biggest divisions are mosses and liverworts

No specific veterinarian importance

Major ecological role

Question 18

Divisions of ferns

Answer 18

First vascular plants with vascular tissues

• clubmosses
• True ferns and horsetils

Rhizome present in both groups

Question 19

Horsetails

Answer 19

SiO2 crystals in epidermal cells, scale leaves are fused into a sheath, sporangia (an enclosure with spores) at the stem apex

Question 20

True ferns

Answer 20

Simple or multiply divided leaves, sporangia arranged on the underleaf, dichotomous venetion

Question 21

Typical poisonous compounds of true ferns

Answer 21

Thiaminase

Ptaquilozide

Question 22

Division of gymnosperms

Answer 22

First flowering plants

Flowers can be solitary, but generally form cones

Carpels not fused to each other → unenclosed seeds → gymnos (in greek) = naked, sperma (in greek) = seeds

Sperm no longer needs water to fertilise the egg

Cones can be fleshy → cedars, junipers

Several poisonous or medicinal plants

Rarely grazed or nibbled by animals

Question 23

Major gymnosperm groups

Answer 23

Cycads
Ginko tree
Yew species
Cypress species
Pine species

Question 24

Cycads

Answer 24

Palm-like appearance
With stout and woody stem
Evergreen pinnate leaves
Non-proteinogenic amino acids (neurotoxins) and carcinogenic glycosides

Question 25

Ginko tree

Answer 25

only one extant dichotomous leaf venetion

Medicinal effects (CNS)

Question 26

Yew species

Answer 26

Needle-like leaves
Absence of resin ducts
Generally aril covers the seeds

Question 27

Cypress species

Answer 27

Scale or needle like leaves
Small cones
High proportion of volatile oil → toxic effects may be possible (thujone)

Question 28

Pine species

Answer 28

Needle-like leaves
High proportion of resin
Generally large ones
Good quality wood
Poisonous compounds generally not present

Question 29

Angiosperms

Answer 29

Flowering plants

Seeds are enclosed by mature ovaries, or fruits

Question 30

General morphology - angiosperms

Answer 30

Production of fruits
Fibrous root system
Non-branched stem
Modified underground stem occurs generally
Herbaceous stem without secondary growth
Leaves have generally no petiole
Generally six tepals

Question 31

Araceae

Answer 31

Arum family

Naturally occurs mainly under tropical climate, only a few taxa distributed in Europe

Monosexual and monoecious flowers

Cultivated species (Colocasia esculenta → raw tubers are toxic)

Question 32

Araceae morphology

Answer 32

Species with creeping stem or epiphytes

Tubers and rhizomes and aerial roots generally occurs

Leaves are shiny and undivided

Flowers are covered with a large bract leaf (insect trap)

fruit = berry

Question 33

Typical compounds of araceae

Answer 33

Cyanogenic glycosides
Oxalate crystals
Flavonoids

Question 34

Importance of araceae

Answer 34

Most common plant family of many household plants

Question 35

Liliales

Answer 35

Order of lillies

Formerly many species were classified into the liliaceae family → now belong to smaller families

Most of the species are cultivated as ornamental plants

Question 36

Morphology of liliales

Answer 36

Underground stems

Narrow, elliptic leaves

2x3 fused or free tepals with nectar glands

Large conspicuous, colourful flowers

Generally fruit = capsule

Question 37

Major compounds of liliales

Answer 37

Colchicine (meadow saffron)
Sesquiterpene lactons (tulip)
Steroidal alkaloids (Veratrum spp.) 
Steroidal saponins 
Most of the species has bigger or smaller toxic effect

Question 38

Juncaceae

Answer 38

Rush family

Species distributed worldwide

Toxic compounds = rare

Question 39

Juncaceae morphology

Answer 39

Grass-like morphology

Cylindrical stem and leaf with aerenchyma tissue

Generally glamorous species without hairs

Tuft-like appearance

Small, brown, scale-like tepals

Tepals enclose the capsule with dust-like seeds

No spikelet!

Inflorescence bracts can be present

Question 40

Importance of Juncaceae

Answer 40

Generally low digestibility and nutritive value
Species are used for animal breeding
Planted in garden ponds
Uncertain identification below the genus low

Question 41

Cyperaceae

Answer 41

Sedge family

Distributed worldwide

Question 42

Cyperaceae morpholgy

Answer 42

Grass-like

Triangular, sharp and coarse stem → SiO2 crystals

Leaves covers with cuticle and have a W-shape

Tepals are reduced or absent → “spikelet” (not same as grasses)

Monosexual flowers, staminate and pistillate flowers can be arranged in the same or different spikelet

Flowers are covered with a glue

Female flowers surrounded with a bottle-sjaped bract → utricle

Question 43

Importance of Cyperaceae

Answer 43

Species can be present in hay sample

Generally low digestibility and nutritive value

Consumption of the plants can damage the mouth

Planted in garden ponds
Uncertain identification below the genus low

Question 44

Poaceae

Answer 44

Grass family

Spikelets with 1 or more florets

Toxins rarely occurs except cyanogenic glycosides

Endophytic fungi can produce toxins

Fructan accumulation of some species → laminitis

Question 45

Practical importance of poaceae

Answer 45

Botanical hay analysis

The presence of “sour grasses” can decrease the quality of the hay

Low nutritive value, higher anti-nutritional effect

Question 46

monocot

Answer 46

Flowering plants (angiosperms) whose seeds typically contain only one embryonic leaf, or cotyledon

Question 47

Gymnosperm

Answer 47

seed-producing plants (spermatophytes)

any vascular plant that reproduces by means of an exposed seed, or ovule