UNIT 4 | PLANTS Flashcards
Define cuticle
The thick waxy layer, which often covers the outer surfaces of the epidermal cells of a plant
Define vascular tissue
A specialized tissue in plants that carries water and nutrients
Define stoma (pl. stomata)
Small opening in the epidermis of a plant that allows carbon dioxide, water, and oxygen to diffuse into and out of the leaf
Define guard cells in plants
A specialized cell in the epidermis of plants that controls the opening and closing of stomata
Define xylem
Vascular tissue that carries water upward from the roots to every part of the plant
Define phloem
Vascular tissue that transports solutions of nutrients and carbohydrates produced by photosynthesis through the plant
Define seed
Plant embryo and a food supply encases in a protective covering
Define spore
Spores are produced within a sporangium when meiosis occurs. Part of the sporophyte lifecycle.
Define alternation of generation in plants
Life cycle that has two alternating phases—a haploid (N) phase and a diploid (2N) phase
Define rhizoids
Thin filaments that anchor mosses to soil. They also absorb water and minerals from the surrounding soil
Define roots
Provide raw materials for developing stems and leaves before they emerge from the soil. Taproots and fibrous roots are the main types of root systems
Define fruit
After fertilization, ovaries within flowers develop into fruits that surround, protect, and help disperse the seeds of angiosperms.
Define sorus (pl; sori)
Little packets of sporangia (spores) found on the underside of frond leaflets
Define sporophyte
Spore-producing plant; multicellular diploid phase of a plant life cycle
Define gametophyte
Gamete-producing plant; multicellular haploid phase of a plant life cycle
Define ovary in plants
In plants, the structure that surrounds and protects seeds
Define cotyledon
First leaf or first pair of leaves produced by the embryo of a seed plant
Define pollen tube
A structure in a plant that contains two haploid sperm nuclei
Define pollination
Transfer of pollen from the male reproductive structure to the female reproductive structure
Define germination
Resumption of growth of the plant embryo following dormancy
Define petiole
A thin stalk that connects the blade of a leaf to a stem
Define transpiration
The loss of water from a plant though its leaves
Define archegonium
Structure in plants that produces egg cells (female sex cell)
Define antheridium
Male reproductive structure in some plants that produces sperm
Define flower
Seed brewing portion of a plant consisting of its reproductive organs
What are the main adaptations that allow plants to live on land?
Roots - obtaining water and nutrients
Cuticle and transpiration - resining water and prevention of water loss
Cell walls and vascular tissue - supporting its body for photosynthesis
Veins (vascular tissue) - transporting materials like water, food, and minerals
Seeds (reproduction) - reproductive cells such as eggs and sperm (pollen)
What is the chemical formula for photosynthesis?
6CO2 + 6H2O —> C6H12O6 + 6O2
Give an example of a seedless vascular plant
Maidenhair fern
List some characteristics of gymnosperms
- evergreens and conifers
- seed coat
- stores food/energy to help survive in harsh conditions
- adapted to cold and dry weather
- tough needle like leaves conserve water with a thick cuticle and recessed stomata
- seeds contained in female cones
- wind pollination
Describe an annual
Live for a single growing season and then dies
Describe a biennial
Completes its lifecycle in the second year. In the first growing season it’s small, and in the second growing year it becomes taller before dying
Describe a perennial
Come back every spring
List some characteristics and examples of a monocot
- single cotyledon
- parallel veins
- petals in multiples of 3
- vascular bundles are scattered
- fibrous root system
- includes irises and orchids
List some characteristics and examples of dicots
- two cotyledons
- branched veins
- petals in multiples of 4 or 5
- vascular ring
- taproot
- includes roses and maple trees
What is the function of leaves?
- main site for photosynthesis
- has exchange
What is the function of stems?
- produces leaves, branches, flowers
- holds leaves upwards towards the sun
- transport substances through plants
What is the function of veins in plants?
Transports water through xylem and nutrients through phloem
What is the function of roots?
- support plant
- anchor it
- store food
- absorbs water and dissolved nutrients from the soil
What is the difference between a taproot and a fibrous root?
Taproot - large straight tapered root growing downward. Consists of small root hairs as well (found in dicots)
Fibrous - grow down and out with many root hairs that form a large mass of roots
What are the main plant divisions?
Non-vascular seedless
Vascular seedless
Vascular seed
List some characteristics of angiosperms
- reproduces through flowers and fruit
- monocots and dicots
- reproductive organ is the ovary (located in the female flower)
- seeds develop in cone
