Why are there so many angiosperms?

Question 1

Describe angiosperm description rate

Answer 1

2000 species per year being described for about the last 40-50 years

Question 2

Angiosperm species estimate

Answer 2

231,413 - 369,4334

Question 3

What percentage of Embryophytes are the angiosperms?

Answer 3

89.4%

Question 4

Describe Eucalyptus regnans

Answer 4

• swamp gum / Mountain Ash
• tallest flowering plant
• > 100m
• 17m girth
• Tasmania and S Australia

Question 5

Cymbalaria muralis

Answer 5

Ivy leaved toadflax

Question 6

Wolffia

Answer 6

Duckweed

Question 7

List the three angiosperm habits

Answer 7

trees, shrubs and herbs (herbaceous)

Question 8

Describe trees and shrubs

Answer 8

• woody
• secondary thickening (herbs do not)

Question 9

Eucalyptus regnans

Answer 9

100m

Question 10

Describe the diversity of angiosperm fruits

Answer 10

• dry: poppy
• fleshy: tomato
• dehiscent: Indian balsam
• indehiscent: sycamore
• apocarpy: beans & buttercups
• syncarpy: oranges, apples, tomatoes
  false fruits: strawberry

Question 11

Describe the habit and life history diversity of angiosperms

Answer 11

Epiphytes
Climbers/Lianas
Switch plants
Succulents
Terrestrial
Aquatic
Ephemerals
Annuals
Biennials
Perennials
Bulbs
Corms
Rhizomes

Question 12

Describe plant construction

Answer 12

roots, leaves, stems and flowers

Question 13

The world is dependent on angiosperms for

Answer 13

food, clothing, medicine and energy

Question 14

Angiosperms co-exist in

Answer 14

high-diversity assemblages relative to other plant groups

Question 15

Describe biotic pollination

Answer 15

• entomophily
• ornithophily
• chiropterophily

Question 16

List three co-inciding biological phenomena

Answer 16

• floral innovation
• insect diversification
• angiosperm diversification

Question 17

Describe wind-pollination

Answer 17

• anemophily
• evolved repeatedly from insect pollinated ancestors
• Graminioid monocots (grasses, sedges & rushes) & Fagaceae
• conifers (gymnosperms)

Question 18

Entomophily has been argued to decrease extinction rates by

Answer 18

maintaining gene flow in small, sparse populations and so ensuring their survival.

Question 19

Entomophily can act as a driver of speciation based on

Answer 19

• selection for pollinator specialisation
• e.g. orchids

Question 20

Describe Gymnosperms

Answer 20

• Conifers, Gnetales, Cycads, Ginkgo
• exclusively woody, no herbs or annuals

Question 21

Describe cycads

Answer 21

• gymnosperms
• obligate entomophiles
• not especially species-rich group

Question 22

Describe Gnetales

Answer 22

• gymnosperms
• degree of adaptation to entomophily

Question 23

Describe Bennettitales

Answer 23

• fossil gymnosperms
• evidence of beetle pollination

Question 24

Describe Hymenoptera

Answer 24

• most important group of insect pollinators
• first appear in the early Triassic

Question 25

Angiosperms arose after

Answer 25

the origin of entomophily in one or more Gymnosperms

Question 26

Early entomophilous plants generalists and specialized plant pollinator relationships appeared

Answer 26

relatively late within the angiosperms.

Question 27

Describe the carpel

Answer 27

synapomorphy

Question 28

Carpel evolution prompted

Answer 28

1. pollen tube competition 2. incompatibility systems 3. many fruit types

Question 29

Paedomorphosis

Answer 29

precocious reproductive maturation

Question 30

Is lignification a synapomorphy

Answer 30

- no - many basal angiosperms are woody

Question 31

Describe angiosperms relative to Gymnosperms

Answer 31

- paedomorphic trends - faster life cycles (Arabidopsis) - increased rate of speciation and/or reduced extinction

Question 32

Diversification relies up

Answer 32

- unique key character innovations - ecological opportunity (extrinsic environmental factors)

Question 33

Two sister lineages differences may be

Answer 33

stochastic

Question 34

Describe SR

Answer 34

- species My-1 = [ln n1 – ln n0] / t

Question 35

SR

Answer 35

speciation rate

Question 36

Describe TFS

Answer 36

My species-1 = t / ln n1

Question 37

TFS

Answer 37

time for speciation

Question 38

n1 =

Answer 38

number of species in a monophyletic clade

Question 39

Describe time calibrated phylogeny

Answer 39

- uses known fossil records - background rate of diversification used to calculate expected number of species in each clade over the time since the clade’s origin

Question 40

High diversification rates in various independent clades

Answer 40

- Cyperales - Poales - Fabales - Rosaceae - Apiales - Asterales - Boraginales - Solanales - Gentianales - Lamiales

Question 41

Describe the Succulent Karoo

Answer 41

- arid region of the Cape - onset of recent aridity: c. 5Mya - adjacent areas experiencing aridity on and off since Cretaceous - 5000 species, 40% endemism

Question 42

Describe the Aizoaceae

Answer 42

– South African desert ice plants - monophyletic Core Ruschioideae with 1,563 species - Age of clade = 3.8-8.7Myr - SR = 0.84-1.93 species Myr-1

Question 43

Describe the putative innovations of the Aizoaceae

Answer 43

- wide band tracheids - cylindrical or trigonous shaped leaves - hygrochastic capsules

Question 44

Describe wide band tracheids

Answer 44

- prevent collapse of primary wall and associated with adaptions to prevent water stress - adaptations to withstand water stress

Question 45

Describe cylindrical or trigonous shaped leaves

Answer 45

- reduced leaf surface area - reducing water loss under dry conditions

Question 46

Describe hygrochastic capsules

Answer 46

fruits open only when moistened to release a portion of their seeds in rain

Question 47

Describe Andean Páramo

Answer 47

- High elevation grasslands: 3200-5000m - 3,400 species - 60% endemism - most species-rich flora of any tropical mountain massif

Question 48

Describe Andean Lupinus

Answer 48

- clade of 81 species - age = 1.47 +/- 0.29 Myr - coincides with first appearance of cold upland habitats in last 2-4 Myr following final uplift of the Andes 3-5 Mya - SR = 2.49 – 3.72 species Myr-1

Question 49

synnovation

Answer 49

synergistic interactions among traits

Question 50

confluence

Answer 50

multiple interacting causal agents assembled step-wise through a tree.