Download Review Questions for Exam 2

Review Questions L6: Intro to Plant Diversity
1. Which group of organisms are considered embryophytes and why?
2. Why were the green algae (Chlorophytes and Charophytes) considered to be more closely related
to land plants than other algal groups (what traits do they share)?
3. Why are the Charophyceans considered to be more closely related to land plants than other green
algae (what traits do they share)?
4. What benefits could be gained by the ancestors of plants from moving from water to land?
5. What were four big problems the ancestors of plants faced when moving from living in the water to
living on land. For each of these challenges, what is one adaptation that evolved to meet it?
6. What is “alternation of generations”?
7. List three derived traits of plants (found in plants, but not in Charophyceans).
8. When did land plants first appear? What is the evidence for this?
9. What is adaptive radiation? How does this concept apply to the ancestors of plants moving from
water to land?
10. Which group of plants (bryophytes, seedless vascular plants, gymnosperms, angiosperms) have the
greatest species diversity?
11. What group of plants dominated the terrestrial environment during the Carboniferous period? Why
is the period named “Carboniferous”?
12. How did the environment change after the Carboniferous period? What group of plants dominated
and why?
13. Make a drawing of the phylogeny of plants, including the groups: Bryophytes, Seedless Vascular
Plants, Gymnosperms and Angiosperms. On the tree mark the evolution of the traits that separate
each group from the others.
Review Questions: L7: Plant Mutualisms & Nutrition
1. Define essential nutrients.
2. What is the function of nitrogen? Potassium? Phosphate? Sulfur? Magnesium? Iron? (Remember
we synthesized a list based on the presentations – See May 6)
3. What is cation exchange?
4. What is nitrogen fixation?
5. How do legumes recognize bacteria in the genus Rhizobium? And vice-versa?
6. How does each member of this mutualism benefit?
7. Where in the plant does this relationship occur?
8. Are the bacteria located inside of the plant cells? How do the cells keep the bacteria from harming
them?
9. What does nitrogenase do? What affect does oxygen have on nitrogenase? How does the plant
deal with this problem?
10. What is the difference between ectomycorrhizae and endomycorrhizae?
11. In a plant that is newly “infected” with mycorrhizae, what cellular changes do you expect to see?
Review Questions: L8: Bryophytes & Seedless Vascular Plants
12. Most Bryophytes are small and sprawling in structure. Why? How does this form relate to the
environments they live in?
13. How does the Bryophyte sporophyte get its nutrients?
14. “Bryophytes do not have true leaves.” Why not?
15. What is the function of a peristome and what groups of organisms have a peristome? What
environmental cue does it respond to?
16. Do all bryophytes live in moist environments? If not, what adaptations allow them to live in dryer
environments?
17. What role do Bryophytes play in primary succession?
18. Sketch the lifecycle of a moss and label with the following terms: sporophyte, gametophyte,
sporangium, capsule, stalk, foot, spore, archegonium, antheridium, male gamete (sperm), female
gamete (egg), zygote, embryo, meiosis, mitosis and fertilization. Which structures are haploid?
Diploid?
19. Sketch the lifecycle of a fern and label with the following terms: sporophyte, gametophyte,
sporangium, sori,spore, male gamete (sperm), female gamete (egg), zygote, embryo, meiosis,
mitosis and fertilization. Which structures are haploid? Diploid?
20. Compare and contrast the sporophyte generation of mosses and the sporophyte generation of ferns.
21. What is the difference between a rhizoid and a rhizome? A rhizome and a root?
22. What is the difference between a spore and a gamete?
23. What is a sporophyll?
24. The sporophytes of seedless vascular plants have complex branching structures. What benefit does
this give over Bryophytes, which are unbranched in structure?
25. What is the difference between sori and strobili?
26. Why are Bryophytes and seedless vascular plants (mostly) restricted to moist environments?
27. What is vascular tissue? What problems did the development of vascular tissue solve?
Review Questions: L9: Gymnosperms & Angiosperms
1. What is pollen and how does it benefit the plant that produces it? Which group(s) of plants have
this trait?
2. What is the function of sporopollenin?
3. What is heterospory and which groups of plants have this trait?
4. Describe the changes in alternation of generations seen between the seedless vascular plants and
the seed plants (gymnosperms and angiosperms). How were these changes beneficial?
5. Make a sketch of an unfertilized ovule, showing the integument, megasporangium and megaspore
6. Sketch the lifecycle of a gymnosperm and label with the following terms: sporophyte, staminate or
pollen (male) cone, microsporangium, microsporocyte, microspore, male gametophyte, sperm,
pollen, ovulate (female) cone, megasporangium, megasporocyte, megaspore, ovule, female
gametophyte, egg, zygote, embryo, meiosis, mitosis and fertilization. Which structures are
haploid? Diploid?
7. What does a seed contain? What benefit does having a seed give a plant? Which groups of plants
have this trait?
8. What is the difference between a spore and a seed?
9. How are trees in the phylum Coniferophyta adapted to dry climates?
10. Which of the gymnosperm phyla still have flagellated sperm?
11. Sketch the lifecycle of an angiosperm and label with the following terms: sporophyte, stamen,
anthers, microsporangium, microsporocyte, microspore, male gametophyte, sperm, pollen, carpel,
stigma, ovary, megasporangium, megasporocyte, megaspore, ovule, female gametophyte, egg,
zygote, embryo, meiosis, mitosis and fertilization. Which structures are haploid? Diploid?
12. What are three differences between monocots and eudicots?
13. What is the function of flower petals?
14. What is fruit? Which group(s) have this trait? What benefit was gained by the plant group that
developed this trait?
Review Questions: L10: Plant Reproduction
1. How is asexual reproduction different than sexual reproduction? What are the costs/benefits or
both?
2. Provide an example of asexual reproduction in the bryophytes.
3. Provide an example of asexual reproduction in the seedless vascular plant.
4. Provide an example of asexual reproduction in the angiosperms?
5. What is apomixes and why is it beneficial?
6. What are the benefits of self-fertilization vs. cross-fertilization?
7. What are the three main methods for preventing self-fertilization? Describe or give an example for
each.
8. What is the difference between the terms monoecious and dioecious?
9. What is pollination? What is fertilization?
10. What is coevolution?
11. What is a generalist pollinator vs specialist pollinator?
12. Why is seed dispersal important? What are some seed dispersal strategies?
13. Why is light an important trigger for small seeds?
14. What factors trigger seed germination?