Questions and Answers of Botany An Introduction To Plant Biology

If we could eliminate all other organisms so that a certain region contained only the soil and the plant itself, would this be a stable habitat? Does the plant itself change its habitat? Explain.
What is the disadvantage of a life cycle in which alternate generations are completely independent of the preceding generation? Are there advantages to this type of life cycle?
What is a cone? How are cones of conifers similar to those of lycophytes and cycads? How do they differ?
The classification of the seed plants has varied. If a person groups all seed plants together in one large Division Spermatophyta, then they have two classes—the class ________________ with naked
If angiosperms evolved from some type of gymnosperm, then the group “gymnosperms” is not natural. Why not? In cladistic terms, an incomplete group is a __________________group.
Describe progymnosperms. What were the significant evolutionary advances that characterized progymnosperms?
The section Evolution of Seeds describes the fossil seeds Archaeosperma arnoldii. Its megasporangium was surrounded by a layer of tissue, called an _________________ that projected upward, and there
Are any conifers herbs? Annuals? Vines? Do all conifers have needles like pines (Figure 22-13).Figure 22-13 (A) (B) (C)
In progymnosperms, microgametophytes produced and released sperm cells that could swim—but not very far. What is a pollen chamber and how did it help fertilization?
Describe a conifer pollen cone. Why is it a simple cone? Describe a conifer seed cone. Why is it a compound cone?
Seed cones of conifers are more complex than pollen cones. Seed cones are ________________ cones, each consisting of a shoot with axillary buds. The main axis of the cone bears leaves called
Unlike pollination in flowering plants, conifer pollen arrives before the egg is mature, and more than a ___________________ may pass between pollination and fertilization. The pollen germinates, and
In most conifers, as the seeds mature, the cone scales and ovuliferous scales become hard and tough—a typical pine cone (although firs have fir cones, not pine cones, and larches have larch cones,
Do any seed plants have flagella? Do their sperm cells have flagella? Look at Figure 22-27.Figure 22-27 (A) (B) Sporangia -Sporophyll -Cone axis (C) Courtesy of Dr. Kut Norstag. Used with permission
Seed ferns are a group of extinct plants; they resembled tree ferns, but what did they have on their leaves instead of sori?
There is a good chance you have seen cycads. What do they look like? What two other types of plants can they be confused with Do cycads ever have simple leaves?
What is the one and only species in the Division Ginkgophyta? Being part of the “gymnosperms,” does it have needle-shaped or scale shaped leaves? The leaf venation is unusual because the leaves
What are the three groups classified in Gnetophyta?
Would it have been possible, on a theoretical basis, for an indehiscent megasporangium to evolve before integument-penetrating pollen tubes evolved? Why or why not? What problem would be involved?
The earliest fossils clearly recognizable as parts of flowering plants are _____________________ __________________ in rocks more than ______________ million years old.
If someone were to examine the stamens of most flowering plants, they would never automatically think of them as sporophylls because they have very little leaflike structure, but look at the four
What transformations must have occurred if gymnosperms really were the ancestors of angiosperms? Which might have occurred earlier (are present in all relictual angiosperms) and which later (are
Describe what the early angiosperms may have been like with regard to flowers, body, ecology, wood, and pollen. For each of the characters, what living angiosperms still have those characters? In
During fertilization in flowering plants, one sperm cell nucleus fuses with the egg nucleus, producing the diploid zygote. The other sperm nucleus fuses with the ___________________________________,
Why were many modern genera of dicots initially thought to have come suddenly into existence about 130 million years ago? Why do we now think that those leaf fossils do not really belong to the
What is meant by a closed carpel as opposed to an open cone scale?
Concepts about the nature of the early angiosperms have changed (and may change again in the future). In the last century, members of the subclass Hamamelidae were considered the most relictual of
About 100 years ago, C. E. Bessey developed the hypothesis of the “ranalean” flower. What are some of the characters of this type of flower? Is the ranalean flower wind pollinated or insect
Do most botanists believe that the flowering plants are monophyletic, or do they believe that they are actually an unnatural group consisting of several lines of evolution that do not share a common
Describe Amborella and water lilies. On the basis of morphology, would you conclude that they are closely related? What evidence is used to support the hypothesis that they are ancient lineages from
All plant families have a name that ends in “-aceae,” and some families also have old names, still commonly used, without this ending. The palms are a family with two names. What is the new name
Philodendron is a plant you may know. They and their close relatives are characterized by a distinctive inflorescence. It has tiny flowers embedded in a thick stalk called a __________________, and
What is the name of the grass family? About how many species does it contain? Name seven genera (and give the common names) of grasses that are used for food. What kind of pollination do grasses
Zingiberales contains some of the most familiar of all houseplants. Name several of these.
Liliaceae contains many familiar plants. Name six. Which closely related family contains the irises? Which contains yams?
The Orchidaceae is the largest and most diverse family of monocots. What is the most common orchid habit (growth form)—being an epiphyte or being terrestrial? Are orchid flowers bilaterally
Certain eudicot clades contain plants with many relictual features. Name and describe several.
Core Caryophyllales contains many familiar plants. Can you list four members of this group? The group is unusual in having _______________________________ pigments rather than anthocyanins in their
Give the name of the families of each of the following:a. Camelliasb. Chocolatec. Cottond. Violetse. Pumpkins and watermelonsf. Cranberries and blueberries
One important character in rosids is the presence of named for the rose family, Rosaceae, and this one family has many genera that produce fruits that we like to eat. Name the genera of the following
Textbooks often use cacti and euphorbias (spurges) to illustrate convergent evolution because many euphorbias have globular, succulent bodies that strongly resemble those of cacti, yet the two
Name the families that contain the following species:a. Sunflowers, dandelions, and daisiesb. Milkweedsc. Potato, tomato, and tobaccod. Mints and lavendere. Coffea (coffee)
Think about the Coniferophyta and the Magnoliophyta of this chapter. Which has more families, genera, and species? Which has more diversity of body types? Which has species in the greatest number of
Which aspects of our teeth indicate we have evolved so that we can eat plants?
How long have humans used fire?
What is the Holocene Epoch? When did it begin? What has happened to Earth’s temperature during the Holocene Epoch?
Domestication of plants began in at least four separate areas; name the areas and the plants.
The earliest plant species that were domesticated had several fundamental features; list these features and discuss why each was important.
What are cereal grains? What plant family are they in? Give six examples.
Wheat flour has an unusual protein; name the protein and describe how it is important in making bread.
Which vitamin is lacking from rice? Describe how genetic engineering has addressed this problem. What is the name of the GMO rice, and is it now widely cultivated?
When cattle eat plant feed such as corn or hay, the cattle are ________________ consumers. When we eat the animal protein, we are ________________________ consumers. In general, it takes ________ kg
Describe a food with a high glycemic index. Why are such foods harmful to our metabolism? Describe a food with a low glycemic index.
Name five species of legumes. Which nutrient is especially abundant in legumes? Why are their root nodules important?
What are complementary proteins? Name three pairs.
How are antioxidants important? What do they protect cells from? Name several antioxidants and list several dark green leafy vegetables rich in antioxidants.
What is the active ingredient in hot peppers? Describe how the pungency of hot peppers is measured.
How do we know that ancient Egyptians used black pepper?
What is an infusion? Name two popular infusions.
Morphine is an analgesic; what does that mean? Why is its use in hospitals limited?
The term “fiber” has several meanings with regard to textiles. Briefly describe bast fibers, soft fibers, hard fibers, and wood fibers. Give an example of each.
Kenaf is currently being investigated as a possible new source of useful fibers. Describe the properties of kenaf that make it seem favorable.
What is acid-free paper? Why is it important? What is happening to books and magazines that were printed on paper that contains acid?
As newspapers, printer paper, and other papers are recycled, their fibers are damaged so the new paper is not as strong as the original paper. Does this make the recycled paper useless, or is
Describe old growth forests. Do they have a high or low diversity of trees when compared to tree plantations? Which types of trees do woodpeckers prefer?
What is engineered wood? Give several examples. Can this technique produce pieces of wood that are longer or wider than the trees used to make it? Can it be made with unusual shapes? Give examples of
What is an artisan wood? Which properties are especially important? These woods are usually obtained from only certain parts of the logs of certain types of trees. Describe why this is so.
Ecology is the study of organisms in relation to ______________________ aspects of their surroundings.
Define each of the following: population, community, habitat, and ecosystem. Why is the biology of a population different from the biology of an individual?
How much of a plant’s environment should be considered its habitat? Would the habitat of a wind-pollinated, wind-dispersed species be simpler than one with animal-mediated pollination and seed
Consider the redwood forests of California. We know that the shade of the big trees affects the shrubs and herbs, but do the small plants affect the trees? What about the seeds of the redwood trees?
Habitat components are of two types, abiotic and biotic. List several components of each type.
Why are climate extremes often more important than average climatic conditions? What is the “growing season” of a plant, and what are some conditions that affect its length?
How are soils formed? Through the breakdown of what material? Why are new soils not suitable for most plant species?
Why do parts of Alaska and Canada have such thin soil today? What happened to the soil that used to be there? Approximately how many years ago did this region lose its soil?
Fire is a critically important, natural disturbance in many ecosystems. Describe some plant adaptations that allow plants to survive fires.
When several individuals occur together, the possibility for interaction is created. If the interaction is basically beneficial for both organisms, it is called _________________, but if it is
What is competition between plants? What is competitive exclusion? How does competition affect natural selection and evolution?
What is a niche? Is it a physical, tangible space or object? If a giant redwood grows side by side with a small fern, are they in the same niche? If not, how does the niche of one differ from that of
What is a transplant experiment? What is a common garden? What is the point of using these two types of experiment?
When birds build nests in trees, the birds benefit, but the trees are usually unharmed. What kind of a relationship is this? Give two more examples of relationships like this.
Although most habitat components act on a plant simultaneously, at any given time and locality, one factor alone determines the health of the plant. This is called the_____________________factor.
Consider the population growth curve of Figure 25-23B. Would a young population (left side of curve) have a greater proportion of young individuals than an old population (right side of curve where
Plants often grow in clumped distributions. Give one cause of this.
What is the term that describes the length of time from the birth of one individual until the birth of its first offspring? Why do we not use this term for the time between the individual’s birth
Look at the pyramid of biomass in Figure 25-36 and the text on the same page. If a toxic herbicide is applied at a low rate of one part per million, what happens to the concentration of the herbicide
Autotrophs are known as _______________________, and they are the first step of any food web. Herbivores are _________________________________, and carnivores are __________________. Fungi and
As plants photosynthesize, _______________________and _________________________ compounds enter the ecosystem. How do these move to the next trophic level and then to the next? How are both lost from
Define a community. Do communities have sharply defined geographical boundaries? Explain.
Some communities change with time. What is that process called? Describe an example of it.
Other communities are more or less the same over long periods of time; what is the name for a community like that? Why does such a community remain the same?
We humans are members of many different communities. Describe some, and describe how we affect the biology of other organisms in some of these communities.
What is community restoration? Why is it necessary? Describe several examples.
How does habitat loss differ from habitat fragmentation? What is the importance of protected migration corridors?
What is a species checklist? Is it possible to use a checklist to determine which species are abundant and which are rare?
Scale is usually important in studies of community ecology; which has greater species diversity, larger plots or smaller ones? Why?
Tropical areas near the equator have higher species diversity than do temperate areas at high latitudes. Discuss several of the proposed causes. Be sure to mention the contribution of past global
Describe species abundance distribution. Draw several hypothetical ones, for example one in which almost all species are very rare, or one in which a few species are extremely rare but most are
In predator–prey interactions, do predators typically consume so much prey that the prey species is lost from the community? Or can the two species co-exist for a long period? Describe this.
If the rate of some process is governed by the abundance of prey individuals, we say that it is prey-dependent. Give some examples of prey-dependent processes.

Showing 1 - 100 of 724