Exam 29: Plant Diversity I: How Plants Colonized Land

Moss sporophytes are typically green when young, but turn brown when ready to release their spores. This observation would lead you to think that the ________.

Use the following information to answer the question. Big Bend National Park in Texas is mostly Chihuahuan desert, where rainfall averages about 25 centimeters per year. Yet, it is not uncommon when hiking in this extremely arid zone to encounter mosses and ferns. One such plant is called "flower of stone." It is not a flowering plant, nor does it produce seeds. Under arid conditions, its leaflike structures curl up. However, when it rains, it unfurls its leaves, which form a bright green rosette on the desert floor. Consequently, it is sometimes called the "resurrection plant." At first glance, it could be a fern, a true moss, or a spike moss. Upon closer inspection of the leaves of "flower of stone," one can observe tiny, cone-like structures. Each cone-like structure emits spores of two different sizes. Further investigation also reveals that the roots of "flower of stone" branch only at the growing tip of the root, forming a Y-shaped structure. Based on these additional observations, which of the following can be properly inferred about "flower of stone"?

How could you determine if a plant is heterosporous?

Suppose an efficient conducting system evolved in a moss that could transport water and other materials as high as a tall tree. Which of the following statements about "trees" of such a species would not be true?

If animals had alternation of generations like plants, ________.

The following question refers to the generalized life cycle for land plants shown in the figure. Each number within a circle or square represents a specific plant or plant part, and each number over an arrow represents meiosis, mitosis, or fertilization. In the figure, the process labeled "6" involves ________.

Which of the following statements about the zygotes of plants is most likely to be accurate?

According to the fossil record, plants colonized terrestrial habitats ________.

If humans had been present to build log structures during the Carboniferous period (they were not), which plant types would have been suitable sources of logs?

Assuming that they all belong to the same plant, which of the following lists structures from largest to smallest (or from most inclusive to least inclusive)?

In plants, which of the following are produced by meiosis?

Suppose an efficient conducting system evolved in a moss that could transport water and other materials as high as a tall tree. Which of the following statements about "trees" of such a species would be accurate?

The following question refers to the generalized life cycle for land plants shown in the figure. Each number within a circle or square represents a specific plant or plant part, and each number over an arrow represents meiosis, mitosis, or fertilization. Which number represents a megaspore mother cell in the figure?

The haploid gametophytes of bryophytes are ________.

If you walk through an area with mosses and ferns, you are seeing ________.

Use the figure to answer the following question. Bowden showed that the presence of moss reduced nitrogen loss from soil. Which of the following questions would be the best follow-up study?

You find a green organism in a pond near your house and believe it is a plant, not an alga. The mystery organism is most likely a plant and not an alga if it ________.

Arrange the following terms from most inclusive to least inclusive.

Use the following information to answer the question. Big Bend National Park in Texas is mostly Chihuahuan desert, where rainfall averages about 25 centimeters per year. Yet, it is not uncommon when hiking in this extremely arid zone to encounter mosses and ferns. One such plant is called "flower of stone." It is not a flowering plant, nor does it produce seeds. Under arid conditions, its leaflike structures curl up. However, when it rains, it unfurls its leaves, which form a bright green rosette on the desert floor. Consequently, it is sometimes called the "resurrection plant." At first glance, it could be a fern, a true moss, or a spike moss. Upon closer inspection of the leaves of "flower of stone," one can observe tiny, cone-like structures. Each cone-like structure emits spores of two different sizes. Further investigation also reveals that the roots of "flower of stone" branch only at the growing tip of the root, forming a Y-shaped structure. Consequently, "flower of stone" should be expected to possess which other characteristics?

Retaining the zygote on the living gametophyte of land plants ________.