Exam 26: The Colonization of Land by Plants and Fungi

Which of the following statements correctly describes a portion of the pine life cycle?

The functional role of sporopollenin is primarily to

Which group is noted for the independence of gametophyte and sporophyte generations from each other?

Which structure is common to both gymnosperms and angiosperms?

Lichens are symbiotic associations of fungi and I. mosses. II. cyanobacteria. III. green algae. IV. gymnosperms

Assuming that they all belong to the same plant, arrange the following structures from largest to smallest (or from most inclusive to least inclusive). 1) spores 2) sporophytes 3) sporangia

Challenges for survival of the first land plants include I. sources of water. II. sperm transfer. III. desiccation. IV. animal predation.

How have fruits contributed to the success of angiosperms?

The following question(s) refer to the generalized life cycle for land plants shown in the figure. Each number within a circle represents a specific plant or plant part, and each number in a box refers to a biological process. -In the figure, which number produces haploid gametes by mitosis?

Please use the following information to answer the question(s) below. The Brazil nut tree, Bertholletia excels (n = 17), is native to tropical rain forests of South America. It is a hardwood tree that can grow to over 50 meters tall, is a source of high-quality lumber, and is a favorite nesting site for harpy eagles. As the rainy season ends, tough-walled fruits, each containing 8-25 seeds (Brazil nuts), fall to the forest floor. Brazil nuts are composed primarily of endosperm. About $50 million worth of nuts are harvested each year. Scientists have discovered that the pale yellow flowers of Brazil nut trees cannot fertilize themselves and admit only female orchid bees as pollinators. The agouti (Dasyprocta spp.), a cat-sized rodent, is the only animal with teeth strong enough to crack the hard wall of Brazil nut fruits. It typically eats some of the seeds, buries others, and leaves still others inside the fruit, which moisture can then enter. The uneaten seeds may subsequently germinate. -Orchid bees are to Brazil nut trees as ________ are to pine trees.

Please use the following information to answer the question(s) below. For several decades now, amphibian species worldwide have been in decline. A significant proportion of the decline seems to be due to the spread of the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). Chytrid sporangia reside within the epidermal cells of infected animals, animals that consequently show areas of sloughed skin. Infected animals can also be lethargic, which is expressed through failure to hide and failure to flee. The infection cycle typically takes four to five days, at the end of which zoospores are released from sporangia into the environment. Zoospores are spores of fungi (as well as some algae and protozoans) that use a flagella for swimming locomotion. In some amphibian species, mortality rates approach 100%; other species seem able to survive the infection. -Sexual reproduction has not been observed in Bd. A Bd sporangium initially contains a single haploid cell. Which of the following processes must be involved in generating the multiple zoospores eventually produced by each sporangium? 1) S phase 2) cytokinesis 3) mitosis 4) meiosis

Arrange the following structures from largest to smallest, assuming that they belong to two generations of the same angiosperm. 1) ovary 2) ovule 3) egg 4) carpel

The fruit of the mistletoe, a parasitic angiosperm, is a one-seeded berry. In members of the genus Viscum, the outside of the seed is viscous (sticky), which permits the seed to adhere to surfaces, such as the branches of host plants or the beaks of birds. What should be expected of the fruit if the viscosity of Viscum seeds is primarily an adaptation for dispersal rather than an adaptation for infecting host plant tissues?

If intelligent extraterrestrials visited Earth 475 million years ago, and then again 300 million years ago (at the close of the Carboniferous period), what trends would they have noticed in Earth's terrestrial vegetation over this period? 1) a trend from dominant gametophytes to dominant sporophytes 2) a trend from no true leaves to microphylls to megaphylls 3) a trend from plants that grow just above the soil surface to "overtopping" plants 4) a trend toward increased lignification of conducting systems

Please use the following information to answer the question(s) below. The cycads, a mostly tropical phylum of gymnosperms, evolved about 300 million years ago and were dominant forms during the age of the dinosaurs. Though their sperm are flagellated, their ovules are pollinated by beetles. These beetles get nutrition (they eat pollen) and shelter from microsporophylls (leaflike structures that contain microsporangia). Upon visiting megasporophylls (leaflike structures where megaspores are formed), the beetles transfer pollen to the exposed ovules. In cycads, pollen cones and seed cones are borne on different plants. Cycads synthesize neurotoxins, especially in the seeds, that are effective against most animals, including humans. -Which feature of cycads distinguishes them from most other gymnosperms? 1) They have exposed ovules. 2) They have flagellated sperm. 3) They are pollinated by animals.

Please use the following information to answer the question(s) below. Diploid nuclei of the ascomycete Neurospora crassa contain 14 chromosomes. A single diploid cell in an ascus will undergo one round of meiosis, followed in each of the daughter cells by one round of mitosis, producing a total of eight ascospores. -What is the ploidy of a single mature ascospore?

A botanist discovers a new species of land plant with a dominant sporophyte, chlorophylls a and b, and cell walls made of cellulose. In assigning this plant to a phylum, which of the following, if present, would be least useful?

Arrange the following terms from most inclusive to least inclusive. 1) embryophytes 2) green plants 3) seedless vascular plants 4) ferns

The seed coat's most important function is to provide

Which of the following should have had gene sequences most similar to the charophyte that was the common ancestor of the land plants?