Plant Structures
Which plant structure absorbs most water and minerals from soil?
Roots
Why are cactus spines useful to a desert plant?
They help protect it from animals and can reduce water loss.
A kitten has naturally curly fur like its parents. What type of trait is this?
Inherited
A student learns to whistle. Is this inherited or acquired?
Acquired
A characteristic that helps an organism survive or reproduce in its environment.
Adaptation
A flower produces pollen and seeds. What is its main role in the plant life cycle?
Reproduction
Why might a water lily have floating leaves?
They reach sunlight and exchange gases at the water surface.
A young oak grows leaves with the same general shape as its parent tree. Why?
A tree branch breaks during a storm and heals with a scar. Classify the scar.
A desert animal is active mostly at night. How might this behavior help?
It avoids some daytime heat and reduces water loss.
Why might a plant with a damaged root system wilt even when sunlight is plentiful?
It cannot absorb water
A vine wraps around a taller tree. How can climbing help it survive?
It reaches brighter sunlight without building a thick trunk.
A runner builds stronger leg muscles through training. Which part of this change is acquired?
The increase in muscle strength due to training.
Two puppies from the same litter have different natural coat colors. Can both colors be inherited?
Yes; offspring can inherit different combinations of traits.
A seedling grows toward a window. What environmental factor is influencing its growth?
Sunlight.
A plant has healthy roots but its leaves are covered in light blocking material. Which essential process is most affected?
Photosynthesis
A mangrove has roots that rise above muddy water. What challenge can these roots help solve?
Obtaining oxygen in waterlogged, low-oxygen soil.
A butterfly develops its species’ typical wing pattern as an adult. Is this necessarily acquired because it appeared later?
No. Development of an inherited trait can occur as the organism grows.
A bird learns to open a feeder after watching other birds. Is the learned behavior inherited or acquired?
Acquired through experience
A young animal learns to find food, while its species is born with sharp claws. Which is acquired and which is inherited?
Finding-food skill: acquired; claws: inherited.
A tree has damaged tissue that transports sugars from its leaves. Predict an effect on its roots.
Roots may receive less food/energy, reducing growth and survival.
Two plants live in windy places: one has a flexible stem and one a stiff, brittle stem. Predict which may survive strong wind better and why.
The flexible-stem plant may bend rather than snap.
A rabbit has naturally brown fur and a scratch from a thorn. Identify each trait.
Brown fur: inherited; scratch: acquired.
A seed grows in poor soil and stays small. Is its small size proof that its parents were small? Explain.
No. Environment can affect growth, so size alone does not prove inheritance.
A plant species is moved from a moist forest to a dry field. It wilts, but another species thrives. Explain why this does not prove the first plant can never survive there.
Survival depends on multiple conditions and variation; one observation cannot prove every individual would fail.