Tree Biology
List the parts of the tree.
Roots, crown, trunk, branches, leaves
What did all plants evolve from?
algae protists
List an ecoregion of North America
Boreal coniferous forest, temperate desert, temperate continental forest, tropical desert, tropical rainforest, temperate continental forest
Which appeared first? Angiosperms or Gymnosperms
What is the proper spelling for scientific names?
Capital Genus lower case species
Family, order etc names always capitalized
List two types of roots and their purpose
Tap root - deep water access & support
Pneumatophores - oxygen uptake in waterlogged environments
storage roots - storage
aerial roots - support
fibrous/fine roots - absorption & transport
Lateral roots - water/nutrient absorption & anchoring the tree
What was the first true tree and what time period did it appear?
Archaeopteris during the late Devonian period.
List two forest types or cover types in North America
Bottomlands, Coastal uplands, mesophytic, hardwood forests, pines, lowlands
List the characteristics of gymnosperms
Gymnosperms - "naked seed" or cones, ovule enclosed within the cone scale, needle or scale like leaves, wind pollinated.
What are the two branching patterns?
alternate and opposite
Name and define at least three parts of the trunk
Bark - outer protective layer
Cambium - a layer that produces new cells
Phloem - transports foods/sugars from leaves to other parts of the plant
Xylem - tube-like tissue that carries water/minerals/nutrients up from the soil to the rest of the tree
Pith - center of the stem
What were the challenges of early land plants?
Gravity, Dessication, Nutrient Transport
What are the three forest biomes?
Temperate forest, Tiaga/Boreal Forest, Tropical Rainforest
List the characteristics of angiosperms
Angiosperms - "covered seed", ovules and seed enclosed in a fruit, have flowers, broad leaves, animal, wind pollinated
List three tree forms
conical, oval, spreading, pyramidal, vase, columnar, weeping, irregular, round, open
Which tissues allow for growth in woody plants? List the general name, the two types of tissues, and the direction of growth.
Meristematic tissues
Apical Meristems - located at the tips of branches and roots. Responsible for longitudinal (up & down) growth.
Lateral Meristems - located in the circumference of the trunk, branches, and roots. Responsible for lateral growth (outwards/girth)
Which tissues made all the difference to allow plants to colonize the land and become woody?
Xylem, Phloem, Lignin
What is the difference between forest types, ecoregions and biomes?
Biomes are the largest category and are categorized by climate, latitude, and altitude. Ecoregions are smaller categories within biomes. Forest types are the smallest category and are more specific to location.
List 4 orders of gymnosperms
Coniferophyta/Pinophyta (pines, firs, spruces etc), Cyadophyta (cyads), Ginkgophyta (ginko), Gnetophyta (gnetophytes)
List 4 parts of the twig used to identify its genus or species
budscale, terminal bud, budscars, lenticels
What do trees need to grow? Name and define/describe the essential processes that help trees grow
Photosynthesis: sunlight + carbon dioxide + water = energy + oxygen
Respiration: oxygen + sugar = carbon dioxide + water + energy
Name and describe the 3 main evolutionary branches of plant evolution.
Charophytes - green algaes
Bryophytes - non-vascular seedless plants
Tracheophytes - vascular/tube plants
Describe how climate, altitude and longitude influence biome characterization.
Biomes are categorized based on their temperature, precipitation and humidity (climate). Climate differs at different latitudinal regions (warmer & wetter towards the equator) and altitudinal belts (colder at higher altitudes. This can change the tree species presence and composition.
Give examples of a fruit vs a drupe and a nut
Fruit - multiple seeds enclosed within the fleshy covering ( apple)
Drupe - single seed enclosed within a fleshy covering ( mango, any stonefruit)
Nute - seed enclosed within a hard cover (almond, acorn)
Name 5 bark types
Papery, scaly, ridged, furrowed, rough, smooth, mottled, peeling, stringy, fissured, corky, spiny, bumpy