Plant Basics 1
Plants are classified as autotrophs- what does autotroph mean?
makes its own food (producer)
First plants to grow in a new disturbed area are known as _____ _____
pioneer species
Cat's Claw and other similar vining plants climb up trees to get better access to .....
to the sun
How does the Dragonblood Tree's unique shape help it to survive its harsh dry environment?
funnel type shape captures and directs water to the roots for absorption
"food packet" for a plant embryo/seedling
Most likely ancestor of plants is _____.
Also, name one thing that the ancestor and its plant descendants have in common
ALGAE
Both photosynthesis, chlorophyll, carotenoids
Pioneer species help disturb areas by _____________________ so that other plant species can grow and thrive in the area
building/ making top soil
Describe 2 characteristics of gymnosperms. Provide an example of a gymnosperm
needle-like leaves; cones; seeds
cycad, conifer, ginkgo
Air plants do not require soil. How do they get the water and nutrients they need?
water: paper towel like super absorbent roots soak it in directly from the atmosphere (mist/humidity)
nutrients: capture falling leaves and absorb nutrients from trapped decaying leaves
Tulips have 6 petals and long leaves with parallel veins. is it a monocot or a dicot?
Monocot
Place the following terms in the plants' evolutionary order from the oldest organisms to the newest organisms
pine cone trees, fruiting trees, algae, water plants, moss
algae- water plants- moss- pine cone trees- fruiting trees
Peat is made as a result of the breakdown of ___________________(name type of plant)
Describe ONE use (prior or current) for peat material
breakdown of seedless vascular plants
USES: used to be burned for fuel/heat; helps retain soil moisture
Saltwater usually kills plants but the Mangrove trees have a very unique adaptation to their roots that allow them to survive the tides. How do these warty growths help the tree to survive in saltwater?
filters out most of the salt (roughly 99%)
What make Venus Fly Traps and Sundew plants very unique? Why do they engage in this behavior?
trap and ingest insects
live in nutrient poor soils so they have to "eat" bugs to get the nitrogen/nutrition they need
What do Angiosperms and Gymnosperms have in common? (DESCRIBE TWO SIMILARITIES)
Both have vascular tissue and seeds
DESCRIBE TWO ADAPTATIONS that early land plants had to have in order to survive on land
Cuticle: protects plant from drying out/ cold
Cellulose: provides support in cell wall
water resistant spores: prevents spores from drying out
Describe TWO advantages for plants that have seeds
store food for the embryo
can stay dormant for long periods of time
better dispersal
Bristlecone pines can live for thousands of years in one of the harshest driest coldest areas- DESCRIBE TWO UNIQUE ADAPTATIONS THAT allow them to survive.
extra thick bark
extra thick cuticle to protect from the cold
hardly ever shed their needles
only grow for about 6 weeks of the year
How is the interactions between the monarch butterfly and the milkweed plant a love/ hate relationship? (in other words why do they both need each other and harm each other)
Butterfly lays its eggs on the milkweed plant b/c the caterpillars eat the leaves for food
Milkweed produces a sticky white substance that can kill the caterpillar and needs the butterfly to pollinate its flowers
How is the cambium, xylem, and phloem related?
cambium makes the xylem and phloem tissue (vascular tissue)
DESCRIBE TWO differences between VASCULAR and NONVASCULAR SEEDLESS PLANTS.
PROVIDE AN EXAMPLE OF EACH
Vascular: tubes to carry nutrients/water throughout the plant; taller; have roots (example: ferns, horsetail, ground pines)
Nonvascular: no tubes for nutrients/water; shorter, have rhizoids; thinner cells (mosses, liverworts, hornworts)
Where would you find the stomata and guard cells on a plant? Explain what the stomata and guard cells' functions are
found on the leaf (leaf's surface)
stomata are openings for gases and water
guard cells open and close the stomata
How does the Richea Honeybush protects its stamens from the extreme cold?
How does the Richea honeybush get its stamens exposed for pollination?
flower petals fuse around the stamen
bird attracted to the nectar rips the flowers off and exposes the stamens to insects to pollinate
How has the Saguaro Cactus adapted to life in the desert? (INCLUDE WHEN AND WHAT POLLINATES IT)
(INCLUDE HOW ITS SEEDS GET SPREAD)
opens its flowers at night and bats pollinate the flower
different animals eat the fruit and spread the seeds
Describe THREE differences between Monocots and Dicots
Monocots- 1 cotyledon, multiples of 3 petals, parallel veins, scattered vascular bundles
Dicots-2 cotyledons, multiples of 4/5 petals, branchy veins, arranged vascular bundles