Ch. 26.4 The Role of Seed Plants

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Why are seed plants essential to terrestrial ecosystems?

They stabilize soil, cycle carbon, moderate climate, provide shelter, and supply food.

How do large tropical forests affect the atmosphere?

They release oxygen and act as carbon dioxide sinks.

How do plants support food webs?

They feed herbivores, which indirectly provide food for carnivores.

What are plant secondary metabolites used for?

Medicinal purposes and industrial production.

Why is nearly all animal life dependent on plants?

Plants provide food and support ecosystems that animals rely on for survival.

What is herbivory?

The consumption of plants by insects and other animals.

What is coevolution?

When two groups of organisms influence each other's evolution over time.

What two interactions contributed to the diversification of flowering plants and insects?

Herbivory and pollination.

Why can't plants escape herbivores the way animals sometimes escape predators?

Plants cannot outrun predators or use mimicry to hide from hungry animals.

What is the evolutionary arms race between plants and herbivores?

Plants develop defenses against herbivores, while herbivores develop ways to overcome those defenses.

How do alkaloids protect some seeds?

They make seeds, such as acorns and unripened persimmons, unappealing to some animals.

What are examples of physical plant defenses?

Bark, spines, and thorns.

How have some animals adapted to plant defenses?

Some mammals have thick fur, and some birds have specialized beaks that help them get past defenses.

How can herbivores benefit plants?

They can disperse fruits and seeds to new locations.

What is a mutualistic relationship between a plant and an animal?

Both organisms benefit from the interaction.

How do Mexican acacia trees provide for acacia ants?

They provide shelter in hollow thorns and sugary secretions near the ends of leaves.

How do acacia ants benefit the trees?

They attack herbivores and other insects that damage the plant and help remove potential pathogens, such as fungi.

What do acacia ants receive from the tree?

Shelter and food.

What do acacia ants do to protect acacia trees?

They sting and attack leaf-eating animals and insects laying eggs on the plants.

How does bracken fern defend itself against insects?

Its mature fronds produce defensive secondary compounds, including cyanogenic glucosides, tannins, and phenolics.

What is the fiddlehead or crozier stage of bracken fern?

The early stage when its young fronds are still unfolding.

How does bracken fern attract protective arthropods during its crozier stage?

It releases nutritious sugary and protein-rich compounds from special nectaries.

How do ants and jumping spiders benefit bracken fern?

They defend the young fronds and reduce damage during early growth.

What are common characteristics of wind-pollinated flowers?

They are usually small, feathery, and visually inconspicuous.

How do wind-pollinated plants compensate for inconspicuous flowers?

They produce large amounts of powdery pollen that wind can carry long distances.

Name examples of wind-pollinated plants.

Grasses, oaks, maples, and birches.

What percentage of angiosperms depend on animals for pollination, according to the textbook?

More than 80%.

What is nectar?

A sugary liquid produced by flowers to attract pollinators.

What is the purpose of fertile pollen?

Reproduction

What is the purpose of nutrient-rich sterile pollen?

It provides nutrients for some pollinators, including birds and insects.

How do ultraviolet patterns help flowers attract pollinators?

Bees and butterflies can detect ultraviolet light, allowing them to locate the flower's center.

How does a bee help a flower while collecting nectar?

Pollen sticks to the bee and is carried to other flowers.

What flower characteristics attract hummingbirds?

Large, red flowers with little scent and a long, funnel-shaped structure.

Why are red flowers with little scent suited to hummingbirds?

Hummingbirds have good color perception but a poor sense of smell.

What flowers commonly attract moths?

White flowers that open at night.

Name other animals that can pollinate flowers.

Bats, lemurs, and lizards.

Why could the disappearance of bees harm agriculture?

Many agricultural crops depend heavily on animal pollination.

Why are seed plants important to human diets?

They provide staple foods, carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

Name three major crops that dominate agriculture.

Rice, wheat, and potatoes

What major historical change helped establish modern agriculture?

The agricultural revolution, when humans transitioned from nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyles to horticulture and agriculture.

What do cereals mainly provide?

Carbohydrates

What do beans and nuts provide?

Proteins

How are plant oils produced?

They can be extracted from crushed seeds, such as peanuts and rapeseed, or from fruits, such as olives.

Why do livestock depend on seed plants?

Animal husbandry consumes large quantities of crop plants for feed.

Which plants provide sugar?

Sugarcane, a monocot, and sugar beet, a eudicot.

What plant products are used to make tea, coffee, and cocoa drinks?

Tea leaves, chamomile flowers, crushed coffee beans, and powdered cocoa beans.

Which plant parts are used to produce saffron and cloves?

Stamens and flower buds, respectively.

Which plant products are used as spices?

Black pepper and vanilla from seeds, cinnamon from bark, and herbs from dried leaves and fruits.

What are common construction and manufacturing uses of seed plants?

Timber, fuel, furniture, and paper.

What is most paper made from, according to the textbook?

Pulp from coniferous trees.

Which seed plants provide fibers used to make cloth?

Cotton, flax, and hemp.

What was the source of dyes such as indigo before synthetic dyes became common?

Plants

How are seed plants used for medicine?

Their secondary metabolites provide compounds used in medicinal treatments and in developing therapeutic drugs.

How long have humans used plants medicinally?

Since prehistoric times; Egyptian, Babylonian, and Chinese writings describe medicinal plant use from around 5,000 years ago.

What are secondary metabolites?

Plant-produced compounds that can have defensive, medicinal, or other biological uses.

Why can a plant extract be helpful at one concentration but harmful at another?

Its effects depend on the dose; higher concentrations can cause addiction or toxicity.

Which plant produces atropine?

Deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna).

Which plant produces digitalis?

Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea).

Which plant produces ephedrine

Ephedra

Which plant produces Taxol?

Pacific yew (Taxus brevifolia).

Which plant produces quinine?

Quinine tree (Cinchona).

Which plant produces salicylic acid, associated with aspirin?

Willow (Salix).

Which medicinal compound inhibits mitosis?

Taxol

Which medicinal compound is used as an antimalarial?

Quinine

Which medicinal compound can dilate the pupils?

Atropine

What is plant biodiversity?

The variety of plant species in an ecosystem or across the world.

Why is plant biodiversity important?

It provides potential new food crops and medicines and helps maintain balanced ecosystems.

How do plants help protect the environment?

They protect watersheds, reduce erosion, moderate climate, and provide animal habitats.

What are major threats to plant biodiversity?

Deforestation, habitat destruction, pollution, logging, and loss of pollinators.

Why are forests cleared?

To create agricultural land and support population growth and economic development.

How can dams threaten ecosystems?

Their construction can flood habitats and contribute to ecosystem disruption.

Which endangered trees are threatened by indiscriminate logging?

Ebony and Brazilian rosewood.

Why can the extinction of one plant species affect animals?

Animals may depend on that plant for food, shelter, or pollination relationships.

Why are undiscovered plant species especially vulnerable?

They may become extinct before scientists identify them or understand their ecological roles.

What are heirloom seeds?

Seeds from plants traditionally grown by human populations, rather than those used for large-scale agricultural production.

What is DNA barcoding?

Identifying a species using one or more short gene sequences from a well-characterized portion of DNA.

What are two approaches to conserving plant biodiversity mentioned in the textbook?

Preserving heirloom seeds and using DNA barcoding to identify species.