9/10 Lecture Notes BIO

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the lecture notes on pollination, floral biology, pollinators, and fruit morphology.

Pollination

Transfer of pollen from the male anthers to the female reproductive parts (stigma) of a flower, enabling fertilization; can be done by animals, wind, or water.

Mutualism (in pollination)

A relationship where both partners benefit: flowers gain pollen distribution, pollinators obtain nectar or pollen.

Nectar

A sugary fluid produced by flowers to reward pollinators and promote pollen transfer.

Ultraviolet vision in bees

Bees see a spectrum that includes UV light, enabling patterns on flowers (not visible to humans) that guide them to nectar.

Ommatidia

The thousands of facets that make up a bee’s compound eye, each acting as a separate visual unit.

Compound eye

A multicellular, mosaic eye made up of many ommatidia, typical of insects like bees.

UV landing pattern (bull’s eye)

UV-absorbing patterns on flowers that create landing guides for bees to locate nectar.

Electric field pollination

Bees acquire a positive charge in flight; flowers are slightly negative; electrostatic forces help pollen transfer and adhesion.

Convergent evolution

Independent evolution of similar traits (e.g., pollination strategies) in different evolutionary lineages.

Pollinators

Organisms that transfer pollen between flowers, including bees, butterflies, moths, hummingbirds, bats, mosquitoes, flies, beetles, and true bugs.

Outcrossing

Pollen from one individual fertilizes ovules on a different individual, increasing genetic diversity.

Self-pollination

Pollen fertilizes ovules within the same flower or plant; often reduces genetic diversity.

Inbreeding

Mating or pollination among closely related individuals, which can reduce fitness and genetic diversity.

Self-incompatibility

A plant’s mechanism to reject genetically similar pollen to avoid selfing and inbreeding.

Dioecious

Plant species with separate male and female individuals.

Monoecious

Plant individuals that bear both male and female flowers, though not necessarily in the same flower.

Dicogamy

Different timing of male vs. female functional phases in flowers, promoting outcrossing.

Phase change

Transition from juvenile to adult stage in a plant, enabling production of flowers.

Photoperiod

Day length or light-dark cycles that cue flowering in many species (long-day vs short-day plants).

Vernalization

Exposure to a prolonged cold period that promotes flowering in certain species (e.g., narcissus, hyacinths, tulips).

Gibberellin

A plant hormone that promotes flowering and fruit development by activating gene expression.

Autonomous pathway

A genetic flowering pathway that counts developmental cues (like nodes) and can act independently of light/temperature cues.

Node

A point on a stem where a leaf attaches; used in counting growth to regulate flowering.

Apical meristem

The growing tip at the shoot apex that can produce new organs, including flowers.

Wind pollination

Pollination by wind; flowers are small, greenish, odorless, with little to no nectar and reduced petals.

Simple vs. compound fruits

Simple fruits originate from a single ovary; compound fruits arise from many flowers or multiple fused ovaries.

Berry

A fleshy simple fruit with an entire fleshy wall and multiple seeds (e.g., grapes, tomatoes).

Drupe

A fleshy fruit with a hard inner stone encasing a single seed (e.g., cherry, peach).

Pome

A simple fruit with a fleshy outer portion and a papery central core containing seeds (e.g., apple, pear).

Aggregate fruit

Fruit formed from multiple ovaries of a single flower that fuse into one fruit (e.g., strawberry, raspberry).

Multiple fruit

Fruit formed from many flowers whose ovaries fuse during development (e.g., pineapple, mulberry).

Hesperidium

A citrus-type berry with a leathery rind and juice-filled vesicles (e.g., orange, lemon, lime).