Final Exam Study Guide: Asterids, Symbiosis, and Monocots

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering the key concepts from Lectures 17 through 24, including Asterid families, pollination biology, plant symbiosis, and monocot diversity.

Caryophyllales

An order of Asterids typically occurring in unusual habitats with core families like Caryophyllaceae, Amaranthaceae, Cactaceae, and Polygonaceae.

Gynostegium

A specialized structure in the Apocynaceae family, specifically within the Apocynum and Asclepias groups, formed by the fusion of the stamens and the pistil.

Pollinia

Coherent masses of pollen grains found in the Asclepias group of the Apocynaceae family and also in Orchidaceae.

Corona

A floral structure in the Asclepias group of the Apocynaceae family consisting of a hood and a crest.

Las Vegas pollination strategy

A specific pollination strategy described within the context of the Apocynaceae family involving distinct pros and cons for the plant.

Co-evolution

The classic interaction between animals and flowering plants where both parties influence each other's evolutionary trajectory.

Pollination syndromes

The occurrence of divergence and convergence in floral traits that have evolved to accommodate different forms of pollination by animals such as beetles, flies, bees, wasps, butterflies, moths, birds, and bats.

Symbiosis

A long-term biological interaction categorized into three types, often involving plants in mycorrhizal or nitrogen-fixing relationships.

Mycorrhizal fungi

A group of fungi involved in plant symbioses existing in four major types, with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi being the most common.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

A common type of mycorrhizal symbiosis where the fungi provide resources to the plant in exchange for plant-derived resources, dating back significantly in evolutionary history.

Oxygen paradox

A concept in the context of nitrogen fixation involving the conflicting requirements and effects of oxygen on the process.

Haustorium

A specialized structure in parasitic plants with two primary functions: providing attachment to and absorbing nutrients from a host plant.

Cuscuta spp.

Commonly known as dodder, a type of parasitic plant found around College Station that bypasses host plant defenses through at least two specific methods.

Parasitic plants (Nutritional dependency)

A classification of parasitic plants into three types based on how dependent they are on their host for nutrients.

Phyllode theory

A theory explaining the development of parallel venation as a general characteristic of monocots.

Monocots

A group of flowering plants showing convergence of net venation and fleshy fruits in forest understories, including orders such as Acorales, Alismatales, and Asparagales.

Asparagales

A monocot order containing the families Asparagaceae, Amaryllidaceae, Iridaceae, and Orchidaceae, distinguished by specific traits from Liliales.

Lilioids

A group of monocots that includes the family Liliaceae within the order Liliales.