Bio 109 Problem Set Questions

The growth rings that contribute to the diameter or girth of a tree are the result of:

A. primary growth

B. apical meristems

C. secondary growth

D. Sclerenchyma

C. secondary growth

Some botanists argue that the entire plant should be considered as a single unit rather than a composite of many individual cells. Which of the following structures best supports this view?

A. the cell wall

B. the vacuole

C. the cell membrane

D. the plasmodesmata

E. the cytosol

D. the plasmodesmata

What is the main force by which most of the water within xylem vessels moves toward the top of a tree?

A. active transport of ions into the stele

B. atmospheric pressure on roots

C. evaporation of water through stoma

D. osmosis in the root

C. evaporation of water through stoma

A person working with plants may remove apical dominance by doing what to the plant?

A. Pruning

B. deep watering the roots

C. Fertilizing

D. Transplanting

E. playing soft music

A. Pruning

Starting from the tip of a developing root in a typical angiosperm and moving to the above-ground stem, what is the correct order of structures?

A. root cap, zone of maturation (differentiation), zone of cell division, zone of elongation.

B. root cap, zone of cell division, zone of elongation, zone of maturation (differentiation).

C. root cap, zone of cell division, zone of maturation (differentiation), zone of elongation.

D. zone of cell division, root cap, zone of maturation (differentiation), zone of elongation.

E. zone of cell division, zone of elongation, zone of maturation (differentiation), root cap

B. root cap, zone of cell division, zone of elongation, zone of maturation (differentiation).

Annual rings are distinct traits in plants growing in:

A. temperate regions

B. Grasslands

C. tropical regions

D. arctic regions

E. desert regions

A. temperate regions

Based on the ABC model, what would be the structure of a flower (in a cross-section of the flower, from the outside to the center) that had normal expression of genes C and B but lacked expression of gene A?

A. Carpel-petal-petal-carpel

B. Carpel-stamen-stamen-carpel

C. Sepal-petal-petal-sepal

D. Sepal-sepal-carpel-carpel

E. Carpel-stamen-carpel-stamen

B. Carpel-stamen-stamen-carpel

Which of the following phenomena is/are involved in the ascent of xylem sap?

A. Adhesion

B. Cohesion

C. Transpiration

D. all of the above

D. all of the above

A water soluble toxin is found in the groundwater where a plant is growing. Which of the following is best able to prevent that toxin from entering the xylem in the plant root?

the companion cell

the cork

the Casparian strip

the cuticle

the stele

the Casparian strip

Under which conditions will stomata generally be "open" to allow transpiration to occur?

when guard cells are turgid (full of water)

when guard cells have low amounts of potassium ions (K+) inside them.

when guard cells are turgid and have low amounts of potassium ions (K+) in them.

at night, when guard cells are turgid and have low amounts of potassium ions (K+) in them.

when guard cells are turgid (full of water)

Under which of the following conditions will the stomata generally be "closed"?

-when guard cells are turgid (full of water)

when guard cells have low amounts of potassium ions (K+) inside them.

-at night, when guard cells have low amounts of potassium ions (K+) inside them.

-at night, when guard cells are turgid (full of water) and have low amounts of potassium ions (K+) inside them.

-at night, when guard cells have low amounts of potassium ions (K+) inside them.

Which statement most accurately describes the Casparian strip?

-It is located in the walls between epidermal cells and cells of the cortex.

-It provides energy for the active transport of minerals into the stele from the cortex.

-It ensures that all water and dissolved substances must pass through a cell membrane before entering the stele.

-It ensures that all water and dissolved substances must pass through a cell membrane before entering the stele.

Which of the following is not part of the transpiration-cohesion-tension mechanism for the ascent of xylem sap?

-Loss of water from the mesophyll cells, which initiates a pull of water molecules from neighboring cells.

-Transfer of transpirational pull from one water molecule to the next, owing to cohesion by hydrogen bonds.

-Hydrophilic walls of tracheids and vessels that help maintain the column of water against gravity.

-Active pumping of water into the xylem roots.

-Lowing of ψ in the surface film of mesophyll cells due to transpiration.

-Active pumping of water into the xylem roots.

Based on the ABC model, what would be the structure of a flower (in a cross-section of the flower, from the outside to the center) that had normal expression of genes A and C but lacked expression of gene B?

-carpel-petal-petal-carpel

-carpel-stamen-stamen-carpel

-sepal-petal-petal-sepal

-sepal-sepal-carpel-carpel

-Carpel-stamen-carpel-stamen

-sepal-sepal-carpel-carpel

In a typical angiosperm, starting from the above-ground stem and moving to the tip of a developing root, what is the correct order of structures?

-zone of maturation (differentiation), zone of elongation, zone of cell division, root cap.

-zone of maturation (differentiation), root cap, zone of cell division, zone of elongation.

-root cap, zone of cell division, zone of maturation (differentiation), zone of elongation.

-zone of cell division, root cap, zone of maturation (differentiation), zone of elongation.

-zone of cell division, zone of elongation, zone of maturation (differentiation), root cap.

-zone of maturation (differentiation), zone of elongation, zone of cell division, root cap.

Which of the following statements about xylem is incorrect?

-It conducts materials upward.

-It conducts materials within dead cells.

-It transports mainly sugars and amino acids.

-It has a lower water potential than soil does.

-No energy input from the plant is required for xylem transport.

-It transports mainly sugars and amino acids.

What effect does pruning or "pinching back" have on a houseplant?

-It increases apical dominance

-It inhibits the growth of lateral buds.

-It makes the plant grow fuller

-It makes the plant grow taller

-It increases the flow of auxin down the shoot.

-It makes the plant grow fuller

Based on the ABC model, what would be the structure of a flower (in a cross-section of the flower, from the outside to the center) that had normal expression of genes A and B but lacked expression of gene C?

-Carpel-petal-petal-carpel

-Carpel-stamen-stamen-carpel

-sepal-petal-petal-sepal

-Sepal-sepal-carpel-carpel

-Carpel-stamen-carpel-stamen

-sepal-petal-petal-sepal

Stomata open when guard cells:

-Sense an increase in CO2 in the air space of the leaf

-Become more turgid because of an influx of K+ followed by the osmotic entry of water

-Close aquaporins preventing the uptake of water

-Accumulate water by active transport

-Are exposed to abscisic acid

-Become more turgid because of an influx of K+ followed by the osmotic entry of water

The male gametophyte of an angiosperm is _________.

-the embryo sac

-contained within the pollen grain

-the microspore mother cell

- the sperm cell

-the antipodal cell

-contained within the pollen grain

Plants can use several mechanisms to reduce the chances of self-fertilization. Which of the following is not one of these mechanisms?

-the formation of dioecious plants

-stamen and carpels that mature at different times

-brightly colored bracts that replace petals

-self-incompatibility

-brightly colored bracts that replace petals

_________ prevents seeds from germinating until conditions are favorable for the growth of the plant.

-ethylene

-brassinosteroids

-auxin

-abscisic acid

-cytokinins

-abscisic acid

Which of the following statements about reproduction in flowering plants is correct?

-The pollen grain contains two cells, a sperm cell and a generative cell.

-The female gametophyte consists of two haploid nuclei, one of which is the egg.

-One sperm cell within the pollen tube will migrate to and fertilize the synergids, forming a zygote.

d)One sperm cell within the pollen tube will migrate to and unite with the antipodal cells, producing a triploid endosperm.

-The generative cell undergoes one round of mitosis to form two sperm cells.

-The generative cell undergoes one round of mitosis to form two sperm cells.

How many mitotic divisions are required for conversion of the megaspore to the female gametophyte?

-one

- two

- three

-four

- eight

- three

Plant hormones:

-exist in very large amounts in a plant.

- change their shape in response to a stimulus.

-are unable to move from one cell to another.

- affect only cells with the appropriate receptor.

- are not involved in signal transduction pathways.

- affect only cells with the appropriate receptor.

A coleoptile is grown with unidirectional light coming from the left. If a transparent cap is placed on the tip of the growing plant, what will happen to the coleoptile?

-It will stop growing taller.

-It will grow taller and be straight, not bending.

-It will grow taller and bend to the right.

-It will grow taller and bend to the left.

-It will change color.

-It will grow taller and bend to the left.

Which of the following conclusions is supported by the research of both Went and Charles and Francis Darwin on shoot responses to light?

-When shoots are exposed to light, a chemical substance migrates toward the light.

- A chemical substance involved in shoot bending is produced in shoot tips.

-Once shoot tips have been cut, normal growth cannot be induced.

-Light stimulates the synthesis of a plant hormone that responds to light.

- A chemical substance involved in shoot bending is produced in shoot tips.

An eccentric botanist has offered a $25,000 scholarship to anyone who can successfully get a plant to grow through a vertical maze in complete darkness. The maze is not in a box; the maze is simply drawn on the wall, and the contestants must get their plant to grow in a pattern that matches the path through the maze. You need the money and feel confident that you can accomplish this task. Which of the following techniques will help you succeed?

-Apply auxin directly to the shoot tip on the side to which you want the tip to bend.

-Apply auxin directly to the part of the stem just below the tip opposite from the direction you want the stem to bend.

-Inject compounds that block auxin receptors into the part of the stem opposite from the direction you want the stem to bend.

-Plant the roots in two different pots, and apply auxin to the root bucket that is on the same side as the direction you want the plant to bend.

-Apply auxin to the side you want the shoot to bend and then immediately follow that with an application of abscisic acid.

-Apply auxin directly to the part of the stem just below the tip opposite from the direction you want the stem to bend.

Dr. M. wants to grow green beans (a eudicot) in her garden that are twice as long as the green beans of her neighbor. Which of the following actions is most likely to help her green beans to grow longer than normally found?

-Spray a large amount of abscisic acid on the green beans.

-Spray a large amount of gibberellin on the green beans.

- Spray a large amount of synthetic auxin on the green beans.

-Put the normal green beans in a sealed bag with ethylene inside.

-Put the normal green beans in a sealed bag with oxygen inside.

-Spray a large amount of gibberellin on the green beans.

You are preparing seeds for shipment abroad. The trip may take several weeks. To ensure that the seeds do not germinate prematurely you might consider treating them with:

-carbon dioxide

- cytokinins

- ethylene

- auxin

- abscisic acid

- abscisic acid

Which of the following statements about reproduction in flowering plants is incorrect?

- The pollen grain contains two cells, the generative cell and the tube cell.

- The female gametophyte consists of eight haploid nuclei, one of which is the egg.

- One sperm cell within the pollen tube will migrate to and fertilize the egg, forming a zygote.

- One sperm cell within the pollen tube will migrate to and unite with the polar nuclei, producing a triploid endosperm.

- The generative cell undergoes one round of meiosis to form two polar nuclei.

- The generative cell undergoes one round of meiosis to form two polar nuclei.

A number of megaspores degenerate after being produced by meiosis of the megaspore mother cell. That number is:

-One

-Two

-Three

-Four

-Eight

-Three

Plants growing in a partially dark environment will grow toward light in a response called phototropism. Which statement regarding phototropism is incorrect?

-It is caused by a chemical reaction

-One chemical involved in auxin

-Auxin causes a decrease in growth on the side of the stem exposed to light

-Removing the apical meristem prevents phototropism

-Auxin causes a decrease in growth on the side of the stem exposed to light

How many mitotic divisions are required for conversion of the microspore to the male gametophyte?

-one

-two

-three

-four

-eight

-one

A coleoptile is grown with unidirectional light coming from the left. If the tip of the coleoptile is cut and a slice of agar is placed between the severed tip and the rest of the coleoptile, what will happen to the coleoptile?

-It will stop growing taller.

- It will grow taller and be straight, not bending.

- It will grow taller and bend to the right.

- It will grow taller and bend to the left.

- It will change color.

- It will grow taller and bend to the left

A coleoptile is grown with unidirectional light coming from the left. If an opaque cap is placed on the tip of the growing plant, what will happen to the coleoptile?

-It will stop growing taller

-It will grow taller and be straight, not bending

-It will grow taller and bend to the right.

-It will grow taller and bend to the left.

-It will change color.

-It will grow taller and be straight, not bending

Which set of coleoptile experiments show that auxin is a diffusible molecule?

-Experiments comparing opaque and transparent caps on the coleoptiles.

Experiments comparing opaque caps on the base vs. the top of the coleoptile.

-Experiments that put a slice of mica or a slice of agar between the severed top and the rest of the coleoptile.

-Experiments with the coleoptile top removed vs the top covered with an opaque cap.

-Experiments with unidirectional light first coming form the left and then the right side of the coleoptile.

-Experiments that put a slice of mica or a slice of agar between the severed top and the rest of the coleoptile.

Plant hormones produce effects by:

-Altering the expressions of genes

-Increasing the activities of pre-existing proteins via phosphorylation of specific amino acids

-Modifying the structure of the nuclear envelope membrane

-Altering the expression of genes or by increasing the activities of pre-existing proteins via phosphorylation of specific amino acids

-Increasing the activities of pre-existing proteins via phosphorylation of specific acids or by modifying the structure of the nuclear envelope membrane

Altering the expression of genes or by increasing the activities of pre-existing proteins via phosphorylation of specific amino acids

Where would you expect to find the littoral zone of a lake?

-the shallow water region along the shore

-the open water region farther from shore with enough sunlight for photosynthesis

-the deepest region, where light typically does not penetrate effectively

-the bottom region where organisms tend to attach themselves to one spot

-near the thermocline

-the shallow water region along the shore

The benthic zone of aquatic environments is defined as the:

-region that receives abundant sunlight

-region where phytoplankton is found

-region that receives no light

-substrate at the bottom of a body of water

-region that is flooded at high tide and not covered by water at low tide

-substrate at the bottom of a body of water

When climbing a mountain, we can observe transitions in biological communities that are similar to the changes:

-in biomes at different latitudes.

-at different depths in the ocean.

-in a community through different seasons.

-in an ecosystem as it evolves over time.

-across the United States from east to west.

-in biomes at different latitudes.

Which of the following statements about light in aquatic environments is correct?

-Water selectively reflects and absorbs certain wavelengths of light.

-Photosynthetic organisms that live in deep water probably use red light.

-Longer wavelengths penetrate to greater depths.

-Light penetration seldom limits the distribution of photosynthetic species.

-Most photosynthetic organisms avoid the water's surface where the light is too intense.

-Water selectively reflects and absorbs certain wavelengths of light.

What causes a sigmoidal growth curve (S-shaped curve) to level off?

-The population stops reproducing.

-Mortality decreases in the population.

-The population shifts from a clumped to a uniformly spaced dispersion.

-The population reaches the environmental carrying capacity.

-Sigmoid growth curves don't level off.

-The population reaches the environmental carrying capacity.

The graph above shows changes in a wild sheep population that were introduced to the island of Tasmania in the early 1800s. The type of population growth represented by that portion of the graph line enclosed in the bracket is most accurately described as:

-stable

-exponential

-density-dependent

-arithmetic

-decelerating

-exponential

In the logistic equation dN/dt = rN , r is a measure of the population's intrinsic rate of increase. It is determined by:

-birth rate and death rate

-dispersion

-density

-carrying capacity

-life history

-birth rate and death rate

An ecologist recorded 12 white-tailed deer per square mile in one woodlot and 20 per square mile on another woodlot. What was the ecologist comparing?

-Density

-Dispersion

-Carrying capacity

-Range

-Density

r strategists tend to have:

-few offspring

-little parental care

-sigmoid growth curves

-many competitors for resources

-little parental care

If the life history pattern for a species is to reproduce once and then die, that species exhibits:

-iteroparity

-semelparity

-density-dependent reproduction

-dispersion

-semelparity

The graph above shows changes in a wild sheep population that were introduced to the island of Tasmania in the early 1800s. The graph indicates that the sheep population most likely is:

- growing in excess of its carrying capacity, since fluctuations in population size occurred after 1850.

- headed for extinction because of the population explosion around 1930.

-regulated by density-independent factors, because there appears to be about a 10-year cycle of sharp declines in size.

-shifting from K-selected strategy to an r-selected strategy.

- stable after 1850 under the effects of density-dependent regulating factors.

- stable after 1850 under the effects of density-dependent regulating factors.

f the life history pattern for a species is to reproduce once and then die, that species exhibits:

iteroparity

semelparity

density-dependent reproduction

dispersion

semelparity

Life tables are most useful in determining which of the following?

a. carrying capacity

b. the fate of a cohort of newborn organisms throughout their lives

c. immigration and emigration rates

d. population dispersion patterns

b. the fate of a cohort of newborn organisms throughout their lives

Which statement most accurately defines a population?

a. Individuals that inhabit the same general area.

b. Individuals that exhibit approximately constant and uniform density and dispersion.

c. Individuals that inhabit the same general area and belong to the same species.

d. Individuals that inhabit the same general area, belong to the same species, and exhibit approximately constant and uniform density and dispersion.

c. Individuals that inhabit the same general area and belong to the same species.

Which of the following groups would be most likely to exhibit uniform dispersion?

a. red squirrels, which actively defend territories

b. cattails, which grow primarily at the edges of lakes and streams

c. dwarf mistletoes, which parasitize particular species of forest tree

d. moths in a city at night

e. lake trout, which seek out deep water

a. red squirrels, which actively defend territories

Which curve above best reflects surviviorship in marine mollusks?

a. A

b. B

c. C

d. D

e. E

e. E or a type 3 curve

Many large mammals that produce few offspring but provide them with much parental care exhibit this kind of curve:

A.

B.

C.

D.

E.

A. or a Type 1 curve

If during the year there are 60 births in a population of 500 individuals, what is the annual per capita birth rate?

a. 0.60

b. 0.12

c. 60

d. 120

e. Cannot be determined from the information provided.

b. 0.12

Approximately __ % of the energy available at one trophic level is incorporated into the tissues of individuals at the next highest level.

a. 1

b. 10

c. 30

d. 40

e. 60

f. 80

b. 10

What is the key process or processes driving the water cycle?

a. evaporation

b. photosynthesis and respiration

c. the weathering of rocks

d. fixation by prokaryotes

a. evaporation

What is the key process or processes driving the phosphorus cycle?

evaporation

photosynthesis and respiration

the weathering of rocks

fixation by prokaryotes

the weathering of rocks

Which of the following is true about secondary consumers in an ecosystem?

They are eaten by primary consumers.

They are fewer in number than are primary consumers.

They contain the greatest total biomass in the system.

They eat only plants.

They are smaller and weaker than are primary consumers.

They are fewer in number than are primary consumers.

What is the fundamental difference between matter and energy?

a. Matter is cycled through ecosystems; energy is not.

b. Energy is cycled through ecosystems; matter is not.

c. Energy can be converted into matter; matter cannot be converted into energy.

d. Matter can be converted into energy; energy cannot be converted into matter.

e. Matter is used in ecosystems; energy is not.

a. Matter is cycled through ecosystems; energy is not.

Which of the following organisms is most likely to be located at the apex (top) of the pyramid of biomass?

a. grass

b. grasshopper

c. snake

d. mouse

e. hawk

e. hawk