Plants/Fungi Study Guide

A set of flashcards summarizing key concepts from the Plants/Fungi study guide for easy review and exam preparation.

What are the closest relatives of land plants?

Charophytes.

What key traits of plants appear in algae?

Chloroplasts with chlorophyll a and b, cell walls made of cellulose, and they are multicellular, eukaryotic, autotrophs.

What are the key traits of plants shared only with charophytes?

Cellulose-synthesizing membrane proteins in rings, flagellated sperm structure, nuclear, chloroplast, and mitochondrial DNA similarities, and formation of phragmoplast.

What is alternation of generations in plants?

Plants switch between two types, sporophytes and gametophytes, with one becoming dominant in each generation.

What are walled spores produced in sporangia?

Haploid reproductive cells that can grow into haploid gametophytes via mitosis.

What are apical meristems?

Regions where plant roots and shoots grow, increasing exposure to light, CO2, water, and nutrients.

What are multicellular gametangia?

Female gametangia (archegonia) produce a single non-motile egg, while male gametangia (antheridia) produce flagellated sperm.

What is the common name for the phylum Hepatophyta?

Liverworts.

What is the dominant generation in bryophytes?

Gametophyte generation.

How do bryophyte sperm reach the egg for fertilization?

They swim through water using their flagella.

What tissue allowed plants to grow tall?

Lignified vascular tissue.

What are the four traits that characterize living vascular plants?

Dominant sporophytes, vascular tissues (xylem and phloem), well-developed roots and leaves, and spore-bearing leaves (sporophylls).

What is the role of xylem in vascular plants?

To transport water and nutrients from roots up into the plant.

What is the difference between homosporous and heterosporous plants?

Homosporous plants have one type of sporophyll and sporangium, whereas heterosporous plants produce both megaspores (female gametophytes) and microspores (male gametophytes).

What is the significance of mycorrhizal fungi?

They enhance nutrient absorption for the plant and improve the fungi's access to sugars from the plant.

What are the two major reproductive adaptations of angiosperms?

Flowers and fruits.

What is double fertilization?

Two sperm fertilize the ovary; one forms the zygote and the other forms a triploid endosperm.

What is the primary function of phloem?

To transport sugars down the plant into the roots.

What two clades of vascular plants are there?

Lycophyta and Monilophyta.

What are cotyledons?

The leaves of a seedling.

What adaptations do fruits have for seed dispersal?

Bright colors, sweet tastes, hooks for clinging to fur, parachutes for wind dispersal, and buoyancy for water dispersal.

What is a stoma, and what is its function?

A pore for gas exchange controlled by guard cells to regulate water loss.

What are the three types of plant tissues?

Dermal, vascular, and ground tissues.

What are gibberellins?

Plant hormones that trigger seed germination, flowering, and stem elongation.

What is apical dominance?

Inhibition of axillary buds due to proximity to apical buds.

What is the role of stomata in plant transpiration?

Stomata control the exchange of gases and the loss of water from the plant.

What is the difference between macronutrients and micronutrients for plants?

Macronutrients are needed in large amounts while micronutrients are needed in small amounts.