Field Botany (RNR 230R) Exam 2 Vocabulary UofA

germination

the development of a plant from a seed or spore after a period of dormancy

reproduction

the formation of new individuals; production of a new member of a population from existing members

meiosis

Sexual reproduction; cell division producing 4 cells with half the number of chromosomes as in a body cell

fertilization

the union of male and female gametes to produce a zygote (fertilized egg).... similar for both flowering plants (angiosperms) and seed-bearing plants (gymnosperms

mitosis

Asexual reproduction; the process through which a plant cell divides and creates two identical copies of itself, which are referred to as daughter cells

chromosomes

self reduplicating nuclear filaments endowed with hereditary (genetic) function; great importance in determining the phylogeny and taxonomy of the species

stolon

stems which grow at the soil surface or just below ground that form adventitious roots at the nodes, and new plants from the buds; often called runners

rhizome

horizontally growing below ground stem; may produce roots and shoots at nodes

spreading growth

The way a plant, or grass, grows and develops outward over a flat surface. Some plants choose to spread when growing while others are non-spreading, or grow upright

asexual reproduction

reproduction where an organism replicates itself without the involvement of meiosis or fertilization ; reproduction as budding, fission, or spore formation, not involving the union of gametes

caespitose

growing in small dense clumps or tufts

tiller

a plant shoot that springs from the root or bottom of the original stalk

ring formation

in a cross section of the stem of a woody plant; represent layers of cells produced by vascular cambium

basal bud

various types of shoots which grow from a bud at the base of a tree or shrub or from adventitious buds in its roots

tuber

thickened rhizome or stolon ; stem tissue ; a swollen, fleshy, usually underground outgrowth of the stem or rhizome of a plant, such as the potato, bearing buds from which new plant shoots arise

storage organ

a part of a plant specifically modified for storage of energy (generally in the form of carbohydrates) or water; often grow underground, where they are better protected from attack by herbivores

corm

short, vertical, thickened underground stem tissue

bulb

underground vertical shoot with overlapping leaves modified for energy storage; any plant that stores its complete life cycle in an underground storage structure; a resting stage of a plant

adventitious

roots that arise from an organ other than the root—usually a stem, sometimes a leaf

totipotency

the potential of a single cell to produce specialized cells of many different types or to create a new individual; Spores and zygotes are examples of totipotent cells

stem cutting

a piece of a plant that is used in horticulture for vegetative (asexual) propagation

plantlet

young or small plants

monocarpic

flower once then die; plants that flower, set seeds and then die

axil

the angle between the upper side of a leaf or stem and the supporting stem or branch

gametic meiosis

results in formation of haploid gametes; gametes fuze during fertilization and form diploid zygote i.e. having diplontic life cycle

diploid

having two similar complements of chromosomes

haploid

a cell or organism that has a single set of chromosomes that are not paired

zygote

fertilized egg

sperm

male gamete; such as a spermatozoon of an animal or one of the cells or nuclei produced by a pollen grain of a plant

egg

A female gamete; an ovum; consisting usually of an embryo surrounded by nutrient material and a protective covering

gametes

sex cells of plants; a haploid cell that fuses with another haploid cell during fertilization in organisms that sexually reproduce

sporic meiosis

occurs during the process of sporogenesis and results in the formation of haploid spores. Spore divides to form gametophyte which eventually form gametes. A diploid sporophyte is formed as a result of fusion of those gametes.

sporophyte

plants that produce spores; the form of a plant in the alternation of generations that produces asexual spores

spore

A small, usually single-celled asexual or sexual reproductive body that is highly resistant to desiccation and heat and is capable of growing into a new organism, produced especially by certain bacteria, fungi, algae, and nonflowering plants

gametophyte

gamete producing plant ;
process involves a multicellular diploid generation called a sporophyte and a multicellular haploid generation called a gametophyte

carpel

composed of an ovary, a style, and a stigma; leaves (megasporophylls) that have evolved to enclose the ovules; the term pistil is sometimes used to refer to a single carpel or to several carpels fused together

stigma

The tip of the pistil; where pollen grain germinates; sticky; adapted in various ways to catch and trap pollen with various hairs, flaps, or sculpturings

style

The narrow elongated part of the pistil between the ovary and the stigma; a long, slender stalk that connects the stigma and the ovary;a sticky platform where pollen is deposited

ovary

The rounded base of a pistil that contains one or more ovules

ovule

the plant part that contains the embryo sac/ female germ cell, which after fertilization develops into a seed

anther

The part of the stamen where pollen is produced

filament

support for the anther

stamen

male part of the flower, made up of anther and filament

microgametophyte

The male gametophyte that arises from a microspore of a heterosporous plant. In seed plants, the microgametophyte is contained in the pollen grain; The pollen grains of gymnosperms and angiosperms

microspore

land plant spores that develop into male gametophytes; a microspore refers to the spore produced by sporophytes. It is haploid and gives rise to a male gametophyte

pollen grain

A structure produced by plants containing the male haploid gamete to be used in reproduction; the male portion of the reproductive process in plants and trees

pollination

movement of pollen grains ; pollination is not fertilization

sperm cell

the male gamete or reproductive cell involved in sexual reproduction. It is produced by a male organism that unites with the egg of a female organism forming a zygote

tube cell

the cell in the pollen grain that develops into the pollen tube

megagametophyte

The female gametophyte that arises from a megaspore of a heterosporous plant. In angiosperms, "the blank... is the embryo sac"

polar nuclei

Two haploid nuclei inside the mid-region of the embryo sac of a flowering plant which fuse with another nucleus (1 of 2 sperm nuclei) to form the triploid endosperm

antipodals

The three haploid cells in the mature embryo sac of flowering plants that are situated at the opposite end to the micropyle

central cell

the cell in the center of the archegonium whose division produces the egg and usually also the ventral canal cell (as in cycads)

synergids

one of two small cells that lie inside the embryo sac of a flowering plant and nourish the ovum

embryo

the rudimentary plant usually contained in the seed; the zygote will begin to divide by mitosis to produce a multicellular organism

embryo sac

the megaspore of a seed-bearing plant, situated within the ovule, giving rise to the endosperm and forming the egg cell or nucleus from which the embryo plant develops after fertilization

ovule

a rudimentary seed;
the plant part that contains the embryo sac and hence the female germ cell, which after fertilization develops into a seed

endosperm

the part of a seed that acts as a food storage for the developing plant embryo, usually containing starch with protein and other nutrients

double fertilization

This process involves the joining of a female gametophyte with two male gametes ; the fertilization process characteristic of flowering plants, in which one sperm cell of a pollen grain fertilizes an egg cell while a second fuses with two polar nuclei to produce a triploid body that gives rise to the endosperm

seed

the fertilized, matured ovule of a flowering plant, containing an embryo or rudimentary plant

fruit

the developed ovary of a seed plant

indehiscent

not opening to release seeds; not splitting open to release the seeds when ripe

dehiscent

the natural bursting open of capsules, fruits, anthers, etc., for the discharge of their contents

schizocarp

a dry, dehiscent fruit that at maturity splits into two or more one-seeded carpels

achene

a small, dry, one-seeded fruit that does not open to release the seed

dry fruit

is fruit from which the majority of the original water content has been removed either naturally, through sun drying; Fruits in which the coat becomes dry at maturity

fleshy fruit

a fruit consisting largely of soft succulent tissue; ex: drupe, berry, pome

nut

A dry one-seeded fruit which is indehiscent; a hard-shelled pod that contains both the fruit and seed of the plant

caryopsis

a dry one-seeded fruit in which the ovary wall is united with the seed coat, typical of grasses and cereals

silique

any dry fruit that separates at maturity into two or four segments called valves, leaving a persistent partition that bears the seeds

legume

a dry dehiscent one-celled fruit developed from a simple superior ovary and usually dehiscing into two valves with the seeds attached to the ventral suture; ex: pod; Peas, beans, and peanuts

capsule

a structure composed of two or more carpels; dry fruit that opens when ripe

fascial

a bundle of leaves or flowers growing crowded together; vascular tissues that supply organs with nutrients

berry

is a fleshy or pulpy indehiscent fruit developing form a single carpel withe several seeds

pepo

Any fleshy watery fruit of the melon or cucumber type, with numerous seeds and a firm rind

drupe

an indehiscent fruit in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp, or skin; and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the pit, stone, or pyrene) of hardened endocarp with a seed (kernel) inside

hybridization

the process of crossing two genetically different individuals to result in a third individual with a different, often preferred, set of traits

hybrid sterility

The inability of a hybrid to produce viable offspring; refers to the offspring of a successful primary cross, however the secondary cross would fail

interspecific hybridization

Hybrids between different species within the same genus

polyploidization

a doubling of the complete chromosome set

tetraploid

four times the regular number of chromosomes

hexaploid

having a chromosome number that is six times the haploid number

apomixis

any of several types of asexual reproduction

binomial

two parts; the genus name and the specific epithet. For example, Escherichia coli; a taxonomic name consisting of a generic and a specific term, used to designate species

class

a taxonomic group containing one or more closely related orders

order

taxonomic group containing one or more closely related families

family

a taxonomic group containing one or more genera

genus

species name is the basic unit of classification; The first word in the two-part naming system. It is always capitalized.
group of similar species that have similar features and are closely related

phylum

taxonomic group containing one or more closely related classes

gymnosperm

a plant that has seeds unprotected by an ovary or fruit; includes conifers, cycads, and ginkgo

cycads

a palmlike plant of tropical and subtropical regions, bearing large male or female cones; columnar trunk bearing a crown of large, leathery, pinnate leaves

Ginkgo biloba

one of the oldest trees on Earth, once part of the flora of the Mesozoic period; the only surviving species of its family

gnetophytes

any gymnosperm plant of the phylum Genetophyta, which includes three genera: Gnetum, consisting of small tropical trees and vines, Ephedra (see ephedra), and Welwitschia (see welwitschia); gymnospermous flowering plants; supposed link between conifers and angiosperms

conifer

a tree that bears cones and evergreen needlelike or scalelike leaves; a plant producing naked seeds in cones

cone

the dry fruit of a conifer, typically tapering to a rounded end and formed of a tight array of overlapping scales on a central axis that separate to release the seeds

dioecious

having the male and female reproductive organs in separate individuals

seed cone

megaosporangiate cones; remain on or beneath the tree for a longer period of time

pollen cone

microsporangiate cones; male cones that produce the pollen that is released to fertilize seed cones

cone scale

individual plates of a cone; each carry two ovules that eventually develop into seeds

pollination drop

A drop of sugary fluid that is secreted into the micropyle at the time of pollination in many gymnosperms, and which traps pollen grains that may then float up to the nucellus or be drawn there by the reabsorption of the drop