Chapter 12- Plants and Fungi Diversification

1. In the plant kingdom, all the different species are descended from a single common ancestor. In terms of phylogeny, what type of tree is this?

monophyletic

2. Which of the following is a significant new challenge that plants faced when they moved from their aquatic environment onto the land?

desiccation

3. Which is the best brief description of the vascular system of the very first terrestrial plants?

The first plants did not possess a vascular system.

4. Which of the following statements about ferns is incorrect?

Their seeds are dispersed by the wind.

5. Mosses and ferns differ from gymnosperms and angiosperms in their reproductive strategies in which of the following ways?

Mosses and ferns rely on liquid water for fertilization, whereas angiosperms and gymnosperms do not need liquid water for fertilization.

6. Which of the following is characteristic of gymnosperms?

They are wind-pollinated.

7. In terms of their adaptation to living on land, how are reptiles similar to the seed plants?

a) Both reptiles and seed plants became completely independent of water.

b) Reptiles eat plants.

c) Seed plants and reptiles have developed structures such as cuticles and impermeable skin to minimize desiccation.

d) Reptiles and seed plants have developed structures that house their gametes and protect them from the surrounding environment.

e) Both c) and d) are correct.

8. Angiosperms and gymnosperms differ from each other in that:

angiosperms tend to rely on animal pollinators, whereas gymnosperms tend to rely on wind pollination.

9. Anthers and stigmas are found on:

angiosperms.

10. Which of the following is not an example of a group of angiosperms?

pine trees

11. Over the evolutionary history of plants:

there has been a trend toward gametophyte dependence on the sporophyte.

12. Which of the following comparisons and contrasts between fungi and plants is incorrect?

Both fungi and plants use chitin as a structural stabilizer.

13. Dispersal of fungal spores is typically done by:

wind.

14. You are taking a hike down a forest trail and see the familiar sight of a mushroom on the ground. This visible portion of a fungal body is the structure also referred to as a:

fruiting body.

15. In most cases, the relationship between roots and fungi in mycorrhizae can best be described as:

symbiosis.

angiosperm

Vascular, seed-producing flowering and fruit-bearing plants, in which the seeds are enclosed in an ovule within the ovary.

anther

The part of the stamen, the male reproductive structure of a flower, that produces pollen.

bryophyte

Three groups of plants (the liverworts, hornworts, and mosses) that lack vascular tissue and move water and dissolved nutrients by diffusion.

carpel

The female reproductive structure of a flower, including the stigma, style, and ovary.

cuticle

A waxy layer produced by epidermal cells and found on leaves and shoots of terrestrial plants, protecting them from drying out.

decomposer

Organisms, including bacteria, fungi, and detritivores, that break down and feed on once-living organisms.

double fertilization

In angiosperms, two sperm are released by a pollen grain: one fuses with an egg to form a zygote, and the other fuses with two nuclei, forming a triploid endosperm.

endosperm

Tissue of a mature seed that stores certain carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids that fuel the germination, growth, and development of the embryo and young seedling.

filament

The supporting stalk of the anther of a stamen found in angiosperm flowers.

fleshy fruit

fruit that consists of the ovary and some additional parts of the flower; when fleshy fruits, an attractive food, are eaten by animals, the seeds may be widely dispersed.

flower

The part of an angiosperm that contains the reproductive structures; consists of a supporting stem with modified leaves (the petals and sepals) and usually contains both male and female reproductive structures.

gametophyte

The structure in land plants and some algae that produces gametes (sperm and eggs); the haploid life stage of plants and some algae, which may be either male (producing sperm) or female (producing eggs).

gymnosperm

Vascular plants that do not produce their seeds in a protective structure; seeds are usually found on the surface of the scales of a cone-like structure. The gymnosperms include conifers, cycads, gnetophytes, and ginkgo.

hyphae

Long strings of cells that make up the mycelium of a multicellular fungus.

lichen

Symbiotic partnership between fungi and chlorophyll containing algae or cyanobacteria, or both.

mycelium

A mass of interconnecting hyphae that make up the structure of a multicellular fungus.

mycorrhizae

my-ko-RYE-zay) Root fungi, that is, symbiotic associations between roots and fungi in which fungal structures are closely associated with fine rootlets and root hairs.

non-vascular plant

Plants that do not have vessels to transport water and dissolved nutrients, but instead rely on diffusion; bryophytes are non-vascular plants.

ovary

An enclosed chamber at the base of the carpel of a flower that contains the ovules; the female gonad.

ovule

The structure within the ovary of flowering plants that gives rise to female egg cells.

plant

Members of the kingdom Plantae; multicellular eukaryotes that have cell walls made up primarily of cellulose, contain true tissues, and produce their own food by photosynthesis. Plants are sessile, and most inhabit terrestrial environments.

pollen grain

A structure that contains the male gametophyte of a seed plant.

pollination

A group of organisms of the same species living in a particular geographic region.

prothallus

The free-living haploid life stage of a fern; produces haploid gametes.

root

The part of a vascular plant, usually below ground, that absorbs water and minerals from the soil and transports them through vascular tissue to the rest of the plant, and that anchors the plant in place. The overall structure of a plant’s roots is called the root system.

seed

An embryonic plant with its own supply of water and nutrients, encased within a protective coating.

shoot

The above-ground part of a plant, consisting of stems and leaves, and sometimes flowers and fruits. The stem contains vascular tissue and supports the leaves, the main photosynthetic organ of the plant. Also called shoot system.

sporangium

In many ferns, the structures on the underside of the leaves in which the spores are produced.

spore

A reproductive structure of non-vascular and some vascular plants that have an alternation of generations; spores are typically haploid, unicellular, and develop into either a male (producing sperm) or female (producing eggs) gametophyte. The eggs and sperm produced by gametophytes unite to produce the diploid generation (sporophyte) of the plant.

sporophyte

The multicellular diploid structure in non-vascular plants, some vascular plants, and some algae that produces asexual spores, the diploid life stage in organisms exhibiting alternation of generations.

stamen

The male reproductive structure of a flower, consisting of a head-like anther on a stalk-like filament. There are usually several stamens in a flower.

vascular plant

Plants that transport water and dissolved nutrients by means of vascular tissue, a system of tubes that extends from the roots through the stem and into the leaves.