Chapter 29

Which of the following could occur after plants moved from the oceans to land?

Animals could also move onto land because there were opportunities for new food sources.

Select the correct statement about plant life cycles.

At some point in the life cycle of all plants, the sporophyte is dependent on its gametophyte parent

Select the correct statement about charophytes, a taxon of green algae.

Charophytes and land plants share three distinctive traits.

Which of the following features of fertilization in plants are the same as in some of their algal ancestors?

Flagellated sperm swim to the eggs in a water drop.

Consider the characteristics of moss and fern life cycles. Which of the following sets of statements is true?

In mosses, the gametophyte is the dominant stage of the life cycle; in ferns, the sporophyte is the dominant stage of the life cycle. In both mosses and ferns, moisture is required for sperm to reach the egg.

Suppose an efficient conducting system evolved in a moss that could transport water and other materials as high as a tall tree. Which of the following statements about "trees" of such a species would be accurate?

Individuals would probably compete more effectively for access to light.

You find a green organism in a pond near your house and believe it is a plant, not an alga. Which of the following characteristics would best support your identification of the organism as a plant and not an alga?

It is surrounded by a cuticle

Which of the following statements correctly describes the colonization of terrestrial habitats by plants?

It occurred in conjunction with fungi that helped provide them with nutrients from the soil.

Select the correct statement about the life cycle of a fern

Plant gametophytes are haploid multicellular bodies

Which taxon includes organisms referred to as "embryophytes"?

Plantae

Which of the following statements about the zygotes of plants is most likely to be accurate?

Protection of the zygote from the drying effects of air was important.

Which of the following describes a difference between the structures of spores and seeds?

Spores are unicellular while seeds are not.

Which structures are haploid? Select all that apply.

Spores, Egg, Gametophyte

Select the correct statement contrasting gametophytes and sporophytes.

Sporophytes are diploid, whereas gametophytes are haploid.

Which term below is the proposed kingdom that would include embryophytes and charophytes?

Streptophyta

Which of the following assumptions led to the hypothesis that the first plants exhibited low, sprawling growth?

The ancestors of plants, green algae, lacked the structural support to stand erect in air.

Which of these facts provides the best support for the hypothesis that plants evolved from green algae?

The chloroplasts of plants and green algae all have both chlorophyll a and b.

The observation that both charophytes and green plants contain chlorophylls a and b is more consistent with which of the following claims?

The common ancestor of these two groups contained chlorophylls a and b.

Which statement is true for all sexually reproducing plants andanimals?

The process of meiosis produces haploid cells.

Which of the following statements about the transition from ocean to land by plants is most likely to be accurate?

The transition to land was likely gradual, with plants evolving traits that let them survive ever-drier conditions.

Which of the following statements correctly describes a characteristic of bryophytes (nonvascular plants)?

They share a more recent common ancestor with vascular plants than they do with green algae.

Suppose an efficient conducting system evolved in a moss that could transport water and other materials as high as a tall tree. Which of the following statements about "trees" of such a species would be true?

Unless its body parts were strengthened, such a "tree" would probably flop over.

Which of the following characteristics of plants is absent in their closest relatives, the charophyte algae?

alternation of multicellular generations

A sample of mosses and ferns is comprised of which of the following?

both sporophyte and gametophyte generations

Seedless plants include __________.

bryophytes, lycophytes, and monilophytes

The closest algal relatives of land plants are __________.

charophytes

The conspicuous part of a fern plant is a _____.

diploid sporophyte

A botanist discovers a new species of plant in a tropical rain forest. Investigation of its anatomy and life cycle shows the following characteristics: flagellated sperm, xylem with tracheids, separate gametophyte, sporophyte generations with the sporophyte dominant, and no seeds. To which of the following groups does this plant most likely belong?

ferns

During the Carboniferous period, forests consisting mainly of __________ produced vast quantities of organic matter, which was buried and later became coal.

ferns and other seedless plants

What feature of both true mosses and ferns makes it most surprising that they can survive for many generations in dry deserts?

flagellated sperm

Which of the following characteristics is (are) possessed in common by true mosses, ferns, and spike mosses, and therefore becomes useless at helping to determine to which of these groups "flower of stone" belongs?

flagellated sperm and alternation of generations

Which of the following factors most likely helped early plants colonize land?

formation of mutualistic associations with fungi

Which of the following organisms were most likely the direct ancestors of plants?

green algae

In plants, which of the following are produced by meiosis?

haploid spores

In which of the following structures of a plant are apical meristems found?

in both roots and shoots

The evolution of a vascular system in plants allowed which of the following characteristics and process to occur?

increased height, improved competition for light, and increased spore dispersal distances

In plants, which of the following is a benefit of retaining the zygote on the living gametophyte?

it allows it to be nourished by the parent plant

Most bryophytes, such as mosses, differ from all other plants in that they _____.

lack true leaves and roots

What evolutionary development allowed plants to grow tall?

lignified vascular tissue

Consequently, "flower of stone" should be expected to possess which other characteristics?

lignified vascular tissues and microphylls

A biology student hiking in a forest discovers an erect, 15-centimeter-tall plant that bears microphylls and a strobili at its tallest point. When disturbed, the cone emits a dense cloud of brownish dust. Observing a sample with a magnifying glass reveals the dust to be composed of tiny spheres with a high oil content.What type of plant has this student most likely discovered?

lycophyte sporophyte

Microphylls are found in which plant group?

lycophytes

In mosses gametes are produced by _____; in ferns gametes are produced by _____.

mitosis ... mitosis

About 450 million years ago, the terrestrial landscape on Earth would most likely have had which of the following features?

nonvascular, green plants similar to liverworts forming green mats on rock

Where do fern antheridia develop?

on the underside of the gametophyte

Many types of plants increase the number of stomata per unit surface area of a leaf when atmospheric carbon dioxide levels decline. Which of the following is an analogous response in humans?

putting more red blood cells into circulation when oxygen availability declines at high elevations

If the kingdom Plantae is someday expanded to include the charophytes (stoneworts), which of the following shared derived characteristics would be included in the revised kingdom?

rings of cellulose-synthesizing complexes

Based on the plant fossil record, which of these events likely occurred most recently?

rise and diversification of angiosperms

In contrast to bryophytes, in vascular plants the dominant stage of the life cycle is the __________.

sporophyte

Which of the following biological molecules contributes to the structural integrity of plant spores?

sporopollenin

Which of the following chemicals are most likely to be detected in substantial amounts upon chemical analysis of these small spheres?

sporopollenins

A student encounters a pondweed that appears to be a charophyte. Which of the following features would best help the student determine whether the sample comes from a charophyte or from some other type of green alga?

structure of sperm cells

Which of the following features is most important for true mosses and ferns to reproduce in the desert?

that their gametophytes grow closely together

The evolution of vascular tissue in plants facilitated which of the following changes?

the ability to grow taller

Compared to nonvascular plants, the ancient relatives of vascular plants ________.

the ancient relatives produced sporophyte generations independent of, not dependent on, gametophyte generations

Which of the following traits was most important in enabling the first plants to move onto land?

the development of sporopollenin to prevent the desiccation of zygotes

Three of the following are evidence that charophytes are the closest algal relatives of plants. Select the exception.

the presence of chloroplasts

Which of the following outcomes is most likely if animals had alternation of generations?

the products of meiosis would undergo mitosis and become multicellular

Which of the following characteristics is found in heterosporous plants?

two types of sporophylls

What evidence do paleobotanists look for that indicates the movement of plants from water to land?

waxy cuticle to decrease evaporation from leaves

You are hiking in a forest and come upon a mysterious plant, which you determine is either a lycophyte sporophyte or a monilophyte sporophyte. Which of the following characteristics would be most helpful in determining the correct classification of the plant?

whether it has microphylls or megaphylls