Botany Exam 1

10. Domestication is: A. a change in crop genome because of human intervention. B. the cultivation of crops. C. a natural process in which crop plants are made into house plants. D. a process which only applies to animals.

A. a change in crop genome because of human intervention.

4. One goal of Linda Lyon's work with the Antanosy people in Madagascar is: A. help preserve their culture's knowledge. B. help them to market their herbal remedies. C. teach them modern agricultural methods. D. steal their tribal secrets.

A. help preserve their culture's knowledge.

8. Ethnobotanists use a number of different types of evidence to study plant use by indigenous peoples, including: A. phytoliths and coprolites B. sclereids and phytoliths C. coprolites and endophytes D. sclereids and preserved grains

A. phytoliths and coprolites

6. Chocolate plantations can be structured either as a monoculture of Theobroma trees in the open, or in the shade under a polyculture of taller tree crops like coconut and persimmon. Which gives better long-term yield, and why? A. polyculture - Theobroma grows best in the shade. B. polyculture - Other tree crops attract more bats. C. monoculture - Insect pests are less of a problem in sunny conditions. D. Both conditions give equal yield.

A. polyculture - Theobroma grows best in the shade.

1. You are writing a paper on how indigenous peoples of Uruguay use the latex from several native plants. For additional information, you should consult the university directory for the phone number of: A. a horticulturalist. B. an ethnobotanist. C. aneconomicbotanist. D. a pomologist.

B. an ethnobotanist.

5. Your friend Mark has a family history of cardiovascular disease. He's heard that increased consumption of flavenoids can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Since you are taking a botany course, he asks your opinion. The best advice you can give him is to: A. eat a 6-oz chocolate bar with every meal. B. drink a cup of hot cocoa made with low-fat milk each day. C. eat a 6-oz serving of steak twice a day. D. Flavenoids have no medicinal properties.

B. drink a cup of hot cocoa made with low-fat milk each day.

11. Scientific evidence indicates that agriculture began: A. in the Fertile Crescent cradle of civilization) about 4,500 years ago. B. in the Fertile Crescent (cradle of civilization) about 11,000 years ago. C. in New Zealand about 20,000 years ago. D. in New Guinea about 16,000 years ago.

B. in the Fertile Crescent (cradle of civilization) about 11,000 years ago.

12. You discover an archeological site that has an artifact resembling a primitive mortar and pestle that you think may have been used to grind grain. To provide evidence for your hypothesis you could: A. use a UV light to check for plant DNA. B. use a microscope to check the surfaces for phytoliths, starch grains, or other plant parts. C. use carbon dating to identify phytoliths. D. scrape a surface sample and place it on your tongue to see if it tastes starchy.

B. use a microscope to check the surfaces for phytoliths, starch grains, or other plant parts.

7. You are a Theobroma grower in Brazil. Your neighbors are switching to a high-yielding Theobroma variety to meet increased demand for their products. However, you are still using the same trees that your parents harvested from before you. After a few years, the other growers notice that their trees are producing strange clumps of small branches, which greatly reduces their yield. Why are your trees not affected? A. You have better growing conditions than the other growers. B. New varieties are always more susceptible to disease than older varieties. C. This is a disease that has been common in this area for many years. D. B and C

C. This is a disease that has been common in this area for many years.

2. You are on a field trip with your class and you discover a plant which looks similar to lettuce. You want to find out whether or not this plant is edible. A reasonable first step in determining this would be to: A. eat the entire plant. B. take it home and feed it to your pet rabbit. C. try a very small amount. D. make a paste from the leaves and rub it on your skin.

C. try a very small amount.

9. There is some evidence that the world's climate grew drier 10,000 to 15,000 years ago. At about that same time, we see the first evidence of early agriculture. How do you think these two events could be related? A. The increased heat from the sun was more conducive to agriculture, making it economically feasible for the first time. B. People started planting crops to appease the gods and make it rain. C. The world's population began to increase rapidly. D. Larger groups of people were forced to gather around fewer water sources, depleting those areas of food which could be gathered.

D. Larger groups of people were forced to gather around fewer water sources, depleting those areas of food which could be gathered.

3. In studying the uses of plants by human cultures, ethnobotanists might employ: A. interviews with indigenous people. B. chemical analysis of plant samples. C. specimen analysis from archaeological sites. D. all of the above

D. all of the above

7. What would be a possible evolutionary advantage for the dodder plant to be parasitic? a. Energy that would be expended in photosynthesis is put toward growth and reproduction. b. Dodder cells are dispersed along with the host's seeds. c. Nutrition derived from the host plant allows dodder to store more starch in its roots. d. Dodder uses host pollen for its own reproduction.

a. Energy that would be expended in photosynthesis is put toward growth and reproduction.

16. What is the scientific name of chocolate? a. Theobroma cacao b. Piper methysticum c. Ricinis communis d. Erythroxylum coca

a. Theobroma cacao

24. In Figure 1.9 in the text, what would be the possible effect on the food web of the extinction of the herbivorous and micro- animal-eating fish in the center? a. There would be a reduction in the waterfowl, eagle, and carnivorous fish populations. b. Eagle and carnivorous fish populations would increase. c. Aquatic plants would die off as well. d. There would be no effect.

a. There would be a reduction in the waterfowl, eagle, and carnivorous fish populations.

27. Certain species of orchids have flowers which closely resemble female wasps. These flowers are pollinated by male wasps attempting to copulate with the flowers. Is this an example of coevolution? a. Yes; the wasp has influenced the evolution of the orchid. b. Yes; the flower and the wasp have begun to resemble one another. c. No; the evolution of the wasp was not influenced by the orchid. d. No; the wasp doesn't benefit from the interaction.

a. Yes; the wasp has influenced the evolution of the orchid.

31. Some plants that evolved in tropical regions function best at elevated CO2 levels. What feature of global warming would be most harmful to these plants? a. a rise in disease-causing microbes b. elevated temperature c. decrease in ocean salinity d. increased levels of CO2

a. a rise in disease-causing microbes

10. Bacteria and fungi are considered beneficial organisms because of their role in: a. decomposition. b. energy storage. c. global CO2 regulation. d. erosion control.

a. decomposition.

21. You are a scientist, who has spent many years observing flowers which are pollinated by birds. You have noticed that the flowers you have observed are red and have strong stems. You hypothesize that bird-pollinated flowers tend to be red to attract birds, and have strong stems to withstand bird activity. What type of reasoning have you used? a. inductive, because you have formulated your hypothesis based on your observations. b. inductive, because you used a hypothesis to select further research. c. deductive, because you have formulated your hypothesis based on your observations. d. deductive, because you used a hypothesis to select further research.

a. inductive, because you have formulated your hypothesis based on your observations.

12. Evolution is the process by which: a. organisms diversify through time. b. organisms adapt to their surroundings. c. an organism's DNA is changed. d. all of the above

a. organisms diversify through time.

35. Many scientists are working to genetically modify crop plants to increase their usefulness to people. What trait could be enhanced to make these plants more useful? a. resistance to herbicides b. resistance to insecticides c. decrease in seed size d. increase in number of days to maturity

a. resistance to herbicides

8. Dodder is parasitic on other plants. How could you change the relationship so both plants benefit? a. Dodder and host share a seed dispersal agent. b. Dodder photosynthesizes enough to support itself completely. c. Dodder enhances mineral uptake of the host. d. Host obtains nutrients from dodder.

b. Dodder photosynthesizes enough to support itself completely.

22. True or false: Coevolution is a phenomenon by which two species develop to resemble each other. a. True b. False

b. False

5. Why are plants sometimes referred to as embryophytes? a. They have a prolonged embryonic stage. b. They produce a multicellular embryo. c. Their seeds contain unicellular embryos. d. They produce an independently living embryo.

b. They produce a multicellular embryo.

Which of the following are not characteristics of plants? a. are composed of many cells b. are mostly aquatic c. contain cellulose in their cell walls d. are photosynthetic

b. are mostly aquatic

13. Scientific names are composed of 2 parts: a. Greek name and Latin name. b. generic name and species name. c. biological name and organismal name. d. descriptive name and cultivar name.

b. generic name and species name.

28. The algae-Hydra association discussed in the text is a symbiotic relationship. What type of symbiosis do these 2 organisms exhibit? a. parasitism; the Hydra saps the energy from the algae, eventually killing them. b. mutualism; the algae get carbon dioxide and the Hydra gets food. c. commensalism; the algae get food, but the Hydra doesn't benefit. d. commensalism; the Hydra siphons minerals from the algae, but the algae don't benefit.

b. mutualism; the algae get carbon dioxide and the Hydra gets food.

23. Which group of words best completes the following statement? Lichens are organisms formed by a __________ relationship between ___________ and ___________ . a. parasitic, an alga, a fern b. symbiotic, an alga, a fungus c. symbiotic, a moss, a fern d. mutualistic, a fungus, a plant

b. symbiotic, an alga, a fungus

18. When designing an experiment, it's important to include controls because: a. they add another variable to your experiment. b. they provide a basis for comparison. c. because NSF requires it. d. both A and B

b. they provide a basis for comparison.

20. Pat is designing an experiment to test the effect of salt concentration on the growth of roadside grasses. Which is a useful hypothesis for Pat to make? a. Grasses evolved in a high salt environment. b. Increased traffic flow will affect grass growth. c. Higher salt concentration will result in reduced grass growth. d. What will happen if salt is applied to grass?

c. Higher salt concentration will result in reduced grass growth.

3. Wolffia is a tiny green organism that lives its whole life floating on the surface of fresh water. Since most plants are terrestrial, why is Wolffia classified as a plant? a. It's photosynthetic. b. It reproduces by spores. c. It has terrestrial ancestors. d. It's multicellular.

c. It has terrestrial ancestors.

33. Wool is an important textile fiber. How are we dependent on plants for wool? a. Sheep need medicinal compounds from plants. b. It can only be woven after being exposed to a plant hormone. c. Sheep are herbivores. d. Wool is composed of leaf fibers.

c. Sheep are herbivores.

14. Scientific names are more precise than common names because: a. every species has a unique name. b. they don't vary from place to place. c. both A and B. d. they are made up of 2 components.

c. both A and B.

9. Pathogens are organisms that: a. transfer pollen between flowers. b. help plants take up nutrients. c. cause disease. d. compete with plants for soil minerals.

c. cause disease.

26. Which activity of plants has an effect on the incidence of skin cancer in humans? a. release of water vapor from leaves b. production of carbon dioxide during respiration c. production of oxygen during photosynthesis d. production of toxic compounds during flowering

c. production of oxygen during photosynthesis

4. One reason bryophytes are typically small is because they lack lignin. What is the importance of lignin? a. plays a role in photosynthesis b. acts as an anti-herbivory compound c. provides strength and support d. increases water uptake from the soil

c. provides strength and support

30. What can be done to help reduce the threat of global warming? a. adopt slash and burn agriculture b. spray moderately to reduce insect pests c. reduce fossil fuel consumption d. breed heat resistant plants

c. reduce fossil fuel consumption

17. You are a scientist working for the USDA, studying effects of herbicide on the parasite dodder. You spray the plants with the herbicide, and most of them die, but some of them live and turn green. Before you publish your results, what should you do? a. discard the green plants b. consult a patent lawyer c. replicate your experiment d. nothing; the experiment is complete

c. replicate your experiment

32. What group of organisms is used by humans in baking, brewing, and pharmaceuticals? a. plants b. protists c. fungi d. A and C

d. A and C

29. Why is global warming an issue of concern? a. Increased glacial melting b. Violent storms may occur c. Increased crop losses d. All of the above

d. All of the above

6. Why is dodder such a destructive parasite on crops? a. Its orange pigment absorbs light needed by the host plant for photosynthesis. b. It invades and destroys the host's flowers. c. It makes the host more visible to insects. d. It quickly spreads through fields, reducing yield.

d. It quickly spreads through fields, reducing yield.

2. You are on safari in Africa and you discover an organism that has the following characteristics: it's terrestrial, light brown, about 10 cm tall, and appears to be multicellular. What type of organism is this? a. fungus b. parasitic plant c. brown alga d. You don't have enough information.

d. You don't have enough information.

19. Science is said to be self-correcting. Why? a. The process of peer review encourages skepticism and critique. b. Related statements with a low probability of being wrong have been accumulated over time. c. Results must be reproducible by independent researchers. d. all of the above

d. all of the above

34. Besides their importance as food, plants are also used by humans for: a. aesthetics b. lumber c. pharmaceuticals d. all of the above

d. all of the above

15. You are an ethnobotanist studying medicinal plants used by a remote tribe in Brazil. In this situation, would it be better to use scientific or common plant names to communicate with the tribe's healer? a. scientific, so the healer sees you as an equal b. scientific, because they are more precise c. common, because they are unique to each plant d. common, because they have local and cultural significance

d. common, because they have local and cultural significance

11. Which of the following is a characteristic of the algae? a. tend to live in dry habitats b. mostly parasitic c. always multicellular d. usually photosynthesize

d. usually photosynthesize

25. Greenhouse gases have been linked to global warming. What are some common greenhouse gases? a. methane, carbon dioxide, and ozone b. water vapor, hydrogen, and helium c. carbon monoxide, oxygen, and hydrogen d. water vapor, methane, and carbon dioxide

d. water vapor, methane, and carbon dioxide