chapter 29
Which of the following were probably factors that permitted early plants to successfully colonize land? 1. the relative number of potential predators (herbivores) 2. the relative number of competitors 3. the relative availability of symbiotic partners 4. air's relative lack of support, compared to water's support
1,2,3
In which combination of locations would one who is searching for the gametophytes of "flower of stone" have the best chance of finding them? 1. moist soil 2. underground, nourished there by symbiotic fungi 3. south- or west-facing slopes 4. permanently shady places 5. far from any flower of stone sporophytes Use the following information to answer the question(s) below.
1,2,4
Arrange the following terms from most inclusive to least inclusive. 1. embryophytes 2. green plants 3. seedless vascular plants 4. ferns 5. tracheophytes
2, 1, 5, 3, 4
Upon closer inspection of the leaves of "flower of stone," one can observe tiny, cone-like structures. Each cone-like structure emits spores of two different sizes. Further investigation also reveals that the roots of "flower of stone" branch only at the growing tip of the root, forming a Y-shaped structure. Consequently, "flower of stone" should be expected to possess which other characteristics? 1. a gametophyte generation that is dominant 2. lignified vascular tissues 3. microphylls 4. filamentous rhizoids, but not true roots 5. spores that are diploid when mature
2,3
How are the bryophytes and seedless vascular plants alike?
In both groups, sperm swim from antheridia to archegonia.
Which of the following is a true statement about plant reproduction?
Male and female bryophytes each produce a type of gametangia.
How could you determine if a plant is heterosporous?
Male and female reproductive structures are located on separate plants.
In seedless plants, a fertilized egg will develop into _____.
SPOROPHYTE
Select the correct statement contrasting gametophytes and sporophytes.
Sporophytes are diploid, whereas gametophytes are haploid.
Why have biologists hypothesized that the first land plants had a low, sprawling growth habit?
The ancestors of land plants, green algae, lack the structural support to stand erect in air.
Most moss gametophytes do not have a cuticle and are 1-2 cells thick. What does this imply about moss gametophytes and their structure?
They can easily lose water to, and absorb water from, the atmosphere.
Retaining the zygote on the living gametophyte of land plants _____.
allows it to be nourished by the parent plant
Seedless plants include _____
bryophytes, lycophytes, ferns, whisk ferns, and horsetails
The closest algal relatives of land plants are _____.
charophytes
Which of these characteristics is shared by algae and seed plants?
chloroplasts
A botanist discovers a new species of plant in a tropical rain forest. After observing its anatomy and life cycle, he notes the following characteristics: flagellated sperm, xylem with tracheids, separate gametophyte and sporophyte generations with the sporophyte dominant, and no seeds. This plant is probably most closely related to _____.
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
If humans had been present to build log structures during the Carboniferous period (they were not), which plant types would have been suitable sources of logs?
ferns, horsetails, and lycophytes
What feature of both true mosses and ferns makes it most surprising that they can survive for many generations in dry deserts?
flagellated sperm
As you stroll through a moist forest, you are most likely to see a _____.
gametophyte of a moss
The most direct ancestors of land plants were probably _____.
green algae
In plants, which of the following are produced by meiosis?
haploid spores
According to the fossil record, plants colonized terrestrial habitats _____.
in conjunction with fungi that helped provide them with nutrients from the soil
You find a green organism in a pond near your house and believe it is a plant, not an alga. The mystery organism is most likely a plant and not an alga if it _____.
is surrounded by a cuticle
What evolutionary development allowed plants to grow tall?
lignified vascular tissue
Microphylls are found in which plant group?
lycophytes
Which set contains the most closely related terms?
megasporangium, megaspore, egg, ovule
In mosses gametes are produced by _____; in ferns gametes are produced by _____.
mitosis, mitosis
Stomata _____.
open to allow gas exchange and close to decrease water loss
Which taxon is essentially equivalent to the "embryophytes"?
plantae
The diploid generation of the plant life cycle always _____.
produces spores
Increasing the number of stomata per unit surface area of a leaf when atmospheric carbon dioxide levels decline is most analogous to a human _____.
putting more red blood cells into circulation when atmospheric oxygen levels decline
liverworts, hornworts, and mosses are grouped together as the Bryophytes. Besides not having vascular tissue, what do they all have in common?
require water for reproduction
At some time during their life cycles, bryophytes make _____.
sporangia
Spores and seeds have basically the same function-dispersal-but are vastly different because _____
spores are unicellular; seeds are not
In contrast to bryophytes, in vascular plants the dominant stage of the life cycle is the _____.
sporophyte
Which of these are spore-producing structures?
sporophyte (capsule) of a moss
Besides oil, what other chemical should be detected in substantial amounts upon chemical analysis of these small spheres?
sporopollenins
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
What evidence do paleobotanists look for that indicates the movement of plants from water to land?
waxy cuticle to decrease evaporation from leaves