Study questions for readings from organelles through flowers for the exam coming up in 2 weeks!

Chapter 3 Plant cells

• Review the composition of the cell wall.. the layers, the compounds that make it up.. how it can adapt to different conditions.
• Review the types of plastids
• Review the different microbodies and the roles they play
• Review symplastic and apoplastic movements in plants.
• How do microtublules act as a cytoskeleton?

Chapter 5: Tissues and the primary growth of stems

1. What is the adaptive value of the following specialized shoots?
stolon, tuber, bulb, corm, tendril

2. What are the important differences between parenchyma, sclerenchyma and collenchyma

3. Describe plasmodesmata, pits, perforations, seive pores. Which connect living cells? which connect dead cells? which occur in secondary walls?

4. List the 5 types of secondary wall deposition that may occur in trachery elements and describe their function. What is the selective advantage of vessel elements over tracheids?

5. During the differentiation of a young cell into a seive tube member, what are some of the changes that occur in the cell wall and cytoplasm? How long do they live after becoming mature?

6. Describe the arrangement of tissues seen in a stem cross-section in a dicot and then in a monocot. Why do they differ?

7. What is pyllotaxy and why is it important? what are some types of arrangements?

Chapter 7 Roots

1. Be able to describe or identify the flowering structures and give their function:

taproot, radicle, branch root
fibrous vs. adventitious roots
mucigel
zone of elongation, division & maturation
quiescent vs apical root meristem
pericycle vs. endodermis

2. What are the 3 functions of a root? describe each. What are some specialized functions?

3. Since most monocots cannot undergo secondary growth, how can they get larger?

4. Describe how cells form and differentiate in the root cap.

5. What type of flow -- apoplastic or symplastic occurs through the endodermis? explain how.

6. Describe how root pressure is built up in a root and why this is necessary

7. Give a number of reasons why plant nutrients are usually stored in the root vs the shoot.

8. Describe the adaptations of the specialized root types listed: prop root, aerial root /velamin, contractile roots.

9. Contrast ectomycorrhizal vs endomycorrhizal associations. Which is potentially more dangerous for a plant to evolve?

10. If legumes can form root nodules, why don't all plants do the same? explain.

11. What and how do haustorial roots form?

Chapter 6 Leaves

1. Be able to describe and give the function of the following structures.

abscission zone
bundle sheath
simple vs compound leaf
leaf trace
mesophyll: palisade vs spongy
stipule
reticulate vs parallel venation: which is most likely to be found in a C3 plant C4? why
Kranz anatomy

2. In what ways does the upper epidermis differ from the lower epidermis? how are these differences adaptive?

3. How do the meristematic regions differ in monocots vs dicots?

4. What are the advantages of a compound leaf over a simple leaf? why aren't all leaves compound given this list?

5. How would you build a stomata in a xeric or dry plant? in a wet or hydric plant?

6. Contrast and describe the 5-6 steps in the initiation and development of dicot vs monocot leaves.

7. For each of the following leaf types give 3 morphological adaptations:
succulent leaves .................. sclerophyllous leaves... sun vs shade leaves.

8. How are spines formed? how are tendrils able to twist about an object?

9. Contrast how sundews capture insects vs. Pitcher plants vs. Venus flytraps.

Chpt 8: Structure of Woody Plants

1.Give at least 3 advantages and 3 disadvantages to becoming perennial and woody.

2. Vascular cambia

• How does a vascular cambium differ from a apical meristem? how do they differ in cell type?
• how does it differ functionally?
• what would happen if the cambial cells only divided in a periclinal fashion? where have we seen this before?
• what types of cells do ray initials produce relative to fusiform initials?

3. What makes a hardwood a hardwood and the reverse, a softwood a softwood?

4. How is an annual ring formed? how could you tell the difference between a ring porous and diffuse porous tree? what difference should it make to a tree to have either diffuse or ring porous wood ( think through)?

5. What is heartwood? how and why does it become different from sapwood?

6. What is the difference between reaction wood and tension wood? what would happen to a tree if no such wood were produced?What is the role of the cork cambium?

7. Cork cambium:

• how does it differ from the vascular cambium?
• how many layers thick is it?
• Think back to lab, when should a tree have thin bark? thick bark? persistent bark vs. easily shed bark?
• How does a tree produce a stringy bark vs a hard bark?

8. How is it that some monocots like the Joshua tree can form 'woody' tissue without a vascular cambium? explain

Chapter 9: Flowers and reproduction

1. Explain 3 pros and 3 cons of sexual reproduction in plants

2. What are some different ways plants can reproduce asexually?

3. Draw the parts of a flower and explain their respective functions

4. What constitutes a carpel?

5. What cells make up the male gametophyte? what are their distinctive roles?

6. What are the roles of the 7 female gametophytic cells?

7. What is double fertilization and what is its importance to the final seed produced?

8. What is the role of the radicle, hypocotyl and cotyledons in a embyro? why is it that some seeds contain a lot of endosperm and others like orchids practically none?

9. The following systems all act to prevent self-fertilization Explain how each works

• a. stamen and style maturation times
• b. stigma and pollen incompatibility
• c. monoecious and dioecy

10. What are some advantages to having an inflorescence vs singular large flowers?

11. How did fruit evolve? what are the advantages that can balance the expense of producing such an expensive product?

12. What are the 3 layers of the pericarp in a cherry? a berry? a strawberry?