Exam 29: Plant Diversity I: How Plants Colonized Land

Two small, poorly drained lakes lie close to each other in a northern forest. The basins of both lakes are composed of the same geologic substratum. One lake is surrounded by a dense Sphagnum mat; the other is not. Compared to the pond with Sphagnum, the pond lacking the moss mat should have ________.

Assuming that they all belong to the same plant, which of the following sequences describes structures from largest to smallest?

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

Breeuwer et al. (2008) measured the effect of different temperature regimes on the growth of different Sphagnum species. The growth of S. fuscum at four temperatures is shown. Use the information in the graph to answer the following question. Which of the following statements accurately reflects the effect of temperature on the growth of S. fuscum?

The following question refers to the generalized life cycle for land plants shown in the figure. Each number within a circle or square represents a specific plant or plant part, and each number over an arrow represents meiosis, mitosis, or fertilization. In the figure, which number represents the mature gametophyte?

The coal and oil that we currently use as fuel sources ________.

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

About 450 million years ago, the terrestrial landscape on Earth would have ________.

Grades, as opposed to clades, ________.

As you stroll through a moist forest, you are most likely to see a ________.

Spores and seeds have basically the same function-dispersal-but are vastly different because spores ________.

Stomata ________.

Which of the following statements is accurate with regard to the life cycle of mosses?

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

Archegonia ________.

Which of these are spore-producing structures?

Use the following information to answer the question. Big Bend National Park in Texas is mostly Chihuahuan desert, where rainfall averages about 25 centimeters per year. Yet, it is not uncommon when hiking in this extremely arid zone to encounter mosses and ferns. One such plant is called "flower of stone." It is not a flowering plant, nor does it produce seeds. Under arid conditions, its leaflike structures curl up. However, when it rains, it unfurls its leaves, which form a bright green rosette on the desert floor. Consequently, it is sometimes called the "resurrection plant." At first glance, it could be a fern, a true moss, or a spike moss. Which of the following features is most important for true mosses and ferns to reproduce in the desert?

Which of the following statements about stomata is accurate?

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

Why have biologists hypothesized that the first land plants had a low, sprawling growth habit?