Exam 37: Plants

A cell scientist is given a single cell to study from an unknown origin. After careful examination she notes that the cell has chlorophylls a and b, a cellulosic cell wall and stores carbohydrates as starch. From this evidence the scientist can conclude that

All seed plants have a number of derived features that represent major events in plant evolution including

In Bryophytes, after fertilisation of the egg cell

Seed plants are distinguished from other vascular plants by

How did heterospory facilitate the colonisation of drier environments?

In aquatic environments, the buoyancy of water provides the structural support necessary for the thallus, the photosynthetic structure of algae. On land, however, plants lacking the capacity to support photosynthetic tissues must grow prostrate and will be at a competitive disadvantage. The evolution of lignified tracheids allowed plants to develop shoot systems. The most primitive extant plants with lignified tracheids are the

A new species of land plant has a non-flagellated sperm and the megagametophyte develops on the surface of an ovuliferous scale. The plant is most likely to be a

Gammae are

The evolution of the cuticle was imperative before terrestrial habitats could be colonised. While a cuticle prevents desiccation it also prevents gas exchange and must therefore be perforated by air-pores, which then lose water by evaporation. Stomata allow plants to regulate water loss. The most primitive plants with stomata are

Which of the following features represents a significant event in the evolution of all seed plants?

If a plant is described as a monocotyledon, you would expect it to have

Many ferns are covered by a protective scale-like membrane called

The Sphenophyta

Conifers

Which of the following is NOT a function of fruit?

Green algae are similar to land plants. The similarities include all the following EXCEPT

Coleochaetes are

Which of the green algae has a phragmoplast and an open spindle very similar to land plants?

The psilophytes are very similar in appearance to Cooksonia caledonica, which has provided the oldest macrofossil of a plant. What do these plants look like?

In ferns the