Question 1

A tomato,squash,or bean would be considered a fruit for which reason?

Accepted Answer

Fruits are defined as the mature ovary of a flowering plant that contains seeds. Tomatoes, squash, and beans all come from the ovary of a flowering plant and contain seeds, making them fruits.

Question 2

In the spring before the leaves come out,maple trees are often tapped to collect sap to make syrup.The sugars were stored in the wood of the tree as starch and then released as temperatures rise above freezing in late winter.The resulting sucrose is released into the vessels that transport water.Which of the following would a person tap to collect sap from a maple tree?

Accepted Answer

Xylem is the tissue responsible for transporting water and nutrients from the roots to the rest of the tree, including the photosynthetic tissues in the leaves. When a maple tree is tapped for sap, the hole is drilled into the xylem tissue, allowing the sap to flow out. Phloem, collenchyma tissue, and parenchymal tissue are not involved in the transport of sap and do not contain the high concentrations of sugar found in maple sap. Roots are also not typically used for sap collection as they are below ground and not easily accessible.

Question 3

On a hot sunny day,which of the following would help protect a plant from water loss?

Accepted Answer

The cuticle is a waxy layer that covers the surface of leaves and stems, reducing water loss by evaporation. Stomata can close to prevent water loss during hot conditions.

Question 4

A potato stores a lot of starch.Which of the following tissues would you expect to be most abundant in a potato?

Accepted Answer

Ground tissue is the main site of starch storage in plants, hence it is expected to be the most abundant tissue in potatoes. Dermal tissue mainly functions in protection and exchange of gases, whereas vascular tissue transports water, nutrients, and organic compounds throughout the plant.

Question 5

In the spring before the leaves come out,maple trees are often tapped to collect sap to make syrup.The sugars were stored in the wood of the tree as starch and then released as temperatures rise above freezing in late winter.Which of the following best describes the original source of the sugars found in the sap?

Accepted Answer

The original source of the sugars found in the sap is photosynthesis during the previous summer. The sugar produced during photosynthesis in the leaves is transported and stored in the tree's woody tissues as starch, which is then converted back to sugar when the sap begins to flow in late winter/early spring.

Question 6

Where would you expect to find sapwood in a cross section of a tree trunk?

Accepted Answer

Sapwood is the living outermost layer of the xylem in a tree trunk. It is responsible for transporting water and nutrients from the roots to the leaves. Therefore, it is located just under the bark in a cross section of a tree trunk.

Question 7

How did the researchers conduct their experiment?

Accepted Answer

The researchers used drops of glue to exclude tramp ants from some leaves. This allowed them to compare the growth and survival of ant-tended versus untended plants.

Question 8

Stems may have specialized functions including which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Domatia and tendrils are both specialized functions of stems. Domatia are small chambers found on the undersides of leaves or stems that provide shelter for small insects or mites. Tendrils are thin, flexible structures that allow the stem to climb or support the plant by wrapping around nearby objects. Rhizomes, on the other hand, are specialized underground stems that are typically involved in vegetative reproduction.

Question 9

Apoptosis is Greek for "dropping off" and refers to the programmed cell death of cells that attach the petiole to the stem.When these cells die in the fall,the leaves drop.Cells in which part of the plant are undergoing apoptosis?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Apoptosis is Greek for "dropping off" and...

Question 10

Apoptosis is Greek for "dropping off" and refers to the programmed cell death of cells that attach the leaf to a stem.If you cut a branch in the summer,the leaves will not fall off in the autumn.What can you conclude from this observation?

Accepted Answer

Apoptosis is programmed cell death and requires the cells to be alive to go through the process. Therefore, the fact that the leaves do not fall off after the branch is cut in the summer suggests that the cells are still alive and have not gone through apoptosis.

Question 11

What hypothesis were the scientists testing?

Accepted Answer

The scientists were testing the hypothesis that the tramp ants promote fruit production, as this would explain their mutualistic relationship with the trees.

Question 12

One way to kill a tree is to girdle it by cutting a groove a centimeter into the bark all around the trunk of the tree.The tree will typically survive that growing season,but will die over the winter.Why wouldn't girdling work on a large grass?

Accepted Answer

Grasses have scattered vascular bundles throughout their ground tissue, so cutting a ring around the stem (girdling) would not cut off the entire nutrient and water supply to the plant.

Question 13

Tree rings represent growth during wet and dry periods of the year.In a deciduous tree found in the north,which two seasons would contribute to tree rings?

Accepted Answer

In the northern hemisphere, spring and summer are the seasons when deciduous trees grow the most. This is because during those seasons, there is more light and warmth which stimulate the production of sugars, needed for growth. These sugars are stored in the trunk, branches, and roots, which leads to the formation of tree rings. Thus, if we want to determine the growth patterns of a deciduous tree in the north, we need to look at the rings formed during the spring and summer months.

Question 14

Which of the following best describes a compound leaf?

Accepted Answer

A compound leaf is defined as having multiple leaflets attached to a single petiole. Option A describes a pinnately compound leaf, where multiple blades are attached to a single petiole. Option B describes a simple leaf, where a single blade is attached to a petiole. Option C describes a palmately compound leaf, where a single leaflet is attached to a petiole. Therefore, the best choice is D.

Question 15

One way to kill a tree is to girdle it by cutting a groove a centimeter into the bark all around the trunk of the tree.The tree will typically survive that growing season,but will die over the winter.Which of the following is the best explanation for this observation?

Accepted Answer

Girdling cuts the phloem, which is responsible for transporting sugars from the leaves to the roots. Without this transport, the roots cannot get the energy they need, leading to the tree's death over time.

Question 16

How would the young leaves obtain the sugary nectar that the ants eat?

Accepted Answer

Young leaves obtain the sugary nectar through photosynthesis, which is the process of converting sunlight into energy (in the form of sugar) that the plant can use. The nectar is produced by special structures in the plant called extrafloral nectaries, and ants are attracted to it because it is rich in carbohydrates.

Question 17

In the spring before the leaves come out,maple trees are often tapped to collect sap to make syrup.The sugars were stored in the wood of the tree as starch and then released as temperatures rise above freezing in late winter.Which of the following tissues would contain the starch over the winter?

Accepted Answer

Parenchymal tissue is responsible for the storage of starch in plants. Therefore, it is likely that the starch would be stored in parenchymal tissue in the maple tree over the winter.

Question 18

If you cut a stalk of celery and put it in a glass of water containing red food coloring overnight,the next morning the celery will be red.The food coloring was taken up through which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Xylem is the tissue responsible for transporting water and nutrients from the roots to the rest of the plant, including the celery stalk. The food coloring is soluble in water, so it moved from the water into the xylem in the celery stalk and was transported upward, resulting in the red coloration of the celery. The phloem transports sugars and other organic compounds in plants, but it would not be involved in the uptake of a water-soluble dye like food coloring. Stomata are small openings on leaves that allow for gas exchange, and dermal and ground tissue are not involved in the transport of water and nutrients.

Question 19

Why might these trees only secrete nectar on young leaves rather than larger more mature leaves?

Accepted Answer

Young leaves near the apical meristem are actively growing and require more nutrients to support growth. Secreting nectar on these leaves could attract pollinators and ensure successful fertilization of the growing parts of the tree. Mature leaves would not require as much nutrient support for growth and, therefore, may not need to secrete nectar to attract pollinators.

Question 20

Home gardeners who grow tomatoes are often told to pinch off axillary buds at nodes to prevent the plants from becoming too bushy.This is consistent with most tomato plants being which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Pinching off axillary buds is a common practice for indeterminate tomato plants that have a tendency to grow tall and leggy if left unpruned. Determinate tomato plants, on the other hand, have a predetermined size and do not require pruning. Monocots and eudicots are both types of flowering plants, but they do not have any relevance to the pruning practices of tomato plants.

Quiz 21: Plant Form and Function