Biology 206, Exam II Questions and Study Guide. 2009W
You will be asked to answer one of the following lettered questions (ABCD or E).
A. Explain why a mobile nutrient like potassium would show signs of deficiency in
older leaves before younger leaves (hint: trace this nutrient's path through the
plant).
B. Describe in the context of how and why a plant changes its morphology and
development once it senses light, specifically why it no longer grows as it did before
sensing light.
C. What kinds of signals trigger a plant to begin flowering? How might thisdiffer
from a plant located at the equator?
D. For plants, adaptations to a land environment made them radically different from
plants that relied on proximity to water for reproduction. How have angiosperms
overcome those barriers to reproduction, and explain what physical properties they
have and how those allow them to survive and thrive terrestrially?
E. Compare the processes of nitrogen assimilation in plants with and without
nitrogen fixing bacteria.
Great study questions, really…
1. How and why do plants take advantage of soil bacteria? Explain the colonization
of soil bacteria and how the plant and bacteria form a symbiotic mutualistic
relationship.
2. Describe the steps of a Rhizobium infection, and how this may or may not be
beneficial to the plant.
3. How do angiosperms and bryophytes differ in terms of sexual reproduction and
how have these differences allowed for the dominance of angiosperm species?
4. Auxin is an important hormone with numerous functions, including causing
plants to bend towards light. Outline the mechanism for this reaction at the
molecular level inside the plant and describe the two principal experimental designs
that have supported this hypothesis.
5. Describe auxin and its general functions.
6. Explain, in detail, the journey of a pollen grain, event by event, from creation to
pollination, and what triggers these events. What evolutionary measures help in the
dispersal of this pollen?
7. Explain the characteristics and the processes that plants undergo to allow them to
be usefull for cleaning up toxic land areas.
8. Explain the purpose of water loss in a developing seed. What advantage does it
allow the seed, how does it prevent competition and permit cues to the seed. Think
about the properties of water and how they might affect the seed in certain
environments. Also consider the needs of a growing seed and what it needs to
continue growth to maturation. Why is dehydration a practical behavior?
9. What are some adaptations a plant needs to live successfully in a terrestrial
environment? Explain one of these adaptations and why it would make the plant
successful.
10. Compare the life cycles of a moss, a fern, and an angiosperm. Explain how certain
features of the angiosperm life cycle allow it thrive on dry land.
11. Describe what a mobile nutrient from Nutrient Group 3 does and how it is
transported in a plant.
12. What are the evolutionary advantages of a plant with a dominant sporophyte
generation over a plant with a dominant gametophyte generation?
13. How does fertilization differ from pollination and how do the two sperm from
the male gametophyte reach the egg in the female gametophyte of flower bearing
plants?
14. What is the relationship between plants and animals; what roles do animals play
throughout the plant (angiosperms, specifically) life cycle?
15. Explain how plants have evolved to make sexual reproduction more efficient.
16. Discuss how the reproductive structures of angiosperms aid in
sperm/spore/seed dispersal. Include in your discussion the benefits of such
reproductive structures for angiosperms as compared with the reproductive
methods of ferns/mosses/liverworts.
17. Consider phototropism. Explain the mechanism that makes phototropism
possible and discuss how auxin could promote or inhibit this mechanism.
18. Describe at least three adaptations or characteristics angiosperms have
developed that enhance their reproductive fitness and give them an "edge" over
cryptograms.
19. Discuss how plants have evolved from being able to reproduce in water to
reproducing on land and why it has been advantageous.
20. Explain how mycorrhizae attach and provide nutrients to plants.
21. A plant is experiencing a moblie nutrient deficiency. Describe the route the
nutrient is taking, which organ shows symptoms first, and explain why this organ
shows symptoms first.