Deck 21: The Evolution of Plants

Question 1

Plants invaded the land sometime during the Paleozoic era.In order to evolve and thrive on land,plants had to develop

A) photosynthetic pigments and mechanisms for transporting water and minerals to aerial parts.
B) starch for carbohydrate storage and mechanisms for transporting water and minerals to aerial parts.
C) physical support structures and mechanisms for gamete dispersal.
D) photosynthetic pigments that are not dependent on an aqueous environment and starch for carbohydrate storage.
E) physical support structures and alternation of generations.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The plants classified as embryophytes include

A) red algae.
B) chlorophytes.
C) glaucophytes.
D) land plants.
E) coleochaetophytes.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which characteristic does not link the "green algae" with land plants?

A) The use of chlorophylls a and b
B) Primary endosymbiosis
C) Starch as a major storage compound
D) Chloroplasts
E) Protected embryo

Answer 3

E

Question 4

Although Earth is estimated to be 4-5 billion years old,and although life first appeared a little less than 4 billion years ago,land plants did not appear until about _______ years ago.

A) 3-4 billion
B) 400-500 million
C) 40-50 million
D) 3-4 million
E) 400,000-500,000

Question 5

The green algae are considered to be

A) a monophyletic group.
B) a polyphyletic group.
C) a paraphyletic group.
D) the most highly derived (evolved)of the plants.
E) closely related to the lycophytes.

Question 6

Which characteristic does not belong to land plants?

A) Development from embryos protected by tissues of the parent plant
B) Cell walls containing cellulose
C) Chloroplasts containing chlorophylls a and b
D) Starch as the storage carbohydrate
E) Anaerobic respiration

Question 7

Which of the following are synapomorphies for both gymnosperms and angiosperms?

A) Seeds
B) Flowers
C) Heterospory
D) Cones
E) Both a and c

Question 8

Which of the following is a synapomorphy of the clade that includes streptophytes and glaucophytes?

A) Chloroplasts
B) Chlorophyll b
C) Multicellular sporophyte
D) Retention of the egg in the parental organism
E) Branched apical growth

Question 9

If you find a green,leafy,nonvascular plant with stomata growing on your neighbor's damp front lawn,you can assume that it is a

A) liverwort.
B) hornwort.
C) moss.
D) leptosporangiate fern.
E) fern.

Question 10

Which of the following is a synapomorphy of stoneworts and land plants?

A) Chloroplasts
B) Chlorophyll b
C) Multicellular sporophyte
D) Retention of the egg in the parental organism
E) Branched apical growth

Question 11

The nonvascular land plants (liverworts,mosses,and hornworts)are considered to be

A) a monophyletic group.
B) a polyphyletic group.
C) a paraphyletic group.
D) closely related to the glaucophytes.
E) the most highly derived (evolved)of the plants.

Question 12

Nonvascular land plants have never evolved to the size of vascular plants,most likely because they lack

A) an efficient system for conducting water and minerals.
B) an efficient mode of respiration.
C) a photosynthetic mechanism.
D) mechanisms for nutrient and water absorption.
E) the ability to disperse offspring.

Question 13

The gymnosperms are considered to be

A) a monophyletic group.
B) a polyphyletic group.
C) a paraphyletic group.
D) closely related to the chlorophytes.
E) the most highly derived (evolved)of the plants.

Question 14

Use the following to answer questions :
Refer to the diagram below showing a life cycle.
Suppose you find a new eukaryotic organism with this life cycle.What evidence would lead to the conclusion that it does not belong in the land plant clade?

A) It lacks a multicellular diploid generation (sporophyte).
B) It has both gametes and spores.
C) Both the male and female gametes are haploid.
D) It has a multicellular haploid generation.
E) It is homosporous.

Question 15

Several important adaptations evolved in the common ancestor of land plants to allow the successful colonization of land.Which change is not one of those?

A) Evolution of a water-impermeable cuticle
B) Evolution of a carbohydrate energy-storage molecule
C) Evolution of gametangia
D) Evolution of a mechanism for structural support
E) A mutualistic association with a fungus that promotes nutrient uptake

Question 16

Which evolutionary adaptation to land is not shared by all land plants?

A) Waxy protective coverings
B) Support against gravity
C) A means of taking up water from the soil
D) Protective structures for the new sporophyte
E) Water transport by xylem

Question 17

Stomata appear to have arisen first in the

A) horsetails.
B) mosses.
C) liverworts.
D) gymnosperms.
E) angiosperms.

Question 18

The green algae include which clade?

A) Embryophytes
B) Lycophytes
C) Chlorophytes
D) Glaucophytes
E) Euphyllophytes

Question 19

The angiosperms are the sister to which group?

A) Cycads
B) Conifers
C) Gnetophytes
D) Ginkgos
E) All of the above

Question 20

Use the following to answer questions :
Refer to the diagram below showing a life cycle.
The observation that chloroplasts of this organism have phycoerythrin and phycocyanin would lead to the hypothesis that it is related to the

A) coleochaetophytes.
B) red algae.
C) glaucophytes.
D) bryophytes.
E) cyanobacteria.

Question 21

A universal feature of the life cycles of land plants is

A) morphologically identical gametophyte and sporophyte stages.
B) genetically identical gametophyte and sporophyte stages.
C) alternation of generations between haploid gametophytes and diploid sporophytes.
D) dependent gametophytes.
E) independent sporophytes.

Question 22

The nonvascular plant clades (including mosses)require water for fertilization during reproduction because

A) they have no vascular system to transport water to the developing sporophyte.
B) the eggs are fertilized by a flagellated sperm that swims to the egg.
C) the neck of the archegonium has to degrade to allow the sperm to enter.
D) their pollinators are aquatic.
E) Both b and c

Question 23

Which group has a gametophyte that is a branched,filamentous structure and has many species that contain hydroid cells?

A) Liverworts
B) Hornworts
C) Mosses
D) Stoneworts
E) Horsetails

Question 24

Use the following to answer questions :
Refer to the diagram below showing the alternation of generation that occurs in the life cycle of a land plant.
At which step are spores being produced?

A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
E) E

Question 25

Which group has gametophytes that are green,leaflike layers that lie flat on the ground?

A) Liverworts
B) Hornworts
C) Mosses
D) Stoneworts
E) Horsetails

Question 26

All land plants produce _______ by mitosis and _______ by meiosis.

A) spores;gametes
B) gametes;gametes
C) gametes;spores
D) spores;spores
E) spores;gametes and spores

Question 27

Approximately _______ species of moss (Bryophyta)have been described.

A) 15
B) 100
C) 1,200
D) 9,000
E) 15,000

Question 28

Which group has sporophytes that exhibit indeterminate growth and develop no stalk,and a single,large chloroplast in each cell?

A) Liverworts
B) Hornworts
C) Mosses
D) Stoneworts
E) Horsetails

Question 29

The cyanobacteria found in the internal mucilage-filled cavities of the hornworts serve to

A) provide structural support.
B) produce carbohydrates.
C) convert atmospheric nitrogen gas into a usable nutrient form.
D) convert atmospheric carbon gas into a usable nutrient form.
E) help get rid of metabolic wastes.

Question 30

Which statement about mosses is false?

A) The sporophyte is dependent on the gametophyte.
B) Sperm are produced in archegonia.
C) There are more species of mosses than of liverworts and hornworts combined.
D) The sporophyte grows by apical cell division.
E) Mosses are probably a sister to the vascular plants plus the hornworts.

Question 31

The _______ are the most ancient surviving land plant lineage.

A) liverworts
B) hornworts
C) mosses
D) ferns
E) gymnosperms

Question 32

Use the following to answer questions :
Refer to the diagram below showing the alternation of generation that occurs in the life cycle of a land plant.
In the figure,the spores are _______,the gametes are _______,and the zygote is _______.

A) haploid;diploid;haploid
B) haploid;haploid;diploid
C) diploid;haploid;diploid
D) diploid;diploid;haploid
E) haploid;diploid;diploid

Question 33

In mosses,haploid unicellular spores are produced in the sporangia via

A) mitosis.
B) fertilization.
C) conjugation.
D) meiosis.
E) budding.

Question 34

Hornworts are the sister clade to the

A) vascular plants.
B) mosses.
C) liverworts.
D) horsetails and ferns.
E) nonvascular plants.

Question 35

Use the following to answer questions :
Refer to the diagram below showing the alternation of generation that occurs in the life cycle of a land plant.
At which step are gametes being formed?

A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
E) E

Question 36

Which structure or characteristic does not enable the nonvascular land plants to obtain water and minerals in the absence of a vascular system?

A) Growth in dense masses through which water can move by capillary action
B) Small size,which allows minerals to be distributed evenly by diffusion
C) Usually found in moist habitats
D) An extensive root system
E) Leaflike structures that catch and hold water

Question 37

Within vascular plants,the large,prominent plant is the _______;in nonvascular plants it is the _______.

A) gametophyte;sporophyte
B) sporophyte;gametophyte
C) gametophyte;gametophyte
D) sporophyte;sporophyte
E) None of the above

Question 38

In which stage does genetic recombination not occur?

A) Horsetail sporangia
B) Moss sporophyte
C) Fern sori
D) Club moss strobili
E) Moss gametophyte

Question 39

Mosses are dependent on water for reproduction because

A) sperm are passively transported to eggs by water.
B) gametogenesis occurs only when the plants are moist.
C) eggs and sperm are released into water and then unite.
D) sperm must swim through water to reach and fertilize eggs.
E) None of the above

Question 40

How can nonvascular plants survive without true leaves,stems,and roots?

A) They are small enough to allow minerals to diffuse throughout their bodies.
B) They live in moist habitats.
C) They have a thick cuticle to prevent water loss.
D) They are parasitic plants.
E) Both a and b

Question 41

Fossil vascular plants can be recognized by the presence of

A) tracheids.
B) antheridia.
C) archegonia.
D) pigments.
E) flowers.

Question 42

Hornwort sporophytes have a basal region of cell division rather than an apical region.What effect does this have on sporophyte function in hornworts,as compared with mosses?

A) It provides a place for symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria to live,while in mosses the apical cell division creates structures for mycorrhizal fungi.
B) It allows spores to be continually made and released as long as the sporophyte lives,while in mosses only one set of spores is made per sporophyte.
C) It limits division of sporophytes to the base so hornworts do not grow as tall as mosses.
D) It keeps making green tissue to support growth of the gametophyte,while in mosses the gametophyte supports the sporophyte.
E) It helps raise the spores so they can be more easily dispersed by symbiotic fungi,while in mosses the spores are dispersed by wind.

Question 43

There are approximately _______ living species of horsetails.

A) 9,000
B) 15,000
C) 100
D) 1,200
E) 15

Question 44

Which living group diverged earlier than all other living vascular plants?

A) Rhyniophytes
B) Monilophytes
C) Angiosperms
D) Gymnosperms
E) Lycophytes

Question 45

Use the following to answer questions :
Refer to the diagram below showing the alternation of generation that occurs in the life cycle of a land plant.
At step E in the figure,what would the structure being formed look like in a nonvascular land plant?

A) It would be inconspicuous and lack chloroplasts.
B) It would be conspicuous and lack chloroplasts.
C) It would be conspicuous and nutritionally independent.
D) It would be inconspicuous and might or might not be nutritionally independent.
E) It would be conspicuous and nutritionally dependent on the sporophyte.

Question 46

Which group diverged earlier than all other living vascular plants,bears simple leaves arranged spirally on a stem and exhibit apical growth,and has sporangia contained within conelike structures called strobili?

A) Ginkgoes
B) Horsetails
C) Ferns
D) Hornworts
E) Club mosses

Question 47

The evolutionary importance of plant tissue composed of tracheids is that it provides

A) a vascular system and structural support.
B) structural support and increased growth.
C) enhanced photosynthesis and structural support.
D) enhanced photosynthesis and a vascular system.
E) enhanced fertilization.

Question 48

Which group exhibits basal growth,are sometimes called the scouring rushes because of the silica deposits in their cell walls,and have simple leaves that form distinct whorls around the stem?

A) Ginkgoes
B) Horsetails
C) Ferns
D) Hornworts
E) Club mosses

Question 49

Lycophyte fern forests arose in the Devonian and persisted for _______ years.

A) 2 million
B) 100,000
C) 200 million
D) 600 million
E) 2 billion

Question 50

The 12,000 species of ferns

A) are not monophyletic.
B) are sisters to lycophytes.
C) first appeared during the Carboniferous period.
D) constitute a clade.
E) produce seeds known as sori.

Question 51

The horsetails and ferns are members of a single clade,the

A) lycophytes.
B) hornworts.
C) liverworts.
D) monilophytes.
E) mosses.

Question 52

The sporophyte of a vascular plant is _______;the sporophyte of a nonvascular plant is _______.

A) dependent;independent
B) independent;independent
C) dependent;dependent
D) independent;dependent
E) haploid;diploid

Question 53

The first vascular plants were probably

A) liverworts.
B) lycophytes.
C) mosses.
D) monilophytes.
E) rhyniophytes.

Question 54

One important consequence of the evolution of xylem was the development of a mechanism for

A) sugar transport.
B) sperm transport.
C) preventing water evaporation.
D) rigid structural support.
E) flower development.

Question 55

Which group typically has large leaves with branching vascular strands,can reach heights of up to 20 meters,and has sporangia usually clustered in groups called sori?

A) Ginkgoes
B) Horsetails
C) Ferns
D) Hornworts
E) Club mosses

Question 56

Use the following to answer questions :
Refer to the diagram below showing the alternation of generation that occurs in the life cycle of a land plant.
At step C in the figure,what would the structure being formed look like in a fern?

A) It would be smaller than the gametophyte and lack chloroplasts.
B) It would be larger than the gametophyte and lack chloroplasts.
C) It would be larger than the gametophyte and nutritionally independent.
D) It would be smaller than the gametophyte and might or might not be nutritionally independent.
E) It would be larger than the gametophyte and nutritionally dependent on it.

Question 57

Which characteristic is not shared by the club mosses and the horsetails?

A) Macroscopic,independent sporophytes
B) Specialized vascular tissue
C) Dichotomous branching
D) Simple leaves
E) True root systems

Question 58

The first ferns appeared during the _______ period.

A) Permian
B) Carboniferous
C) Silurian
D) Devonian
E) Triassic

Question 59

Two hundred million years ago,dinosaurs were Earth's dominant animals,and _______ were the dominant vegetation.

A) early ferns
B) horsetails and tree ferns
C) lycopods and ferns
D) gymnosperms
E) angiosperms

Question 60

Vascular plants are thought to be the result of a single evolutionary event: the evolution of the tracheid.This cell type

A) provides a mechanism for the storage of a new type of carbohydrate (starch).
B) is the first cell type to contain chloroplasts.
C) permits fertilization in the absence of water,thus permitting plants to invade dry habitats.
D) forms the seed.
E) is the principal water-conducting element of the xylem in all vascular plants except for the angiosperms.

Question 61

A branching independent sporophyte is beneficial to plants in a number of ways.What is not one of those benefits?

A) Advantages in competition for light for photosynthesis
B) The ability to evolve microphylls
C) The ability to evolve megaphylls,which increase photosynthetic ability
D) The ability of the sporophyte to live in a different environment from that of the gametophyte
E) The capacity of the gametophyte to grow much larger

Question 62

Throughout the evolution of the land plants,the sporophyte generation has become _______ and more independent of the gametophyte,and the gametophyte generation has become _______ and more dependent on the sporophyte.

A) smaller;smaller
B) larger;smaller
C) smaller;larger
D) larger;larger
E) larger or smaller;larger

Question 63

The evidence suggesting that heterospory probably affords selective advantages is that it

A) is found in the most primitive land plants.
B) is found only in the most advanced land plants.
C) is simpler than homospory.
D) evolved a number of times.
E) evolved along with swimming sperm.

Question 64

Which statement about ferns is false?

A) The sporophyte is larger than the gametophyte.
B) Most are heterosporous.
C) The young sporophyte can grow independently of the gametophyte.
D) The leaf is a megaphyll.
E) The gametophytes produce archegonia and antheridia.

Question 65

If lignin-containing cell walls had not evolved in land plants,we might now be seeing

A) fields of tall plants that lack stomata but have rhizoids.
B) forests of tall animals instead of tall plants on the planet.
C) plants that grow underground instead of growing tall.
D) the same plant communities that we have now,because they still have cellulose walls.
E) land areas of the planet covered with mats of low-lying plants and no trees.

Question 66

Which type of land plant possesses the microphyll leaf?

A) Mosses
B) Horsetails
C) Club mosses
D) Ferns
E) Liverworts

Question 67

In a heterosporous life cycle,the microspore develops into the _______ gametophyte,and the megaspore develops into the _______ gametophyte.

A) female;male
B) male;female
C) diploid;haploid
D) haploid;diploid
E) diploid;diploid

Question 68

Which plant tissue would not be affected by treatment with a chemical that disrupts chromosome pairing for crossing over?

A) Hornwort antheridium
B) Moss sporangium
C) Fern sori
D) Club moss strobili
E) Horsetail sporangia

Question 69

The most stable resting stage in the life cycle of the seedless vascular plants is the

A) sporangium.
B) spore.
C) spore mother cell.
D) sporophyte.
E) gametophye.

Question 70

In heterosporous land plants,_______ produce _______.

A) microgametophytes;eggs
B) microgametophytes;sperm
C) microgametophytes;eggs and sperm
D) megagametophytes;sperm
E) megagametophytes;eggs and sperm

Question 71

The function of the pollen tube is to

A) eject pollen from the microsporangium.
B) direct pollen to the megasporangium.
C) produce pollen.
D) digest the sporophyte tissue as it elongates toward the female gametophyte.
E) attract animals to the plant to spread the pollen.

Question 72

All plant life cycles have generations that alternate between the gametophyte generation and the _______ generation.

A) heteromorphic
B) sporophyte
C) vascular
D) archegonium
E) antheridium

Question 73

How could you determine if an unknown plant stem has microphylls or small megaphylls?

A) Examine the vascular system.If there is only one strand of vascular tissue,they are most likely microphylls.
B) Measure the length of the leaflike structures.If they are a centimeter or less in length,they are microphylls.
C) Examine the branching pattern.If it is dichotomous,they are most likely megaphylls.
D) Look for sporangia.If they are present,the leaflike structures are most likely microphylls.
E) Look for roots.If they are absent,the structures are most likely megaphylls.

Question 74

The megaphyll found in ferns and seed plants is thought to have evolved

A) from sterile sporangia.
B) by the process of meiosis.
C) by the process of heterospory.
D) as a result of overtopping.
E) spontaneously.

Question 75

The ovule consists of the

A) megasporangium and microsporangium.
B) megasporangium only.
C) microsporangium and the protective integument.
D) microsporangium only.
E) megasporangium and the protective integument.

Question 76

One reason for the enormous evolutionary success of seed plants is their possession of

A) seeds with food reserves for the young sporophyte.
B) complex leaves that can photosynthesize at a faster rate than non-seed-producing plants can.
C) seeds with a resting stage that can remain viable for many years,germinating when conditions are favorable for growth of the sporophyte.
D) an advanced vascular system that pumps water and nutrients around the plant body.
E) Both a and c

Question 77

In some plants,the gametophyte is free-living and photosynthetic.Which group does not have a free-living gametophyte generation?

A) Ferns
B) Bryophytes
C) Angiosperms
D) Lycophytes
E) Hornworts

Question 78

Which structure is thought by some biologists to be the evolutionary origin of microphylls?

A) Sterile sporangia
B) Rhizoids
C) Specialized xylem
D) Photosynthetic tissue developed between complex branching patterns
E) Heterospory

Question 79

Which seed plants have swimming (motile)sperm?

A) Angiosperms
B) Early angiosperms
C) Early gymnosperms and a few early angiosperms
D) Early gymnosperms
E) All living gymnosperms

Question 80

Seed plants are all

A) heterosporous.
B) dioecious.
C) monoecious.
D) eudicots.
E) dependent on animals for fertilization.