Campbell Biology, 10e (Reece)
Chapter 29 Plant Diversity I: How Plants Colonized Land
1) According to the fossil record, plants colonized terrestrial habitats _____.
A) in conjunction with insects that pollinated them
B) in conjunction with fungi that helped provide them with nutrients from the soil
C) to escape abundant herbivores in the oceans
D) only about 150 million years ago
2) The most direct ancestors of land plants were probably _____.
A) kelp (brown alga) that formed large beds near the shorelines
B) green algae
C) photosynthesizing prokaryotes (cyanobacteria)
D) liverworts and mosses
3) About 450 million years ago, the terrestrial landscape on Earth would have _____.
A) looked very similar to that of today, with flowers, grasses, shrubs, and trees
B) been completely bare rock, with little pools that contained bacteria and cyanobacteria
C) been covered with tall forests in swamps that became today’s coal
D) had non-vascular green plants similar to liverworts forming green mats on rock
4) What evidence do paleobotanists look for that indicates the movement of plants from water to
land?
A) waxy cuticle to decrease evaporation from leaves
B) loss of structures that produce spores
C) sporopollenin to inhibit evaporation from leaves
D) remnants of chloroplasts from photosynthesizing cells
5) Which of these time intervals, based on plant fossils, came last (most recently)?
A) extensive growth of gymnosperm forests
B) colonization of land by early liverworts and mosses
C) rise and diversification of angiosperms
D) carboniferous swamps with giant horsetails and lycophytes
6) Why have biologists hypothesized that the first land plants had a low, sprawling growth habit?
A) They were tied to the water for reproduction and thus needed to remain in close contact with
the moist soil.
B) The ancestors of land plants, green algae, lack the structural support to stand erect in air.
C) Land animals of that period were small and could not pollinate tall plants.
D) There was less competition for space so they simply spread out flat.
7) Spores and seeds have basically the same function—dispersal—but are vastly different
because _____.
A) spores have a protective outer covering; seeds do not
B) spores have an embryo; seeds do not
C) spores have stored nutrition; seeds do not
D) spores are unicellular; seeds are not
8) You find a green organism in a pond near your house and believe it is a plant, not an alga. The
mystery organism is most likely a plant and not an alga if it _____.
A) contains chloroplasts
B) is surrounded by a cuticle
C) does not contain vascular tissue
D) has cell walls that are comprised largely of cellulose
9) Retaining the zygote on the living gametophyte of land plants _____.
A) protects the zygote from herbivores
B) evolved concurrently with pollen
C) helps in dispersal of the zygote
D) allows it to be nourished by the parent plant
10) The structural integrity of bacteria is to peptidoglycan as the structural integrity of plant
spores is to _____.
A) lignin
B) cellulose
C) secondary compounds
D) sporopollenin
11) According to our current knowledge of plant evolution, which group of organisms should
feature cell division most similar to that of land plants?
A) unicellular green algae
B) cyanobacteria
C) charophytes
D) red algae
12) Which taxon is essentially equivalent to the “embryophytes”?
A) Plantae
B) Pterophyta
C) Bryophyta
D) Charophycea
13) If the kingdom Plantae is someday expanded to include the charophytes (stoneworts), then
the shared derived characteristics of the kingdom will include _____.
1. rings of cellulose-synthesizing complexes
2. chlorophylls a and b
3. alternation of generations
4. cell walls of cellulose
5. ability to synthesize sporopollenin
A) 1 and 5
B) 1, 2, and 3
C) 1, 3, and 5
D) 1, 2, 4, and 5
14) Which of the following were probably factors that permitted early plants to successfully
colonize land?
1. the relative number of potential predators (herbivores)
2. the relative number of competitors
3. the relative availability of symbiotic partners
4. air’s relative lack of support, compared to water’s support
A) 1 and 2
B) 2 and 3
C) 3 and 4
D) 1, 2, and 3
15) A student encounters a pondweed which appears to be a charophyte (stonewort). 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?
1. molecular structure of enzymes inside the chloroplasts
2. structure of sperm cells
3. presence of phragmoplasts
4. rings of cellulose-synthesizing complexes
A) 1 and 3
B) 1 and 4
C) 2 and 3
D) 2, 3, and 4
The following questions refer to the generalized life cycle for land plants shown in the figure
below. Each number within a circle or square represents a specific plant or plant part, and each
number over an arrow represents either meiosis, mitosis, or fertilization.
16) In the figure above, which number represents the mature gametophyte?
A) 1
B) 3
C) 7
D) 11
17) In the figure above, which number represents an embryo?
A) 1
B) 3
C) 7
D) 11
18) In the figure above, meiosis is most likely to be represented by which number(s)?
A) 2
B) 4
C) 2 and 8
D) 10 and 12
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19) Which number represents a megaspore mother cell in the figure above?
A) 1
B) 3
C) 5
D) 7
20) In the figure above, the process labeled “6” involves _____.
A) mitosis
B) meiosis
C) fertilization
D) binary fission
21) The embryo sac of an angiosperm flower is best represented by which number in the figure
above?
A) 1
B) 3
C) 7
D) 11
22) In angiosperms, which number in the figure above represents a component contributing to
the formation of endosperm?
A) 1
B) 7
C) 9
D) 11
23) Stomata _____.
A) occur in all land plants and define them as a monophyletic group
B) open to allow gas exchange and close to decrease water loss
C) occur in all land plants and are the same as pores
D) open to increase both water absorption and gas exchange
24) Liverworts, hornworts, and mosses are grouped together as the Bryophytes. Besides not
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having vascular tissue, what do they all have in common?
A) They are all wind pollinated.
B) They are heterosporous.
C) They can reproduce asexually by producing gemmae.
D) They require water for reproduction.
25) Most moss gametophytes do not have a cuticle and are 1-2 cells thick. What does this imply
about moss gametophytes and their structure?
A) They use stomata for gas exchange regulation.
B) They can easily lose water to, and absorb water from, the atmosphere.
C) Photosynthesis occurs throughout the entire gametophyte surface.
D) They have branching veins in their leaves.
26) As you stroll through a moist forest, you are most likely to see a _____.
A) zygote of a green alga
B) gametophyte of a moss
C) sporophyte of a liverwort
D) gametophyte of a fern
27) Which of these are spore-producing structures?
A) sporophyte (capsule) of a moss
B) antheridium of a moss or fern
C) archegonium of a moss or fern
D) gametophyte of a moss
28) What is true about the genus Sphagnum?
A) It is an economically important liverwort.
B) It grows in extensive mats in grassland areas.
C) It accumulates to form coal and is burned as a fuel.
D) It is an important carbon sink, reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide.
29) How are the bryophytes and seedless vascular plants alike?
A) Plants in both groups have vascular tissue.
B) In both groups, sperm swim from antheridia to archegonia.
C) The dominant generation in both groups is the sporophyte.
D) Plants in both groups have true roots, stems, and leaves.
30) In general, liverworts have a cuticle and pores. However, some species do not have pores.
What would you predict concerning the cuticle of these species and why?
A) The cuticle would be the same as in those species with pores.
B) The cuticle would be thicker than in those species with pores.
C) The cuticle would be thinner than in those species with pores.
31) Archegonia _____.
A) are the sites where male gametes are produced
B) may contain sporophyte embryos
C) have the same function as sporangia
D) make asexual reproductive structures
32) Which of the following is a true statement about plant reproduction?
A) Embryophytes are small plants in an early developmental stage.
B) Male and female bryophytes each produce a type of gametangia.
C) Eggs and sperm of most land plants swim toward one another.
D) Bryophytes are limited to asexual reproduction.
33) Assuming that they all belong to the same plant, arrange the following structures from largest
to smallest.
1. antheridia
2. gametes
3. gametophytes
A) 2, 3, 1
B) 2, 1, 3
C) 3, 2, 1
D) 3, 1, 2
34) The leaflike appendages of moss gametophytes may be one to two cell layers thick.
Consequently, which of the following is LEAST likely to be found associated with such
appendages?
A) cuticle
B) phenolics
C) stomata
D) peroxisomes
35) Which of the following is true of the life cycle of mosses?
A) The haploid generation grows on the sporophyte generation.
B) Spores are primarily distributed by water currents.
C) Antheridia and archegonia are produced by gametophytes.
D) The sporophyte generation is dominant.
36) At some time during their life cycles, bryophytes make _____.
A) microphylls
B) true roots
C) true leaves
D) sporangia
37) 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 _____.
A) lower numbers of bacteria
B) reduced rates of decomposition
C) reduced oxygen content
D) less-acidic water
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Researchers tested nitrogen loss from soil where the moss Dawsonia was growing, and compared
it to soil from which Dawsonia had been removed. The data are presented below.
Researchers decided to test the hypothesis that if the 1-meter-tall Dawsonia gametophyte-
sporophyte plants had acted as a physical buffer, then they would have reduced water’s ability to
erode the soil and carry away its nitrogen. They began with four equal-sized areas where
Dawsonia mosses grew to a height of 1 m above the soil surface. One of the four areas was not
modified. In the second area, the mosses were trimmed to a height of 0.5 m above the soil
surface. In the third area, the mosses were trimmed to a height of 0.25 m above the soil surface.
In the fourth area, the mosses were trimmed all the way to the ground, leaving only the rhizoids.
Water, simulating rainfall, was then added in a controlled fashion to all plots over the course of
one year. The figure below presents four graphs that depict potential results of this experiment.
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38) In the figure above, which graph of soil nitrogen loss over time most strongly supports the
hypothesis that if the 1-m tall Dawsonia gametophyte-sporophyte plants had acted as a physical
buffer, then they would have reduced water’s ability to erode the soil and carry away its
nitrogen?
A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
39) Soil nitrogen is not solely contained within the rhizoids of the Dawsonia mosses because
rhizoids _____.
A) are associated with fungi that inhibit mineral transfer from soil to rhizoids
B) are not absorptive structures
C) lack direct attachment to the moss sporophytes
D) immediately transfer the nitrogen to the sporophyte
40) The 1-m height attainable by Dawsonia moss is at the upper end of the size range reached by
mosses. What accounts for the relative tallness of Dawsonia?
A) the cuticle that is found along the ridges of “leaves”
B) “leaves” that are more than one cell layer thick
C) reduced size, mass, and persistence of the sporophytes, which allows gametophores to grow
taller
D) the presence of conducting tissues in the “stem”
41) Encouraging the growth (via nutrient fertilization) of photosynthetic protists in marine
environments may help reduce global warming because _____.
A) photosynthetic protists are primary consumers in many marine food chains
B) photosynthetic protists fix atmospheric carbon dioxide, decreasing atmospheric carbon
dioxide levels
C) the increased oxygen consumption by large populations of photosynthetic protists will
increase photosynthesis in land plants
D) photosynthetic protists would release a lot of oxygen, and fertilizing them would increase
levels of oxygen in the atmosphere
42) Which set contains the most closely related terms?
A) megasporangium, megaspore, pollen, ovule
B) microsporangium, microspore, egg, ovary
C) megasporangium, megaspore, egg, ovule
D) microsporangium, microspore, carpel, ovary
43) How could you determine if a plant is heterosporous?
A) Male and female reproductive structures are located on separate plants.
B) It has vascular tissue.
C) It has multiple sporangia.
D) Its diploid sporophyte produces spores via meiosis.
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44) A botanist discovers a new species of plant in a tropical rain forest. After observing its
anatomy and life cycle, he notes the following characteristics: flagellated sperm, xylem with
tracheids, separate gametophyte and sporophyte generations with the sporophyte dominant, and
no seeds. This plant is probably most closely related to _____.
A) mosses
B) ferns
C) gymnosperms
D) flowering plants
45) You are hiking in a forest and come upon a mysterious plant, which you determine is either a
lycophyte sporophyte or a pterophyte sporophyte. Which of the following would be most helpful
in determining the correct classification of the plant?
A) whether or not it has true leaves
B) whether it has microphylls or megaphylls
C) whether or not it has seeds
D) its height
46) Assuming that they all belong to the same plant, arrange the following structures from largest
to smallest (or from most inclusive to least inclusive).
1. spores
2. sporophylls
3. sporophytes
4. sporangia
A) 2, 4, 3, 1
B) 2, 3, 4, 1
C) 3, 1, 4, 2
D) 3, 2, 4, 1
47) If humans had been present to build log structures during the Carboniferous period (they
were not), which plant types would have been suitable sources of logs?
A) horsetails and bryophytes
B) lycophytes and bryophytes
C) ferns, horsetails, and lycophytes
D) charophytes (stoneworts), bryophytes, and gymnosperms
48) Arrange the following terms from most inclusive to least inclusive.
1. embryophytes
2. green plants
3. seedless vascular plants
4. ferns
5. tracheophytes
A) 1, 2, 5, 3, 4
B) 2, 1, 5, 3, 4
C) 2, 5, 1, 3, 4
D) 1, 4, 2, 5, 3
Use the following description to answer the question(s) below.
A biology student hiking in a forest happens upon an erect, 15-cm-tall plant that bears
microphylls and a strobilus at its tallest point. When disturbed, the cone emits a dense cloud of
brownish dust. A pocket magnifying glass reveals the dust to be composed of tiny spheres with a
high oil content.
49) This student has probably found a(n) _____.
A) bryophyte sporophyte
B) fern sporophyte
C) horsetail gametophyte
D) lycophyte sporophyte
50) Besides oil, what other chemical should be detected in substantial amounts upon chemical
analysis of these small spheres?
A) sporopollenins
B) phenolics
C) waxes
D) terpenes
Use the following information to answer the question(s) below.
Big Bend National Park in Texas is mostly Chihuahuan desert, where rainfall averages about 10
inches per year. Yet, it is not uncommon when hiking in this bone-dry desert 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.
51) What feature of both true mosses and ferns makes it most surprising that they can survive for
many generations in dry deserts?
A) flagellated sperm
B) lack of vascular tissues
C) lack of true roots
D) lack of cuticle
52) Which of the following features is most important for true mosses and ferns to reproduce in
the desert?
A) that the sporophytes occupy only permanently shady, north-facing habitats
B) that the sporophytes hug the ground, growing no taller than a couple of inches
C) either that their gametophytes grow close together, or that they be hermaphroditic
D) that the sporophytes have highly lignified vascular tissues
53) Which of the following characteristics is (are) possessed in common by true mosses, ferns,
and spike mosses, and therefore becomes useless at helping to determine to which of these
groups “flower of stone” belongs?
1. a sporophyte generation that is dominant
2. true leaves and roots
3. flagellated sperm
4. strobili
5. alternation of generations
A) 5 only
B) 1 and 5
C) 2 and 3
D) 3 and 5
54) Upon closer inspection of the leaves of “flower of stone,” one can observe tiny, cone-like
structures. Each cone-like structure emits spores of two different sizes. Further investigation also
reveals that the roots of “flower of stone” branch only at the growing tip of the root, forming a Y-
shaped structure. Based on these additional observations, which of the following can be properly
inferred about “flower of stone”?
1. It is heterosporous.
2. It is a fern.
3. The cone-like structures are sori.
4. It is a lycophyte.
5. It has separate male and female gametophytes.
A) 1 and 5
B) 2 and 3
C) 1, 2, and 3
D) 1, 4, and 5
55) Upon closer inspection of the leaves of “flower of stone,” one can observe tiny, cone-like
structures. Each cone-like structure emits spores of two different sizes. Further investigation also
reveals that the roots of “flower of stone” branch only at the growing tip of the root, forming a Y-
shaped structure. Consequently, which of the following is the closest living relative of “flower of
stone”?
A) true moss
B) club moss
C) liverwort
D) fern
56) Upon closer inspection of the leaves of “flower of stone,” one can observe tiny, cone-like
structures. Each cone-like structure emits spores of two different sizes. Further investigation also
reveals that the roots of “flower of stone” branch only at the growing tip of the root, forming a Y-
shaped structure. Consequently, “flower of stone” should be expected to possess which other
characteristics?
1. a gametophyte generation that is dominant
2. lignified vascular tissues
3. microphylls
4. filamentous rhizoids, but not true roots
5. spores that are diploid when mature
A) 1 and 2
B) 1 and 5
C) 2 and 3
D) 3, 4, and 5
57) In which combination of locations would one who is searching for the gametophytes of
“flower of stone” have the best chance of finding them?
1. moist soil
2. underground, nourished there by symbiotic fungi
3. south- or west-facing slopes
4. permanently shady places
5. far from any flower of stone sporophytes
A) 1 only
B) 1 and 2
C) 1, 2, and 4
D) 1, 2, and 5
58) Suppose an efficient conducting system evolved in a moss that could transport water and
other materials as high as a tall tree. Which of the following statements about “trees” of such a
species would be FALSE?
A) Fertilization would probably be more difficult.
B) Spore dispersal distances would probably increase.
C) Females could produce only one archegonium.
D) Individuals would probably compete more effectively for access to light.
59) Which of the following features of how seedless land plants get sperm to egg are the same as
for some of their algal ancestors?
A) Conjugation tubes are formed between sperm and egg cells.
B) Packets of sperm are delivered by wind to the eggs.
C) Aquatic invertebrates carry sperm to eggs.
D) Flagellated sperm swim to the eggs in a water drop.
60) Increasing the number of stomata per unit surface area of a leaf when atmospheric carbon
dioxide levels decline is most analogous to a human _____.
A) breathing faster as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels increase
B) putting more red blood cells into circulation when atmospheric oxygen levels decline
C) breathing more slowly as atmospheric oxygen levels increase
D) increasing the volume of its lungs when atmospheric carbon dioxide levels increase