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Campbell Biology: Concepts and Connections, 8e (Reece et al.)
Chapter 17 The Evolution of Plant and Fungal Diversity
17.1 Multiple-Choice Questions
1) The ancestors of land plants were probably ________ that lived in ________.
A) green algae similar to charophytes; the open ocean
B) green algae similar to charophytes; coastal marshes or lake fringes
C) cyanobacteria; coastal marshes or lake fringes
D) cyanobacteria; moist soil crust communities
2) Gas exchange in most land plants occurs through structures called
A) stomata.
B) apical meristems.
C) vascular tissue.
D) cuticles.
3) A growth-producing region of cell division, known as a/an ________, is found near the tips of
stems and roots.
A) sporangium
B) cuticle
C) apical meristem
D) lignin
4) In plants, the vascular tissue made of dead cells that transport water and minerals from the
roots is called
A) xylem.
B) phloem.
C) conducting tissue.
D) meristem.
5) In plants, the vascular tissue that consists of living cells that distribute sugars throughout the
plant is called
A) xylem.
B) phloem.
C) conducting tissue.
D) meristem.
6) In all plants, the zygote and earliest stages of the developing embryo are
A) enclosed within a seed.
B) enclosed within a pollen grain.
C) attached to and nourished by the parent plant.
D) able to disperse in a tough-walled spore.
7) Mosses belong to the group of plants known as the
A) angiosperms.
B) gymnosperms.
C) bryophytes.
D) vascular plants.
8) Which of the following statements regarding ferns is true?
A) Ferns do not have lignified cell walls or well-developed roots.
B) Ferns have well-developed vascular tissue, roots, and stems.
C) Ferns produce seeds that are dispersed by water.
D) Ferns produce pollen that is dispersed by air.
9) The majority of plant species today are
A) angiosperms.
B) bryophytes.
C) gymnosperms.
D) seedless vascular plants.
10) Which of the following characteristics tends to limit bryophytes and seedless vascular plants
to habitats that are relatively moist?
A) absence of cuticle
B) presence of flagellated sperm
C) presence of free-living, independent zygotes and early embryos
D) presence of lignified vascular tissues
11) Which of the following options correctly represents the most likely sequence of the evolution
of plants, from earliest to most recent?
A) bryophytes, seedless vascular plants, gymnosperms, angiosperms
B) seedless vascular plants, bryophytes, angiosperms, gymnosperms
C) bryophytes, seedless vascular plants, angiosperms, gymnosperms
D) bryophytes, gymnosperms, seedless vascular plants, angiosperms
12) The type of life cycle seen in plants is called
A) haploid generations.
B) gametophyte production.
C) alternation of generations.
D) diploid generations.
13) Which of the following statements correctly describes the alternation of generations in a
plant life cycle?
A) Diploid sporophytes that produce spores by meiosis alternate with haploid gametophytes that
produce gametes by mitosis.
B) Diploid sporophytes that produce gametes by meiosis alternate with haploid sporophytes that
produce gametes by mitosis.
C) Diploid gametophytes that produce spores by mitosis alternate with haploid sporophytes that
produce gametes by meiosis.
D) Diploid gametophytes that produce gametes by meiosis alternate with haploid sporophytes
that produce spores by mitosis.
14) The dominant stage of the moss life cycle is the
A) sporophyte.
B) gametangium.
C) pollen.
D) gametophyte.
15) Ferns and mosses are similar because both
A) produce drought-resistant seeds.
B) have dominant sporophytes.
C) have flagellated sperm.
D) have sporophytes that produce diploid spores.
16) In a moss, most of the plants that we see are ________, and in a fern, the most dominant
stage is the ________.
A) gametophytes; gametophyte
B) gametophytes; sporophyte
C) sporophytes; gametophyte
D) sporophytes; sporophyte
17) Which of the following organisms has a dominant sporophyte generation and a free-living
gametophyte generation?
A) moss
B) fern
C) mushroom
D) conifer
18) About 95% of all modern plant species
A) have a dominant sporophyte in their life cycle.
B) have no gametophyte.
C) have a gametophyte adapted to house a sporophyte stage.
D) have flagellated sperm.
19) During the Carboniferous period, photosynthesis in immense swamp forests removed
________ from the atmosphere, which produced a drier, cooler global climate and promoted the
success of ________.
A) oxygen; ferns
B) oxygen; seed plants
C) carbon dioxide; lycophytes
D) carbon dioxide; seed plants
20) The incomplete decay of dead plants during the Carboniferous period led to
A) global warming.
B) the thinning of the ozone layer.
C) the formation of coal.
D) the formation of tropical swamps.
21) Which part of the life cycle does a pollen grain represent?
A) a spore
B) a sperm cell
C) a male gametophyte
D) a male sporophyte
22) Which of the following represents the male gametophyte of a conifer?
A) pollen grain
B) sperm
C) pollen cone
D) tree
23) Which of the following plants has a dominant sporophyte generation and a seed, but no fruit?
A) fern
B) pine tree
C) tulip
D) moss
24) The ________ represents the sporophyte generation of a conifer, and the ________ produces
gametophytes.
A) cone; tree
B) tree; cone
C) tree; pollen
D) seed; tree
25) Two characteristics shared by gymnosperms and angiosperms that are absent from earlier
plant groups and represent key adaptations to life on dry land are
A) a vascular system and lignin.
B) flagellated sperm and gametangia.
C) flowers and fruits.
D) pollen and seeds.
26) The ________ is the protective chamber that houses the ovule and later matures to become
the fruit.
A) ovary
B) carpel
C) sepals
D) stigma
27) In angiosperms, pollen grains develop in the ________ and land on the ________.
A) anther; stigma
B) stigma; anther
C) anther; ovary
D) carpel; stamen
28) To cross-fertilize flowers A and B, one would first remove flower A’s immature ________
and later transfer pollen from flower B to flower A’s ________.
A) carpe; ovule
B) anthers; stamen
C) stamens; stigma
D) stigma; style
29) The angiosperm plant we see represents the ________ generation, and the flower produces
________.
A) sporophyte; gametophytes
B) sporophyte; bryophytes
C) gametophyte; sporophytes
D) gametophyte; bryophytes
30) Some of the unique adaptations of angiosperms include their beneficial relationships with
________ and their relatively ________.
A) animals; well-developed vascular system
B) animals; rapid fertilization and seed production
C) animals; large sporophyte
D) fungi; well-developed vascular system
31) The ripened ovary of a flower, which is adapted to disperse seeds, is called a/an
A) ovule.
B) casing.
C) fruit.
D) sporangium.
32) Which structure is found in angiosperms but not gymnosperms?
A) fruit
B) spores
C) seeds
D) ovule
33) A cocklebur is dispersed by ________, whereas most fleshy, edible fruits are eaten by
animals that ________.
A) wind; fully digest the fruits, including the seeds, which are killed
B) water currents; defecate the intact seeds
C) hitching rides on animals; fully digest the fruits, including the seeds, which are killed
D) hitching rides on animals; defecate the intact seeds
34) Corn, rice, wheat, fleshy fruits such as apples and berries, and many spices are all produced
by
A) gymnosperms.
B) ferns.
C) angiosperms.
D) seedless plants.
35) Corn, peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers all contain seeds and are derived from the ovary of
a flowering plant. Therefore, in scientific terms, they are ________.
A) fruits.
B) vegetables.
C) sporophytes.
D) seeds.
36) Red maples and other wind-pollinated plants invest relatively little in producing ________
but must invest a great deal in producing ________ to achieve good pollination rates.
A) floral scents; showy petals
B) showy or scented flowers; massive amounts of pollen
C) pollen; showy or scented flowers
D) seeds; massive amounts of pollen
37) Which of the following features would you expect to see in the flowers of wind-pollinated
grasses?
A) very large, fragrant, white flowers
B) petals with UV-absorbing “nectar guides”
C) very simple flowers that produce massive quantities of pollen
D) red flowers with long nectar tubes
38) Plants dependent on nocturnal (night-flying) pollinators typically have flowers that
A) absorb UV light.
B) are small.
C) are large, light-colored, and highly scented.
D) are located close to the ground and smell of rotting flesh.
39) One of the factors that helps animal-pollinated flowering plants transfer pollen to plants of
the same species is that
A) pollinators are able to rapidly extract nectar from any species of flower, regardless of the
pollinators’ past or recent experience with a given flower type.
B) most pollinators broadly use many different types of flowers.
C) many pollinators have limited learning capacities and are most successful at obtaining food if
they continue to visit the same type of flower after learning how to extract its nectar.
D) each species of pollinator typically visits flowers of one and only one plant species.
40) Many flower traits are specifically attractive to a certain type of pollinator. For example, the
scent of rotting flesh is attractive to certain flies and beetles but not to most other pollinators.
What adaptive purpose is served by this kind of “niche marketing” of flowers to specific
pollinators?
A) This adaptation works to reduce pollinator traffic at a flower. Therefore, flowers do not have
to produce as much nectar to feed big crowds of pollinators.
B) This adaptation reduces pollinator traffic so that flowers have a chance to develop their pollen
fully before it is spread.
C) This targeting is done because the wrong kind of pollinator might eat all the pollen instead of
delivering it to another flower.
D) This adaptation helps to assure that pollen will be delivered to another flower of the same
species. If less specialized pollinators are used, the odds are greater that pollen will wind up on
the stigma of a different species.
41) The main causes of the loss of plant biodiversity include
A) plant diseases and clear-cutting of forests to create farmland.
B) herbivory, logging, and air pollution.
C) clear-cutting of forests to create farmland and logging.
D) plant diseases and herbivory.
42) The loss of plant biodiversity, including the wild relatives of crop species, is harmful because
these wild relatives
A) feed most of the world’s population.
B) may be suitable for domestication and regional production.
C) are often tastier than existing crops.
D) are a source of genetic diversity that could be used to modify or bolster existing crops.
43) Heterotrophic eukaryotes that digest their food externally and absorb the small molecules are
referred to as
A) bacteria.
B) fungi.
C) plants.
D) multicellular algae.
44) The intimate, mutually beneficial association formed between a fungus and the root of a
plant is called a
A) sporophyte.
B) mycorrhiza.
C) hypha.
D) mycelium.
45) Fungi are found associated with the earliest plant fossils. Fungi may have helped plants
become terrestrial by
A) forming mycorrhizal associations with plants and by decomposing organic matter.
B) stocking the soil with organic matter.
C) providing simple organic compounds in return for sugars.
D) killing the bacterial enemies of plants.
46) Threadlike fungal filaments are called
A) mycelia.
B) hyphae.
C) vascular bundles.
D) mold.