Botany

28
Lopez, Timothy Justin T.
1A PH

8/21/15
Ross D. Vasquez, PhD.

Review Questions:
1) Your present concept of plants is probably quite accurate. Most have roots, stems, leaves, and
flowers. Can you name two plants that have cones rather than flowers? Can you name a plant
that appears to not have leaves?
a. Pines and Larches some of the plants that have cones.
b. Cacti dont have leaves.
2) Name two types of fungi. Why were fungi originally included in the plant kingdom? Why do
biologists no longer consider fungi to be plant?
a) Zygomycota, such as black bread molds, and Ascomyta, such as yeasts, are some of the types
of fungi.
b) Fungi were included in the plant kingdom because they are immobile and produce spores,
which function somewhat like seeds
c) Biologists no longer consider fungi to be plants because they differ in many basic biochemical
and genetic respects.
3) How would you distinguish between plants and animals? What characteristics are important?
Plants have cell walls and animals do not have one. Some plants are also photosynthetic
autotrophs which means they can produce their own food, unlike animals that depend only on
other organisms.
4) What are three methods for analyzing nature? Name some advantages and disadvantages of
each.
Religious Method

Speculative Philosophy

Scientific Method

Advantage
There are some things that
cannot be explained and only
God knows what it is
Philosophers develop logical
explanations from simple
observation
It rejects any concepts that can
never be examined, and it
requires that all hypotheses be

Disadvantage
A person needs faith to believe
in something he cannot see (or
observe)
They were no actual
experiment to prove
It takes more time as it
requires more logical
processes.

tested and consistent

5) It is always easy to recognize that something is a living being rather than an inanimate object?
Europa is a moon of Jupiter and it is so far from the sun that there is not enough light for
photosynthesis. The bottom of its ocean must be completely dark and icy cold. Are there
locations like this on Earth that support life and that therefore let us hypothesize that life might
also exist in Europa?
Temperatures in the North and South Pole reach negative values, but still there are some plants
that can live in those areas. Their composition already mutated to its environment so they can
live longer. Likewise, other plants do not need light to live. They can produce their own food
with the absence of light.
6) In the scientific method, all accepted information can be derived only from documented and
controlled observations or experiments.
7) The scientific method deals only with tangible phenomena and objects.
8) Physical forces that control the world are constant through time and are the same everywhere.
9) The fundamental basis of the scientific method is skepticism.
Skepticism is the principle of never being certain of a conclusion, of always being willing to
consider evidence.
10) What is a hypothesis? A theory? Why is it important that each be able to predict the outcome
of a future experiment? How do these differ from speculations?
Hypothesis is a smart guess from an observation. As the hypothesis continues to match the
observations and experiments, it may come to be called a theory. They differ from speculations
because the latter can be said without enough proof to show.
11) If a hypothesis makes predictions that are not accurate and do not help explain future
observations, do those inaccurate predictions prove the hypothesis is not a good model of reality?
On the other hand, if the hypothesis does make accurate predictions, does that accuracy prove the
hypothesis is correct?
Hypothesis must only make predictions that can be tested. If its predictions are accurate, they
support the hypothesis; if its predictions are inaccurate, they prove that the hypothesis is wrong.
12) Do any concepts exist for which the scientific method is inappropriate? Some people suffer
terribly from certain incurable diseases. Can scientific methods be used to develop drugs that
could end a persons life? Can scientific methods be used to decide whether it is right or wrong
to use such drugs? Do you think the concept of right and wrong actually exists? Can you prove it
with scientific methods?

Certain concepts exists for which the scientific method is inappropriate. Intangible things cannot
be studied by scientific method. Science cannot say whether some actions are right or wrong.
13) List the eight concepts that can be used to understand plants.
Plant metabolism is based on the principle of
chemistry and physics
Plants reproduce, passing their genes and
information on to their descendants
Plants must survive in their own environment
An individual plant is the temporary result of
the interaction of genes and environment

Plants must have a means of storing and using

information
Genes, and the information they contain
change
Plants are highly integrated organisms
Plants do not have purpose or decision-making
capacity

14) The first concept used to understand plants is that plant metabolism is based on the principles
of Chemistry and Physics.
15) The fifth concept used to understand plants is that plants must survive in their own
environment. Do you think that the leaves of one in the desert and one in the rain forest differ?
Would it be easier to understand a plants anatomy and physiology, all its biology, if we also
know the type of habitat to which it is adapted?
Yes indeed. The plants must be adapted to the area where they live. If not, they grow and
reproduce poorly or die prematurely. It would be better if we know their original habitat so it will
be easier for them to study their biological background.
16) What is the eighth concept used for studying plants? It is difficult to avoid using the phrase
in order to when referring to plants. Change the 1st statements to be more accurate
1st Statement
Plants have leaves in order to photosynthesize
Plants have flowers in order to reproduce
Plant cells divide in order to make more cells
Wind-pollinated plants have their flowers
located high above the ground in order to be
exposed to stronger wind
Some plants have red flowers in order to attract
hummingbirds
After I eat dinner, my stomach secretes acid in
order to help digest the food

2nd Statement
Plants have leaves that photosynthesize
Plants have flowers that reproduce
Plants cells divide to make more cells
Wind-pollinated plants have their flowers
located high above the ground to be exposed to
stronger wind
Some plants have red flowers to attract
hummingbirds
After I eat dinner, my stomach secretes acid to
help digest the food

17) Life on Earth began about 3.5 billion years ago. At first, organisms were simple, like presentday bacteria.

18) When organisms reproduce, some of their offspring are poorly adapted, and they do not grow
and reproduce as well as the offspring that are well adapted. This is called Natural Selection.
19) What is the fifth concept used for the understanding plants? We do not know for certain what
the environment of this deer is, but would you guess that the deer is well adapted or poorly
adapted? Is it likely to survive long enough to pass on its genes for this particular skin pattern?
Now imagine that the deers environment changes. All hunting is outlawed, does the skin pattern
matter anymore? Is the deer still poorly adapted?
Plants must survive in their own environment. In the case at Figure 1-12, it is impossible for the
deer to adapt because it is already dead before the time it passes its gene to its offspring. On the
other hand, if all hunting is outlawed, the skin pattern does not matter anymore because its
adaptation is useless.
20) Name the three domains. Which are prokaryotes, which are eukaryotes?
Domain
Domain Bacteria
Domain Archaea
Domain Eukarya

Prokaryote or Eukaryote?
Prokaryote
Prokaryote
Eukaryote

21) What are relictual features? Derived (apomorphic) features? Which organisms seem to have
a larger percentage of relictual features- prokaryotes or eukaryotes?
Features that seem relatively unchanges are Relictual features. Features that evolved recently
from features present in ancestral plants are called derived features. Prokaryotic organisms seem
to have a larger percentage of relictual features, as well as the algae (rather than flowering plants)
and amoebas (rather than humans).
22) Is it important to distinguish between plants and the study of plants- that is, the reality of the
plant world and the model of it presented in this book and in the lecture. Do we already know
everything there is to be known about plants? Have we discovered every plant species that
exists? Are we all of our hypotheses about plants correct?
We havent know everything there is to be known about plants. Even the smartest scientist or
botanist still have a lot of questions that need to be answered. We havent discovered every plant
species on Earth. Our knowledge of the world is incomplete and inaccurate; as scientific studies
continue, incompleteness diminishes and inaccuracies are corrected.
23) Plants are part of reality, and the study of plants attempts to create a model of that reality and
build a vocabulary of exchange ideas about the reality.
Our observations and interpretations constitute a body of knowledge that is both incomplete and
inaccurate. Our knowledge is an incomplete reflection of reality.

24) As you read, you will deal with two type of information: Observation and Interpretations.
Most observations are reasonably accurate and trustworthy. A correct scientific interpretation
must make an accurate prediction about the outcome of a future observation or experiment.
25) This chapter closes by suggesting that you keep in mind two questions as you study this book
and plants themselves. What are those two questions?
a. What are the alternatives?
b. What are the consequences?