Biology

QUIZ 1
Give one word or two words for the following terms

2.1 The creation of offspring by the fusion of haploid gametes to form a zygote which is
diploid.
fertilization
2.2 The male gamete.
sperm
2.3 Asexual reproduction in which new individuals arise from outgrowths of existing ones.
Budding
2.4 Asexual reproduction in which the body breaks in several pieces, some or all develop in
complete adults.
fragmentation
2.5 An egg develops without being fertilized.
parthenogenesis
Q2: Describe the format of a scientific name and explain why
biologists use scientific names.

• Format: Scientific names are a two-word system, with the first word being the
organism’s genus and the second word being its species. Both words are
italicized. For example, the scientific name for a human is Homo sapiens.
• Why Biologists Use Them: Scientists use scientific names because they provide a
clear and universal way to identify organisms. Common names can vary
depending on location or language, so a hummingbird might be called a
“sugarbird” in one place and a “picaflor” in another. Scientific names eliminate
this confusion.
Q3: An unknown organism was found in a park. It was one-celled, had no nuclear membrane around its DNA, and
contained no mitochondria and no chloroplasts. It belongs to the group:……..

a) eukaryotes
b) vertebrates or plants
c) bacteria or archaea
d) plants or fungi C

e) fungi
In the moss life cycle, the sporophyte…….

a) consists of leafy green shoots

b) is a heart-shaped prothallus
c) consists of a foot, seta and stalk
d) is the dominant generation
e) All of the above are correct

C
life cycle of a moss
The scientific discipline concerned with naming of organisms is called:
………………..

a) taxonomy
b) cladistics
c) binomial nomenclature
d) systematic
e) phylocode
A
CHARACTERISTICS COMMON TO
ALL LAND PLANTS
• apical meristems
• multicellular
• dependent embryos.
• alternation of generations
Name the five characteristics that define
land plants
• Common to all 4 groups but absent in charophyceans
• Apical meristem
• Alternation of generations
• Multicellular dependent embryos
• Spores produced in sporangia
• Multicellular gametangia
 What is photosynthesis
• The conversion of light energy to chemical energy
• That is stored in sugars(glucose)
• Or other organic compounds
• It occurs in plants, algae
• And certain prokaryotes
• It nourishes almost the entire living world directly/indirectly
• It is not a single process but two processes
• Called light reactions(photo) and Calvin cycle(synthesis)
• It is the means by which energy in sunlight
• Becomes us able to living thing
Are plants more important to people or are
people more important to plants
• We could argue that plants are more important to people
• Because we subsist on plants
• We consume them and are higher up in the food chain
• Many plants have been domesticated by people and require people
to be able to actually disseminate their seeds
• For example corn In the case of domesticated plants
• People are just as important to their survival as we are to theirs
 Compare Photo autotrophy and chemo heterotrophy.

• photo autotrophy
• = An organism that harnesses light energy to drive the synthesis of organic
compound from CO2 and in most cases water, they feed themselves and
entire living world.

• Chemo heterotrophy
• = organisms that requires organic molecule for both energy and carbon.
Explain what is meant by phylogeny.
• Phylogeny is the evolutionary history of a species or a taxonomic
group of organisms, particularly the differences and similarities
among them. Phylogeny is represented by a tree diagram called a
phylogenetic tree (family tree).
Distinguish between monophyletic and
paraphyletic groups.

• A monophyletic:
• taxon is one that includes a group of organisms descended from a single
ancestor. All the descendants of the most recent ancestor are included in this
group of species.
• Paraphyletic :
• is a group of organisms that includes an ancestor and some but not all of its
descendants.
What are the three major branches in the
Tree of Life?
• Eubacteria,
• Archaea,
• and Eukaryotes.
The correct sequence, from the most to the least comprehensive, of the taxonomic levels listed
here is:………….

a) family, phylum, class, kingdom, order, species, genus.

b) kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species.
c) kingdom, phylum, order, class, family, genus, species
d) phylum, kingdom, order, class, species, family, genus.
e) phylum, family, class, order, kingdom, genus, species.

B
Which features do ferns share with all other land plants?

a) sporophyte and gametophyte life-cycle stages

b) gametophytes supported by a thallus
c) dispersal of spores from a sorus
d) asexual reproduction by way of gemmae A

e) water uptake by means of rhizoids

Distinguish between bryophytes and pteridophytes

• Pteridophytes are vascular plants with xylem and phloem, that

reproduce and disperse via spores
• Whereas the dominant phase in byrophytes is gametophyte while the
dominant phase in pteridophyte is sporophyte,
• Bryophytes have no vascular tissues while pteridophytes have
vascular tissues.
Describe the format of a scientific name &
explain why biologists use scientific names.
(4)
• The binomial nomenclature system was sought to classify life’s
diversity.
• Carolus Linnaeus developed the two part or binomial format system
of naming species; namely,
• - 1st the genus, & then 2nd the specific epithet e.g. Homo sapiens
for humans.
• - 1st part with capital letter & 2nd part with lowercase letter & both
underlined or in italics
Adaptation that enabled plants to move to land:

• - Charophyte species inhabit shallow waters around ponds, lakes

where they subject to occasional drying.
• - Natural selection(choosing traits best suited to survive
environment), thus would favour algae that can survive when not
submerged in water
• - Charophytes possess a durable layer of sporopollenin which
prevents exposed zygotes from drying out.
• - A similar chemical adaptation is found in the cell walls of plant
spores.
Name the five characteristics that define land plants. (5)

• Alternation of generations: lifecycles of all land plants alternate btwn 2 generations of multicellular organisms-
sporophytes & gametophytes; i.e. each generation gives rise to the other
• Multicellular dependent embryos:
• multicellular plant embryos develop from zygotes that are retained within the female gametophyte, providing nutrients to
developing embryo. Embryo has specialized placental transfer cells which enhance transfer of nutrients from mother to embryo,
thus plants are also known as embryphytes.
• Multicellular gametangia:
• production of gametes within multicellular organs called gametangia, i.e. female gametangia organ =archegonia retains a single
egg within the organ; & male gametangia organ= antheridia produce sperm & release them into environment. In many groups
flagellate sperms swim to egg through water droplets or film of water. Each egg is fertilized within archegonium where zygote
develops into an embryo.
• Walled Spores produced in sporangia:
• Sporophyte has multicellular organ called sporangia that produce spores. Diploid sporocytes in sporangia undergo meiosis to
produce haploid spores which are protected by other tissues of the sporangia until fully developed & released.
• Apical Meristems:
• photosynthetic organisms in terrestrial habitats draw essential nutrients from 2 different places:- sunlight & CO2 above ground;
and water & minerals from underground soil. Although plants don’t move, their roots & shoots elongate to increase exposure to
environmental resources underground. The growth in length is sustained by activity of apical meristems.
Ecological & Economic Importance of
Bryophytes: Mosses …….(10)
• - Dispersal of lightweight spores distribute them far & wide across the world
• - Are particularly common in moist forests & diverse wetlands.
• - Where Mosses have colonized bare sandy soil, researchers have found that they help retain nitrogen in it
• - Moss that harbours nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria increase availability of nitrogen in the ecosystem
• - Mosses can inhabit extreme environments, and some mange very cold & very dry habitats, because they
can survive the loss of most of their body water, & rehydrate when moisture is available. Few vascular
plants can survive this degree of dessication.
• - Boggy Sphagnum “peat moss” don’t decay easily, with ability to survive low T0, pH, & O2 conditions thus
wetlands with abundance of it has managed to preserve corpses for thousands of years.
• - Peat is harvested as a fuel, & is also a useful as a soil conditioner for packing plant roots during shipment
because it has large dead cells that can absorb 20x the mosses weight in water.
• - Peat covers 3% of earth land surface but contains 30% of the world’s carbon thus helping to stabilize
atmospheric CO2
Define the following terms
• An organism that is capable of both heterotrophy and photosynthesis
• Mixotroph
• The innermost layer of the cortex in plant roots, a cylinder one cell thick that forms the
boundary between the cortex and the vascular cylinder
• Endodermis
• The use of living organisms to detoxify and restore polluted and degraded ecosystems
• Bioremediation
• The ovule-producing reproductive organ of a flower, consisting of the stigma, style and ovary
• Carpel
• A group of plant-like protists that is most closely related to plants
• charophytes
Define…..
• A type of membrane-enclosed nucleus and membrane-enclosed organelles
• Eukaryotic cell
• The transfer of pollen from a anther to a stigma
• Pollination
• The joint evolution of two interacting species, each in response to selection imposed by the other
• Coevolution
• The creation of offspring by the fusion of haploid gametes to form a zygote which is diploid
• Sexual reproduction
• The male gamete
• Sperm
• Asexual reproductions in which new individuals anse from outgrowths of existing ones
• Budding