The Private Life of Plants

Terms in this set (28)

The bramble grip shifts from side to side while shoot thrusts ahead to move over the ground.
How does the bramble grip and move over the ground?
Seeds of the birdcage are spread as it tumbles.
What does the birdcage plant spread as it tumbles over the desert dunes?
The spores within the earthstar fungi escape.
What happens to the earthstar fungi when raindrops land on it?
They use fluff.
What technique do the cottonwood trees use to spread their seeds?
Helicopters, Flying Planes, and Trampolines are three objects plant seeds resemble.
What are three objects that plant seeds resemble?
It uses the ocean current, it can remain viable for up to a year.
How does the sea bean move its seeds? How long can it stay viable (able to grow)?
The rhinos usually eat the seed at day, then go out to the plains where the seeds could grow and deposit them.
What would happen to the Truia tree in Nepal if there were no rhinoceroses around?
The toad flax uses seeds.
Some seeds aren't just dispersed - they're planted. Give one example.
They need parasites killed.
What do acacia trees need for their life cycle?
complete
Most flowers combine male and female parts in one flower. This kind of flower is called a(n) _______ flower.
Combining male and female flowers at different times, plant recognizing own pollen and won't accept it, seperating male and female structures.
How do some flowers prevent self-pollination? (three ways at least)
Red draws their attention due to its smell.
What kind of flower colors and scents attract birds? Why?
The sunbird pollinates it.
What pollinates the South African aloe?
It carries away the pollen with its nose.
How does the bushmouse help the Proteo?
The lemurs can use their great strength to get up the tree, also their long tongues give an advantage.
What trait allows black lemurs in Madagascar to reach nectar in the palm tree?
They carry pollen getting stuck on their body while trying to get the pollen. They then pack the pollen in a "basket" between their legs.
How do carpenter bees carry pollen?
The hoverfly uses it to feed on.
How do the South African iris and the hoverfly show co-evolution? (Their traits are specifically adapted to each other)
The Mountain Pride Butterfly carries a long yellow strip/sack of pollen
What is the "pollinium" that the Mountain Pride Butterfly carries for a red orchid?
Symbiotic mutualism
What kind of symbiosis do the tropical fig tree and a wasp have?
mimicry
European orchids resemble female bees and wasps. Resembling something in nature to attract or avoid attention is called ________.
Three reasons: Mimics smell, shape, and color
Describe the trickery the orchid uses on the Tenid wasp.
The Titan Erum blooms once every 1000 days which is 9 feet by 3 feet
What is the biggest flower in the Sumatran Rain Forest? How big is it and how often does it bloom?
Decomposers break down dead material and return nutrients to the soil. Forest fires add nutrition to the soil.
How is the soil in the forest enriched?
The vine makes and spreads open its leaves.
What does a climbing vine do when it finally reaches the light?
The seeds of the fig are carried to the canopy by bird and/or the wind. There the seeds germinate and send roots down to the forest floor.
Eventually the fig is so big that it uses all the nutrition and water and kills the host plant.
Describe the interaction of the strangler fig and trees in the forest.
The fungi trap nutrients from fallen leaves using their hyphae. They also capture small roundworms and get nitrogen from their bodies.
How do some fungi get the nitrogen they require?
A fire can provide nutrients in the burnt ash. It can remove large trees that would block sunlight
and give small plants room to grow.
What are three benefits that plants can receive from a fire?
Acacia trees unchecked can choke out the grasslands. Elephants knock the acacias down to eat their leaves and in doing so give the grasses room, access to sunlight and nutrition so they grow again.
How do elephants help restore the African grasslands?
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