Experiment 1 - Kingdom Plantae Simple Plants and Gymnosperms
Exercise 1
1. Describe three characteristics that all members of kingdom Plantae have in common.
2. Identify a characteristic that mosses have in common with ferns, but not with conifers.
3. Identify a characteristic that ferns have in common with conifers, but not with mosses.
4. What characteristic determines whether or not a plant is considered nonvascular?
Exercise 2
1. When visualizing moss, a low-lying soft green plant may come to mind. Would this visualization reflect the gametophyte, sporophyte, or rhizoid?
2. When you viewed the leaf-like structures under the microscope, did you see evidence of vascularization? Describe what you observed.
3. Moss has a great number of leaf-like structures over a small area. How does this arrangement assist the leaves in interacting with their environment?
4. Why are rhizoids not considered true roots?
5. Where is the sperm housed? Where are the eggs housed? What conditions must exist for the sperm to reach the egg?
6. Compare and contrast the view of anatomical features with the magnifying hand lens and the microscope. Where you able to identify more structures with the magnifying hand lens or the microscope? Was the level of detail you observed greater with the magnifying hand lens or the microscope?
Exercise 3
1. Describe the similarities and differences between gymnosperms and angiosperms. Why are conifers classified as gymnosperms and not angiosperms?
2. In a conifer, where does the union of the egg and sperm occur? How does sperm reach the egg?
3. Describe the structure and shape of the conifer needle. What is the role of the conifer needle? How does its structure help conserve water?
4. What purpose do the root hairs serve? What purpose does the tap root serve?
5. What is the function of the seed coat? What is the benefit of the stored carbohydrates in the seed?
6. What generation, sporophyte or gametophyte, does the embryo of a seed represent?
Experiment 2 - Kingdom Plantae: Angiosperms
Exercise 1
1. What characteristics are unique to angiosperms, separating them from other plant groups?
2. What do the terms "monocot" and "dicot" mean? How do these names differentiate the two types of plants?
3. Describe three differences between monocot and dicot plants.
Exercise 2
1. Describe the general steps of sexual reproduction in flowering plants.
2. Describe two ways in which fruits benefit seeds.
3. How might a decline in butterfly populations affect abundance of angiosperms?
4. Describe some physical differences between the flowers of your selected monocot and dicot.
Exercise 3
1. What are the notable differences between the monocot and dicot root cross sections?
2. Describe three functions of roots.
Exercise 4
1. What are typical differences between venation in a monocot and a dicot?
2. Why might leaves have thick cuticle layers?