Name: AP Biology The Secret Life of Plants Guided Viewing Questions The following questions cover the main points in the life cycles of moss, fern, pine and flowering plants as covered in The Secret Life of Plants series of animations. Video 1: The Secret Life of Mosses 1. How could you distinguish a male from a female reproductive structure in a moss gametophyte? 2. Describe what a moss sperm looks like and how it moves. 3. Moss sperm can swim only a short distance, yet often reach female plants some distance away. Can you explain how this is accomplished? 4. Does the moss embryo remain inside the female reproductive structure? Explain. 5. Describe the growth and appearance of the moss embryo. 6. What is the capsule? 7. What is a spore? 8. If a spore lands on a moist surface, it germinates. What is meant by germination?
Video 2: The Secret Life of Ferns 1. Some ferns have a way of covering their spore cases (sporangia). Explain how this is done. What advantage would this have? 2. Explain the following observation: The cells of a fern sporophyte have two sets of chromosomes but those of the spores that it produces have but one set of chromosomes. 3. What is a spore? Describe its wall and contents. 4. Describe the structure of the band of cells ( annulus ) that encircles the fern spore case ( sporangium )? What is its function? 5. What is the major importance of the spore in the fern life cycle? (Clue: sperm can only move in a liquid and for a short distance.) 6. Describe the size and appearance of the fern gametophyte. Can you think of good locations for where you would most likely find fern gametophytes in the wild? 7. Where are the reproductive organs located on the fern gametophyte? What advantage does this have? 8. How would you distinguish male from female reproductive organs in a fern gametophyte? 9. What is the structure of the fern sperm cell? How does it move about in search of an egg? 10. What advantage is there in having the fern gametophyte flat and close to the moist soil surface?
Video 3: The Secret Life of Pines 1. What does a pollen cone consist of? Briefly describe its parts. 2. Where would you look in order to find the male gametophyte in a pine? 3. Describe how the young ovule cone is organized. Be sure to mention the location of the ovules. 4. How does pollen gain entry to the pollen cone? 5. Explain how the male cells (gametophyte) inside the pollen grain are carried from the surface of the spore case (sporangium) to the female (gametophyte) located inside. 6. How many reproductive structures can the female tissue (gametophyte) form? 7. Where are these reproductive structures located? 8. Describe the path the pollen tube takes to release the sperm cells into the egg. 9. There are several archegonia in the pine female gametophyte. Can more than one be fertilized? 10. The fertilized egg is inside the archegonium, yet the embryos come to lie within the female gametophyte. Can you explain how this occurs?
11. Explain why only one embryo in a pine usually reaches maturity while the others degenerate. Video 4: The Secret Life of the Flower 1. Describe the number and arrangement of spore sacs (microsporangia) inside a typical anther. 2. What is the function of a carpel? 3. Where is an ovule located? What is its structure in the young ovary? 4. Explain what happens when a pollen grain lands on the stigma? 5. Describe the events that take place inside the pollen tube as it grows toward the ovules. 6. How does the young embryo become moved into the center of the endosperm tissue? What advantage does this have for its development? 7. What changes take place in the jacket cells of the ovule as it becomes transformed into the seed? 8. What changes take place in the carpel as the ovule develops into the seed?
Diagram of the Moss Life Cycle (A Typical Bryophyte) Use your textbook to help you label the diagram of the moss life cycle below. Use different colors to indicate the haploid and diploid parts of the cycle. (10 pts)
Diagram of the Fern Life Cycle Use your textbook to help you label the diagram of the fern life cycle below. Use different colors to indicate the haploid and diploid parts of the cycle. (10 pts)
Diagram of the Pine Life Cycle (A Typical Gymnosperm) Use your textbook to help you label the diagram of the pine life cycle below. Use different colors to indicate the haploid and diploid parts of the cycle. (10 pts)
Diagram of the Angiosperm Life Cycle Use your textbook to help you label the diagram of the angiosperm life cycle below. Use different colors to indicate the haploid and diploid parts of the cycle. (10 pts)