UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL
SCHOOL OF
BIOLOGICAL AND CONSERVATION SCIENCES
LIFE ON EARTH
BIOL 102/196
TEST 2
5 October 2009
NAME: ____________________________________
STUDENT NO: ______________________________
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SECTION A: MULTIPLE CHOICE [10 questions; total 20 marks]
Please note that there will be negative marking for MCQs.
Each correctly answered question = 2 marks; incorrect answers = minus 0.5 marks;
unanswered question = 0.
Please circle the letter of the correct answer on the question paper.
1. The following are all true about the life cycle of mosses except
a. external water is required for fertilization.
b. flagellated sperm are produced.
c. antheridia and archegonia are produced by gametophytes.
d. the gametophyte generation is dominant.
e. the growing embryo gives rise to the gametophyte.
2. A botanist discovers a new species of plant in a tropical rain forest. After observing its
anatomy and life cycle, the following characteristics are noted: flagellated sperm, xylem with
tracheids, separate gametophyte and sporophyte generations with the sporophyte dominant, and
no seeds. This plant is probably most closely related to
a. mosses.
b. charophytes.
c. ferns.
d. gymnosperms.
e. flowering plants.
3. Assuming that they all belong to the same plant, arrange the following structures from largest
to smallest (or from most inclusive to least inclusive).
1. spores
2. sporophylls
3. sporophytes
4. sporangia
a. 2, 4, 3, 1
b. 2, 3, 4, 1
c. 3, 1, 4, 2
d. 3, 4, 2, 1
e. 3, 2, 4, 1
4. Theoretically, a flowering plant should still be able to reproduce sexually even though its
___________ have been removed.
a. stamens
b. sepals
c. anthers
d. ovaries
e. carpels
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5. Which of the following choices represents the correct sequence?
a. microspores meiosis gametophyte sperm
b. meiosis microspores gametophyte sperm
c. gametophyte meiosis megaspores eggs
d. meiosis gametophyte megaspores eggs
e. answer a & d
6. The following questions refer to the description below.
The cycads, a mostly tropical phylum of gymnosperms, evolved about 300 million years ago and
were dominant forms during the Age of the Dinosaurs. Though their sperm are flagellated, their
ovules are pollinated by beetles. These beetles get nutrition (they eat pollen) and shelter from the
microsporophylls. Upon visiting megasporophylls, the beetles transfer pollen to the exposed
ovules. In cycads, pollen cones and seed cones are borne on different plants. Cycads synthesize
neurotoxins, especially in the seeds, that are effective against most animals, including humans.
Which feature of cycads distinguishes them from most other gymnosperms?
1. They have exposed ovules.
2. They have flagellated sperm.
3. They are pollinated by animals.
a. 1 only
b. 2 only
c. 3 only
d. 2 and 3
e. 1, 2, and 3
7. “Double fertilization” in flowering plants is the union of
a. two eggs and one sperm.
b. two sperm and one egg.
c. Two sperm and two eggs.
d. One sperm to one egg and one sperm to the endosperm
e. One sperm to the egg and one sperm to the egg nucleus
8. Which of the following insects is not social?
a. butterflies
b. termites
c. bees
d. ants
e. wasps
9. Why is the amniotic egg considered an important evolutionary breakthrough?
a. It has a shell that increases gas exchange.
b. It allows incubation of eggs in a terrestrial environment.
c. It prolongs embryonic development.
d. It provides insulation to conserve heat.
e. It permits internal fertilization to be replaced by external fertilization.
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10. During chordate evolution, what is the sequence (from earliest to most recent) in which the
following structures arose?
1. amniotic egg
2. paired fins
3. jaws
4. swim bladder
5. four-chambered heart
a. 2, 3, 4, 1, 5
b. 3, 2, 4, 1, 5
c. 3, 2, 1, 4, 5
d. 2, 1, 4, 3, 5
e. 2, 4, 3, 1, 5
SECTION B: SHORT QUESTIONS (3 questions; total 20 marks)
QUESTION 1 (5 marks)
Choose the one most appropriate letter for each blank.
a. cartilaginous skeleton; jaws
b. placental mammal
c. early chordates; jawless filter-feeders
d. endotherm with feathers
e. limbless reptile
f. lamprey; modern-day parasitic chordate
g. marsupial
h. egg-laying mammal
i. swim bladder for buoyancy
j. marine mammals of the order Cetacea
1. d Birds
2. i bony fishes 4 6
3. b Humans
4. f (see Figure 4)
5. c Lancelets
6. g (see Figure 6)
7. h (see Figure 7)
8. a (see Figure 8)
9. e Snakes
10. j Whales
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QUESTION 2 (5 marks)
a) Briefly explain the challenges of life on land for invertebrates compared to life in the
water. (3 marks)
b) Explain the adaptations of land arthropods to overcome these difficulties. (2 marks)
Temperatures much higher than in sea; Heat increases risk of drying out
(desiccation); Affects breathing due to water loss from moist diffusion surfaces (1)
Affects reproduction due to high mortality of egg & sperm outside body (1)
Gills & external fertilization won’t work as in water (1)
Millipedes & insects breathe via tracheal system = internal tubes (1); Open to
outside via spiracles; Supply O2 to organs via diffusion; Has implications for size
Internal fertilization; Sperm transferred into female’s body during contact (1)
QUESTION 3 (10 marks)
a) Draw two illustrated diagrams, one showing the life cycle of a typical fern and one
showing the life cycle of a typical gymnosperm. (8 marks)
b) Briefly discuss the main differences regarding their gametophyte and sporophyte
generation. (2 marks)
(A) Fern life cycle
Fern Life Cycle. Ferns belong to the Division Pterophyta characterized by vascular plants with
leaves (fronds) arising from subterranean, creeping rhizomes. The dominant (conspicuous) part of
the life cycle is the diploid, leaf-bearing sporophyte (0.5). On the underside of the leaves are rows
of brown sori (0.5). Each sorus is composed of a cluster of sporangia, and is often covered by a
thin outer layer called the indusium (0.5). Spore mother cells within the sporangium undergo
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meiosis (0.5), producing numerous haploid spores (0.5). The sporangia split open at maturity,
releasing millions of spores that fall to the ground like tiny particles of dust. The splitting open of
a sporangium is caused by a thick-walled, outer belt of cells called the annulus. As the cells of the
annulus dry out, the annulus contracts and rips open the sporangial wall, thus dispersing the
spores.
Each spore germinates and grows into a heart-shaped gametohyte (prothallus) which is smaller
than a finger nail (0.5). This haploid gametophyte bears male and female sex organs (antheridia
and archegonia) (0.5). With respect to populations of gametophytes, ferns are typically
monoecious with both male and female sex organs on the same gametophytes. Unlike the
unisexual gametophytes of a moss, a fern gametophyte is bisexual. Like mosses, ferns have a
primitive method of fertilization that involves a multiciliate sperm that swims through water to
reach the egg (0.5). The gametophytes and sporophytes of ferns are photosynthetic and
autotrophic.
(B) Gymnosperm life cycle
Gymnosperm life cycle. The plants possess well-developed tap root system. The stem is erect
and woody, may be branched or unbranched. Gymnosperms are heterosporous, producing two
kinds of spores microspores and megaspores produced by separate sporangia. The two types of
sporangia - microsporangia and megasporangia are found on special leaf like structures called
sporophylls. The microsporangia represent the pollen sacs and the megasporangia represent the
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ovules (0.5). Microsporangia occur on microsporophylls (stamens) and megasporangia occur on
megasporophylls (carpels). (0.5)
The sporophylls are usually aggregated to form structures called cones or strobili (0.5). Male
cones (with microsporophylls) and female cones (with megasporangia) occur on separate plants
(unisexual).
The microsporangium (pollen sac) produces numerous pollen grains which are anemophilous.
The megasporangium (ovule) remains exposed on the megasporaphyll. The pollen grain which
represents the male gametophyte comes in contact with the ovule, develops a pollen tube and
brings about pollination (0.5). The generative cell present in the pollen tube produces two male
gametes. One of them unites with the egg cell in the ovule to form a zygote (0.5).
The diploid zygote develops into an embryo which remains enclosed within the ovule (0.5). The
ovule then transforms itself into a seed. The seed remains attached to the megasporophyll and is
not enclosed by a fruit (0.5). The ripe and dry seeds are shed. Under suitable conditions the seeds
germinate and develop into new plants (0.5).
Differences between ferns and gymnosperms.
A correct answer could include for example:
In ferns the gametophyte generation is independent of the sporophyte generation (0.5). In
gymnosperms the female gametophyte remains on the sporophyte (0.5) and the male
gametophyte (pollen grains) are transported by the wind (or in cycads by animals) to the female
gametophytes (0.5). Male and female gametophytes in gymnosperms are reduced compared to
the fern gametophytes (0.5).
