Attachment 2 Biologyf

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Biology

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University of California San Diego

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Biology questions

Critical thinking question: Be able to explain why a moss plant cannot grow large. How does

the lack of a vascular system limit the size in which the plant can grow? Put your answer here:

Moss plant is a non-vascular plant, thus lacks vascular bundles utilized in transport of water and

mineral salts up the moss system. Thus limiting its growth height

Moss plant also lacks true roots and stems, thus maintains its height at the ground level to ease

obtaining of water and nutrients from soil.

Critical thinking question: Be able to explain the advantages of a seed over a spore in the

following circumstance: Both a seed and spore land on the ground but leaf litter prevents either

of them from direct contact with the soil. The seed grows into a plant while the spore perishes.

Explain why:

The seed has protective seed coat in case it stays on leaf litter for a long time, unlike a spore. The

spore is a single cell and lacks outer cover, hence higher chances of destruction by desiccation or

high sunlight

The seed also has back up nourishment that sustains it for a longer time, until the leaf litter

barrier decays, and then it can access soil nutrients. Spore lacks source of nourishment, thus has

low survival chances.

The seed also has a fully developed embryo grows if prevailing conditions become favorable.

Unlike the spore, which lacks embryo, it has to undergo time-consuming cell division and

specialization.

Critical thinking question: All life forms on earth produce offspring by a process that is usually

called sexual reproduction. In some, asexual reproduction occurs for a time, but is always

followed by sexual reproduction. In asexual reproduction the result are offspring that are

exactly the same as the original… they are said to be clones. This form of reproduction has

major disadvantages to the species when the environment changes dramatically. Sexual

reproduction, on the other hand, produces offspring that are not identical to either of the

parents because they a mixture of both parent’s genes.

What are the disadvantages of offspring produced by asexual reproduction when the

environment changes and, in contrast, what are the advantages of offspring produced by sexual

reproduction when the environment changes?

Put your answer here:

Asexually reproduced organisms have high genetic similarity, thus not flexible to adapt and

survive new environmental conditions.

In contrast, sexually reproduced organisms have a wide genetic pool; a different gene may be

favorable in the new environmental conditions, resulting in easy adaptation and survival.

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1 Biology questions Critical thinking question: Be able to explain why a moss plant cannot grow large. How does the lack of a vascular system limit the size in which the plant can grow? Put your answer here: Moss plant is a non-vascular plant, thus lacks vascular bundles utilized in transport of water and mineral salts up the moss system. Thus limiting its growth height Moss plant also lacks true roots and stems, thus maintains its height at the ground level to ease obtaining of water and nutrients from soil. Critical thinking question: Be able to explain the advantages of a seed over a spore in the following circumstance: Both a seed and spore land on the ground but leaf litter prevents either of them from direct contact with the soil. The seed grows into a plant while the spore perishes. Explain why: The seed has protective seed coat in case it stays on leaf litter for a long time, unlike a spore. The spore is a single cell and lacks outer cover, hence higher chances of destruction by desiccation or high sunlight The seed also has back up nourishment that sustains it for a longer time, until the leaf litter barrier decays, and then it can access soil nutrients. Spore lacks source of nourishment, thus has low survival chances. The seed also has a fully developed embryo grows if prevailing conditions become favorable. Unlike the spore, which lacks embryo, it has to undergo time-consuming cell division and specialization. 2 Critical thinking question: All life forms on ea ...
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Tags: the pollination process lacks vascular bundles transport of water and mineral salts water and nutrients from soil higher chances of destruction