Final Bio

Front 1

What is the most important innovation of the anthropod body plan? Explain

Back 1

The most important innovation of the anthropod body plan was the assembly of repetitive, basic body units. The success of this comes from the flexibility of the segments to perform different functions such as forming the head, thorax and abdomen. This design also allows for segments to develop into accessory structures such as appendages, antennae, eyes and wings.

Front 2

Explain the mechanism anthropods use to protect their bodies.

Back 2

Anthropods have invented an exoskeleton that they wear outside their body. This is composed of a specialized polysaccharide called chitin. Chitin provides support and points of attachment for muscles and tendons. The ability of the anthropods to join together multiple plates of their exoskeleton offers flexibility and protection. This exoskeleton acts as a suit of armor allowing the anthropod to become the first animal to conquer land.

Front 3

What are the 3 segments that make up an insect body plant and what does each contain?

Back 3

Head - contains the brain, antennae and compound eyes.

Thorax - Contains 3 pairs of legs and 2 pairs of wings (some have no wings)

Abdomen - 11 segments containing excretory nd reproductive organs.

Front 4

What are the different parts of the flower reproductive organs?

Back 4

Flowers are both male and female. The female reproductive organs include the ovule (egg) in the center of the flower surrounded by petals. The ovule is connected to the style which extends upward to form the stigma (landing platform). The male reproductive organ is the stigma. This is composed of a stem (filament) and a structure (anther) that rests on top of it. The anther contains the pollen grains which are the sperm equivalent in animals.

Front 5

What is the generalist strategy of pollination? Where does this strategy occur most and what are the characteristics of a generalist plant?

Back 5

The generalist pollination strategy is used by plants whose flowers can be pollinated by a wide variety of insects. This occurs most in the temperate zones where flowers bloom for only a short period of time. These plants produce flowers with highly visible colors such as white, yellow, pink and purple that can be easily detected by pollinating insects. These flowers only bloom at certain times of the year and not all at the same time. This smll number of blooms at a time increases the likelihood of cross fertilization of plants in same species.

Front 6

How is the bumblebee orchid an example of a plant that uses the specialist pollination strategy?

Back 6

The members of bumblebee orchid family have flowers that resemble the abdomen of female bees. Some have iredescent color patterns while some have hairs to resemble those found on a female abdomen and some produce pheromones similar to those used by females to attract males. A male bee wil try to mate with the orchid flower bumping its head against the pollinia in the process. The pollinia sticks to the head of the bee like a pair of horns and when the bee attempts to mate with another orchid it unwittingly delivers pollen. Each species mimics only once species of bee or wasp to ensure the pollinia are transferred to the correct flower.

Front 7

What is co-evolution and how does this relate to plants and insects? What is the difference between the generalist and specialist strategies used for pollintion? Give one example of a generalist plant and one example of a specialist plant and explain what makes it generalist or specialist.

Back 7

Co-evolution is the mutual evolutionary influence between 2 species that have become dependent on each other. The existence of many insects relies entirely on the plants that they pollinate and, similarly, plants rely entirely on specific insects for their reproductive cycle. The extinction of one would inevitably lead to the extinction of the other species. This has produced a mutual relationship which is a form of co-evolution.

A generist plant is one whose flowers can be pollinated by a wide variety of insects where a specialist plant uses flowers to attract only a specific species of insects, birds or other animals.

An example of a generalist plant is the balsam plant. This plant produces flowers with highly visible colors easily detected by most pollinating insects. This plant has bell shaped flowers that produce nectar to attract all types pollinators and in return deposits and receives pollen from the pollinator.

An example of a specialist flower would be the Bumblebee orchid. This flower resembles the abdomen of female bees, iridescent color patterns and some with hairs, produce pheromones identical to those produced by females to attract males, males will attemps to mate with the flower bumping its head in the process. This will cause the pollinia to stick to its head and the bee will transfer the pollen to the next flower it visits.

Front 8

The Mars Exploration Rovers were equipped with independent "legs" and wheels to give is _____ and _____.

Back 8

stability, flexibility

Front 9

Instead of a hard shell, anthropods invented an _____ to wear outside their body.

Back 9

exoskeleton

Front 10

The exoskeleton is the most successful innovation that came from the _____ explosion.

Back 10

Cambrian

Front 11

_____ _____ were likely to be the first animals to venture onto land.

Back 11

Horseshoe crabs

Front 12

Over _____ percent of known animal species are insects.

Back 12

90

Front 13

Flowering plants are classified as _____.

Back 13

angiosperms

Front 14

Flowers have both ____ and _____ reproductive organs.

Back 14

male, female

Front 15

Flowers have evolved to use _____ as couriers for their pollen.

Back 15

animals

Front 16

Flowers that can be pollinated by a wide variety of insects are _____.

Back 16

generalists

Front 17

The dead horse arum attracts pollinators by smelling of _____ _____ _____.

Back 17

rotten flesh

Front 18

_____ is the mutual evolutionary influence between 2 species that become dependant on each other.

Back 18

co-evolution

Front 19

Plants produce _____ to function as a reward for visiting insects.

Back 19

nectar