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Plant Taxonomy Midterm (April 21, 2010): 50 points
Name in Korean and ID Number: _____________________________
A. Answer the following questions (briefly and precisely!!).
1. List two types of stem modification (1 point)
2. What is classification and how does it differ from identification? (1 point)
3. Describe any combinations of two characteristics that are normally used to distinguish plant species in the
dicots from plant species in the monocots. (2 points)
4. What is a phylogenetic species concept? (1 point)
5. Explain two mechanisms as to how evolution occurs (2 points)
6. What are two major ways of arriving classification and how do they differ from each other? (2 points)
7. What is the difference between incomplete flower and imperfect flower? (1 point)
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8. A famous botanist Professor Plant Taxonomica has found a previously undescribed plant species. He uses
the following formula to describe its flower: K5C5A10G(2). (0.5 point each) (1 point)
a. Is the ovary inferior or superior? _______
b. Are any of the flower parts adnate (Y/N)? _______
9. In my lecture, we initially learned that a carpel is same as a pistil (=synonymous). However, these two terms
were distinguished when we were keying out plants during the labs. Using “2 or more carpels with fused and
separate”, briefly explain how pistil can be distinguished from carpel. (1 point)
10. What is homology? Give me one example of homologous character in plants. (2 points)
11. What is homoplasy? List and describe two ways that you can have homoplasy (provide an example of each
way) (2 points)
12. What is polarity? (1 point)
13. What is reticulation? Give me one example of reticulation that we learned in the class. (2 points)
14. Describe two methods that we can assess the cladogram robustness (i.e., confidence of phylogenetic tree)
(2 points)
15. Briefly describe the major characteristics of gynoecium in primitive dicot families, such as Magnoliaceae or
Ranunculaceae (2 points)
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B. Terminology
Briefly define the following terms and illustrate with small diagrams where appropriate. Be detailed and
specific! (1 point each) (7 points)
1. Hypanthium
2. Connate
3. Apocarpous gynoecium
4. Corolla
5. Bract
6. OTUs
7. Binary character
C. Match the proper response on the right to the attributes on the left (0.5 point each) (3 points)
( ) Mustard, cabbage, broccoli, radish; 4 petals, 6 stamens 1. Amborellaceae
( ) Herbs, zygomorphic, parietal placentation, and pansies 2. Nymphaceae
( ) Morphine, opium, heroin; milky latex; numerous stamens 3. Lauraceae
( ) The most basal lineage of flowering plants 4. Magnoliaceae
( ) Perianth 3+3; anthers with valves; aromatic oil glands 5. Ranunculaceae
( ) Herbs, numerous stamens, apocarpous gynoecium; aconitin 6. Papaveraceae
7. Violaceae
8. Brassicaceae (Cruciferae)
D. Write a dichotomous key to the following five objects:
(2 points)
E. Draw a palmately compound leaf with 5 leaflets. (1 point)
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F. For the following data set,
(1) draw the three possible cladograms and for each of the three trees indicate (with arrows and
corresponding characters and character states) the minimum character state changes that are needed to
explain the data.
(2) indicate which of the three trees would be accepted by a cladist as the best estimate of phylogeny and
why. (Total 4 point)
1 2 3 4 5
A 1 1 1 1 1
B 1 0 0 0 0
C 0 0 1 1 1
Outgrou
p 0 0 0 0 0
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G. Fill in the blanks (0.5 point each) (6.5 points).
1. General units of evolution are ( ) and ( ).
2. Descent through time results in the formation of a ( ).
3. The number of carpels in gynoecium can be figured out by looking at the number of ( ),
( ), and etc.
4. A plant organ (such as a leaf) that is smooth and without hairs is said to be ( ).
5. When stamens are attached to petals, they are said to be ( ).
6. If a plant species has both male and female flowers on one plant it is said to be ( ),
while a species with male and female flowers on two different plants is ( ).
7. Relationship in phylogenetic systematics is a measure of ( ) of common ancestor.
8. In addition to maximum parsimony, we can utilize two other methods of phylogenetic analysis and they are
( ) and ( ).
9. There are two ways of deriving classification system based on phylogenetic analysis and one is indented
method and the other is ( ).
H. True or False (0.5 point each) (3.5 points)
1. A naturalized species is an introduced species that is permanently established and is not reproducing
spontaneously. ( )
2. A spike inflorescence has elongated central axis with pedicellated flowers. ( )
3. An aggregate fruit develops from several carpels of many flowers. ( )
4. The fruit type of a strawberry is a berry. ( )
5. Unrooted tree is a branching diagram that minimizes the total number of character state changes between taxa
and thus has implicit evolutionary history and monophyletic group can be recognized. ( )
6. A branching diagram in phenetics is called phenogram. ( )
7. Paedomorphosis is a derived type of heterochrony in which ontogeny passes through and goes beyond the
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stages or trajectory of the ancestral condition. ( )
