Ethnobotany test one spring 2006

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What organism is able to convert nitrogen (N₂ gas) in the air into nitrogenous compounds usable by plants and animals? Cyanobacteria/Nostoc
What is the function of the vegetative cell in the balls of green jelly found on rocky ground in the sun? These cells produce sugars and starches from the energy of the sun, water, and carbon dioxide via photosynthesis.
Can we tell by looking the difference between male and female moss plants? No.
Put the following into order from the botanically most "primitive" to most "evolved": cyanobacteria, ferns, lycopodium, mosses. cyanobacteria, mosses, lycopodium, ferns.
In the image of the moss to the right, what is the function of the long stalks that come up from the moss and end in a capsule? We viewed these in the laboratory on Tuesday. On living moss the stalks and capsule are usually brown. The stalk holds a spore capsule containing spores. This stalk is the "adult" form of moss. The stalk's height helps ensure that the spores are more likely to be picked up by the wind and carried to new locations.
Mosses are unusual among plants in that the green part we see is haploid. All other plants we encounter in this course are diploid. What do the terms haploid and diploid mean? haploid: single, unpaired chromosomes. Diploid: pairs of chromosomes.
As a human being, are you a haploid or diploid? Diploid. In humans only the sperm and egg are haploid.
Where can I find cyanobacteria? Out in sunny spots, preferentially pically on rocks or gravel.
To the best of your ability, label the parts #1, #2, and #5 of the fern shown using botanically correct terms. #1: rhizome, #2: fiddlehead, #5: sori
List some common features of reproduction for mosses, lycopodium, and ferns. All use spores in their reproduction cycle. All use swimming sperm to fertilize an egg: this requires the presence of liquid water on the ground for extended periods of time.
Why do ethnobotanists study indigenous peoples? Indigenous peoples directly use plants in their daily lives.
Traditional systems of healing exist in a cultural context. Explain what is meant by the term cultural context. The cultural context is the set of cultural beliefs, habits, and conceptions held by a people. These beliefs frame their view of sickness and disease, and thus their view of how to treat sicknesses and diseases.
What is the meaning of a cultural disease, also known as a culture bound syndrome? A cultural disease is a disease that is unique to a culture, embedded in a cultural context, and may or may not be perceived as a disease in another culture.
Cross-cultural super toughies: Four different plants below are described by a name in Micronesia. Translate each plant name into your own first language (L1). If the plant is already in your first language, you simply put that word down again. If you do not have a name for the plant, leave it blank. answers will vary
On page fifty-three of our text Dr. Balick notes that "This triad of immobility, carbohydrate production, and diverse biochemistry makes plants far more useful to human beings than animals can be." Lecture has also covered the impact of immobility and biochemistry on the importance of plants. Write a short essay explaining this triad, both the meaning of the three terms and how they relate to making plants important to people.
Immobility means plants cannot move. For defense against predation, plants have developed a broad array of chemical agents. Thus plants are biochemically very diverse, and contain compounds that act upon animal predators. Compounds that are, for example, poisonous to a bacteria that attacks plants, would be of benefit to disinfecting a cut. What is poisonous to one living entity may be medicinal for another. Plants also produce sugars and starches, carbohydrates, from the energy of the sun, water, and carbon dioxide. Foods like rice, taro, yams, and breadfruit are all a result of this photosynthetic process. Food that does not run away when you try to eat it...