St.

Paul University Philippines

Tuguegarao City, Cagayan 3500

Graduate School

FINAL EXAMINATION IN ADVANCED BIOLOGY

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS COMPLETELY

1. The coevolution of flowers and animal pollinators is one of the marvels of nature,
and can greatly enhance the rate of successful pollinations. Few flowers, however,
are so specialized that they can be pollinated by only one type of animal. Why
would extreme specialization between pollinator and flower be both an advantage
and a drawback?

 Ans. The extreme specialization between a flower and pollinator is both an

advantage and a drawback. The relationship between the two ensures the
success of pollination. The drawback is the availability of the pollinator if the
population of the pollinator is low the occurrences of pollination will be as
well. Since the plant can only be pollinated by one type of animal there are
no other alternatives.

2. In many perfect flowers, the stamens and carpels mature at different times. For
instance, the anthers of a flower may release pollen while the stigma is still
immature and unreceptive, and by the time the stigma is receptive, the anthers
have released all of their pollen and are empty. What is the advantage of this
adaptation?

 The maturation of the anthers and stigmas of flowers at different times. In

some flowers the anthers are the first to mature, and in others it is the
stigma. Dichogamy is termed complete if the stigmas mature after the
wilting of the stamens (or vice versa). More often dichogamy is incomplete,
that is, the later maturing organs attain sexual maturity while the organs of
the opposite sex have not lost their function.
The advantage of this adaptation, with the largest being genetic variation.
More genetic variation leads to better tree survival, continued
evolution and better climate adaptation.

3. The cambium produces xylem toward the center of a tree and phloem toward the
outside. Do you think it would make any difference if the position of the xylem and
phloem were reversed?

 It depends on the plant and its size. In dicots, yes it would make a difference
if the position of the xylem and phloem were reversed. The xylem in the
interior of the stem becomes “heartwood” as the plant gets bigger and in
this state helps hold up the tree. Reversing xylem and phloem in this
 situation would give you a plant without heartwood and therefore not able
to grow to a large size. In monocot, there’s no problem. Monocot have
“vascular bundles” which have both xylem and phloem: this occur
throughout the stem.

4. Riverbanks planted with bamboos have been found out to be free from the problem
of erosion. What do you think could be the relationship between the root system of
bamboos and its ability to prevent erosion?

 Bamboo plants with their interwoven system of roots and rhizomes

contribute to the recovery and conservation of soils present on riverbanks.
Beneath the ground lays an extensive network of rhizomes that ties together
and prevents soil erosion on hillsides or river banks.

This woven root system acts as a cohesive for colloidal particles, making
the plant a very important species as a soil protector near rivers. In the rainy
season bamboo absorbs large amounts of water, it stores the water both in
its rhizomes as in the stems and soil. This means that bamboo has a high
water storage capacity. Later on, due to the effects of concentration, the
water is returned to the soil, rivers and streams during the dry season.

If bamboo does not exist on hillsides or slopes, heavy rains will probably
cause erosion problems sooner or later.

5. What features in the flowers of plants would you look for, if these were pollinated
by
a. insects?
b. bats?
c. wind

a. The features in the flower of plants I would look for if it is pollinated by insect
are the large flowers with brightly colored petals usually sweet smelling or fragrant
with nectar present having moderate number of pollen grains which are sticky or
spiky. Stigmas are usually small, compact and do not protrude out of the flower.
Stamens are not pendulous and are located within the interiors of the flower, so
that pollen can stick on the backs of pollinators as they brush against the anthers.

b. The features in the flower of plants I would look for if it is pollinated by Bats are
those flowers that bloom at night which are usually tube- or funnel-shaped, nectar-
rich, highly fragrant blooms with a musty, fruity aroma.

c. The features in the flower of plants I would look for if it is pollinated by wind are
those usually small, often dull green or brown, no scent or nectar having large
amount of pollen grains, anthers loosely attached and dangle out and stigma
hangs outside the flower which are feathery or net like.
6. A soft drink is advertised to “contain no sugar”. The labels lists ingredients of
carbonated water, dextrose, corn syrup, fructose and flavorings. Evaluate the
advertising and the list of ingredients.

 So there’s an advertising company who used to advertised their product

specifically a soft drink coke zero claiming that it is a diet soda that
“contains no sugar” or calories, but is advertised to taste more similar to
regular Coca Cola than diet coke. While this makes it a popular choice for
individuals trying to watch their weight or avoid sugar, some of the
ingredients in the product may pose health risk to some individuals. So, here
are some of the listed ingredients.

 Carbonated water is water that has been infused with carbon dioxide gas under
pressure. Tonic water is a form of carbonated water that contains a bitter
compound called quinine, along with sugar or high-fructose corn syrup.

 Dextrose is a simple carbohydrate, or monosaccharide, that is also known as

glucose.

 Corn syrup is sweetener derived from corn syrup, which is processed from corn. It
is used to sweeten processed food and soft drinks. It is composed of fructose and
glucose.

 Fructose is a natural simple sugar found in fruits, honey and vegetables. Of course,
fructose has been consumed for centuries in foods we eat. It is known as a simple
sugar because it is a single sweetening molecule. Fructose is also known as
monosaccharide.

 Flavorings which gives flavor to the drink it maybe natural or artificial, rich in
carbohydrates.

 The term “contains no sugar” does not mean the product is sugar free. From
the evaluated list of ingredients above, there were many types of sugar
present in the soft drinks it contain sugar or high-fructose corn syrup which
is processed from corn, a simple carbohydrate also known as glucose, a
fructose which is a natural simple sugar found in fruits and vegetables, etc.
Those list of ingredients namely; carbonated water, dextrose, corn syrup,
fructose and flavorings are also rich in carbohydrates wherein
carbohydrates are termed as sugar. The advertisement “contain no sugar”
might only saying one kind/type of sugar which is the sucrose. We all know
that sucrose, for human consumption, sucrose is extracted, and refined,
from either sugar cane or sugar beet. For me, this is just a matter of
propaganda or advertising technique to persuade people to buy their
product.
 7. If you were given a piece of stem, how will you determine whether it is a monocot
or a dicot morphologically and microscopically?

 If I were given a piece of stem, the following are my bases to determine

whether it is a monocot or a dicot morphologically and microscopically

DICOT STEM MONOCOT STEM

♦Multicellular epidermal hairs may or may
not be present
♦Hypodermis is generally
collenchymatous
♦ The different tissues are arranged in
concentric fashion
♦ Ground tissue is differentiated into
hypodermis, cortex, endodermis, pericycle
and pith
♦ Vascular bundles are of similar size
♦ Vascular bundles are wedge shaped,
definite and arrange in one or two rings
♦Bundle sheath absent
♦Vascular bundles conjoint, collateral and
open
♦ No cavity in the vascular bundles
♦Vessels are polygonal, numerous and
arranged in chains
♦ Phloem parenchyma present
♦Secondary growth occurs due to
formation of lateral meristem
♦Epidermal hairs absent
♦Hypodermis is generally
sclerenchymatous
♦Concentric arrangement is absent
♦No differentiation except hypodermis
♦Vascular bundles are of different sizes
♦Oval or rounded, numerous and
scattered in the ground tissue
♦Bundle sheath present
♦Vascular bundles conjoint, collateral and
closed
♦A protoxylem cavity present
♦Vessels are oval, few and arranged like
the letter V or Y.
♦Phloem parenchyma absent
♦Secondary growth is generally absent

8. Sclerenchyma in plants is the functional equivalent of bone in animals (that is, both
sclerenchyma and bone provide support). However, sclerenchyma is dead, and
bone is living tissue. What are some of the advantages to a plant of having dead
support cells? Can you think of any disadvantages?

 As the cells are dead the plant no longer has to provide them with nutrients
and can concentrate on the living cells. Being dead the tissue formed by
these cells cannot be repaired and the plant must cope with any structural
damage.
 9. Relatively few kinds of animals have both male and female sex organs, whereas
most plants do. Propose an explanation for this.

 Hermaphroditism, the condition of having both male and female

reproductive organs. Hermaphroditic plants- most flowering plants or
angiosperms- are called monoecious, or bisexual. Hermaphroditic animals
– mostly invertebrates such as worms, bryozoans ( moss animals),
trematodes ( flukes), snails, slugs, and barnacles- are usually parasitic,
slow- moving, or permanently attached to another animal or plant.

10. Solve the following problems completely.

a. In humans, free earlobes are controlled by the dominant allele E, and

attached earlobes by the recessive allele e. The widow’s peak hairline is
regulated by the dominant allele H, while the straight hairline is controlled
by the recessive allele h. What will be the resulting genotypes and
phenotypes in the parental cross below?

EeHh x EeHh

Ans.

EH Eh eH eh
EH EEHH (Free EEHh (Free EeHH (Free EeHh (Free
earlobes, earlobes, earlobes, earlobes,
widows peak widows peak widows peak widows peak
hairline) hairline) hairline) hairline)
Eh EEHh (Free EEhh (free
EeHh (Free Eehh (free
earlobes, earlobes, earlobes, earlobes,
widows peak straight widows peak straight
hairline) hairline) hairline) hairline)
eH EeHH (Free EeHh (FreeeeHH eeHh
earlobes, earlobes, (Attached (Attached
widows peak widows peak earlobes, earlobes,
hairline) hairline) widows peak widows peak
hairline) hairline)
eh EeHh (Free Eehh (free eeHh eehh
earlobes, earlobes, (Attached (attached
widows peak straight earlobes, earlobes,
hairline) hairline) widows peak straight
hairline) hairline)
 GENOTYPE PHENOTYPE
EEHH Free Earlobes, Widows Peak Hairline
EEHh Free Earlobes, Widows Peak Hairline
EeHH Free Earlobes, Widows Peak Hairline
EeHh Free Earlobes, Widows Peak Hairline
EEhh Free Earlobes, Straight Hairline
Eehh Free Earlobes, Straight Hairline
eeHH Attached Earlobes, Widows Peak Hairline
eeHh Attached Earlobes, Widows Peak Hairline
eehh Attached Earlobes, Straight Hairline

Genotypic Ratio: 1:2:2:4:1:2:1:2:1

Phenotypic Ratio: 9:3:3:1

 9- Free earlobes, widows peak hairline

 3- free earlobes, straight hairline
 3- Attached earlobes, widows peak hairline
 1- attached earlobes, straight hairline

b. In tomatoes the texture of the skin may be smooth or peach (hairy). The
Ponderosa variety has fruits with smooth texture. The red peach variety has
fruits with peach texture. Crosses between the two varieties produce all smooth
fruits. Crosses between these smooth fruited F1 plants produced 174 peach
textured fruits and 520 smooth textured fruits.

1. What is the dominant trait? >Smooth

2. What is the genotype of the smooth parent? > SS
3. What is the genotype of the peach parent? >ss
4. Using the Punnet square, show the transmission of traits in the F2
plants. Express genotypic and phenotypic ratios in percentages.
Ans.
S= smooth (the dominant trait)
s= peach (the recessive trait)

Parental (P) Cross

Smooth x Peach

SS x ss
 SS x ss
F1 Generation
s s
S Ss Ss
S Ss Ss

Ss x Ss
F2 Generation
S s
S SS Ss
s Ss ss

GENOTYPIC RATIO:

SS -25%
Ss -50%
ss -25%

PHENOTYPIC RATIO:

smooth - 75%
peah -25%

Submitted by:
ABIGAIL YAP AGGABAO

Submitted to:
Prof. RITA DALIWAG