Bi 407/507 Willamette Valley Wildflowers Summer 2007
TAKE HOME EXAM QUESTIONS
Instructions: Provide concise, yet COMPLETE, answers in complete sentences for each question below.
Notes:
· This exam includes questions about photographs that can be found on the separate CD I’ve either given you or mailed to you. Please let me know if you do not receive your CD by Thursday, June 28th.
· An electronic copy of this exam has also been included on your CD.
· This is a strictly individual assignment!
· Feel free to contact me if you have questions!
1. Define plant systematic. In addition, describe if and how plant systematic applies to Wildflower observation. It is the way of organizing and destitutions the different between plants in an organized manner. The science of organism diversity; discovery, description, and interpretation of biological diversity. It allows us to look at different flowers and links them together to show some of the changes that have happened, that make the flowers survive. This also allows us to be able to talk to other from any different place about the same plant even if they do not have the same common name.
2. What is “An Interactive Flora of Polk County” and how is it related to Wildflowers?
This is a Flora or manual that includes a list of the plants growing in a specific geographic area, and it includes descriptions and keys for identification.
3. What does “plants are variable” mean and how did your class fieldtrip experiences support or refute that statement?
4. Describe the two general types of keys and the two basic ways of constructing them. In addition, name the type of keys you were using from The Handbook of Northwestern Plants by Gilkey and Dennis. The two types of keys are Yoked and Parallel. The Yoked is organized with each part indented as you move from one description/identification to the next location. Where as the Parallel one keep all the description/identification lined up on the left side of the page. The type that the book uses is the Yoked one.
5. List and explain the different types of characters and describe specific examples of each from your class fieldtrip experiences. Opposite leaves meaning that the leaves right a crossing from one another or Alternate meaning that they are off set from one another. Compound or simple leaves is weather the leave look like it has more than one leave even those it is still just one.
6. What information is typically included in a flora? Which information did you find most useful during our class fieldtrips and why? The color of the flower and number of plant parts the shape of the leaves, the habit that they are found in, and detailed description of the plant look using scientific terms. The Color of the flower and the look and number of flower parts were the most useful to me.
7. What are “invasive species” and how do they spread? It is a species that is not native to the area in which it is found and thus have not real checks to keep them from over running the native plants. They are spread by animals and humans, we are the main problem because we import and export products that then can carry the seed of the non native plants. The other way is direct interdiction by humans because they like the way that they looked so they put them into their landscaping.
Name five invasive species seen during our class fieldtrips and describe how it appears to be spreading. Be certain to explain the role of “corridors”, if any, in your response. Scochbroom this is located on the side of most farmland and it is spread by anything walking through it, it can also be spread by the wind. Yellow
Starthistle infests over 150,000 acres in Oregon decreases rangeland value and poisons horses out competes native plants. Knapweed 3.21 million acres in OR, WA, ID, MT and BC Unpalatable to livestock, spines can damage their mouths and digestive tracts; out competes and excludes native vegetation Sources of information :(http://www.biodiversitypartners.org/invasive/factsheets/OR.pdf)
8. Why should Oregonians be concerned about invasive plants? Be certain to consider this question from as many different perspectives as possible. The invasive species override the natural balance of the ecosystem, they because problem and have no natural enemies. These plants also take nutrients out of the ground that may then make the ground barren. The last problem is that these plants destroy the beauty of Oregon.
9. Name (using its scientific name) each of the ten species included on your CD in the folder labeled “EXAM PHOTOS”. The files are named Plant1.jpg, Plant2.jpg … Plant10.jpg.
1) Claytonia sibirica
2) Veronica chamaedrys
3) Anagallis arvensis
4) Lilium columbianum
5) Verbascum blattaria
6) Leucanthemum vulgare
7) Phacelia heterophylla
8) Prunella vulgaris
9) Rubus armeniacus
10) Symphoricarpos albus
DUE DATE: July 13th, 2007