Animal and Plant Responses

Question 1

When an organism has favoured traits for its environmental conditions, increasing its chance of survival and reproductive success.

Answer 1

Adaptive advantage

Question 2

The system that regulates an organism’s innate sense of time and controls circadian/biological rhythms.

Answer 2

Biological clock

Question 3

A gland or muscle that responds to external stimulation.

Answer 3

Effector

Question 4

A rhythm that continues without any external cues.

Answer 4

Endogenous rhythm

Question 5

The synchronisation of biological rhythms by external cues.

Answer 5

Entrainment

Question 6

A signal or trigger from the environment that can entrain an endogenous rhythm and regulates an exogenous one.

Answer 6

An environmental cue

Question 7

A pattern that occurs only in response to external cues and which disappear when cues are removed.

Answer 7

Exogenous

Question 8

The time between the onset of one activity and the next, in the absence of any environmental cues (conditions are constant).

Answer 8

Free-running period

Question 9

The ability of an animal to find its way home after being displaced.

Answer 9

Homing

Question 10

Any genetically determined behaviour (can not be learnt).

Answer 10

Innate behaviour

Question 11

Random movement of a whole organism in response to an environmental stimulus.

Answer 11

Kinesis

Question 12

The frequency of changing direction is proportional to the intensity of the stimulus.

Answer 12

Klinokinesis

Question 13

A behaviour that is based on experience, or passed on from one individual to another by imitation.

Answer 13

Learned behaviour

Question 14

The regular mass movement of organisms from one location to another.

Answer 14

Migration

Question 15

The ability of an animal to stay on a desired course/find a desired location using external environmental cues.

Answer 15

Navigation

Question 16

The speed of an animal is proportional to the intensity of the stimulus causing the movement.

Answer 16

Orthokinesis

Question 17

The amount of time difference between an entrained endogenous biological rhythm when the zeitgeber is removed.

Answer 17

Phase shift

Question 18

Any part of an organism capable of detecting a stimulus and sending a signal to another part of the organism.

Answer 18

Sensory receptor

Question 19

The movement of a whole organism or cell in response to an external directional stimulus (environmental). An innate behaviour.

Answer 19

Taxis

Question 20

An external or environmental cue that entrains (synchronises) an organism’s biological rhythms.

Answer 20

Zeitgeber

Question 21

A plant hormone that functions in many plant development processes, particularly bud dormacy.

Answer 21

Abscisic acid

Question 22

The process that makes leaves fall to the ground in autumn.

Answer 22

Abscission

Question 23

An organism that is able to produce complex organic molecules from a simpler molecule found in its environment, using an external energy source.

Answer 23

Autotroph

Question 24

Also known as IAA, this is a hormone that affects plant cell elongation in root and shoot tips - controls some plant growth processes.

Answer 24

Auxin

Question 25

A period of day length that when exceeded, triggers flowering in long-day plants or inhibits flowering in short-day plants.

Answer 25

Critical day length

Question 26

A hormone that stimulates cell division in the presence of auxin.

Answer 26

Cytokinin

Question 27

The only hormone in the form of a gas that stimulates plant (fruit) ripening or the falling of mature leaves.

Answer 27

Ethylene

Question 28

Directional growth response of a plant organ to a gravity stimulus.

Answer 28

Gravitropism

Question 29

Hormones that stimulate stem elongation and enzymes in germinating seeds.

Answer 29

Gibberellins

Question 30

Directional growth response of a plant organ to a water stimulus.

Answer 30

Hydrotropism

Question 30

A plant that is triggers into flowering when nights become shorter than the critical day length.

Answer 30

Long-day plant

Question 31

A response of a plant organ to a non-directional diffuse (environmental stimulus).

Answer 31

Nastic response

Question 32

A circadian rhythmic movement of plants in response to the onset of darkness (e.g. the closing of petals of a flower at dusk).

Answer 32

Nyctinasty

Question 33

The period of time each day during which an organism is exposed to the sun.

Answer 33

Photoperiod

Question 34

The response of an organism to seasonal changes in the photoperiod.

Answer 34

Photoperiodism

Question 35

The process by which plants and some bacteria use the energy from the sunlight to produce glucose from carbon dioxide and water.

Answer 35

Photosynthesis

Question 36

Directional growth response of a plant organ to a light stimulus.

Answer 36

Phototropism

Question 37

A blue-green pigment found in many plants that regulates various development processes, particularly flowering.

Answer 37

Phytochrome

Question 38

Any of a range of chemicals that regulate plant growth.

Answer 38

Phytohormone

Question 39

A plant that is triggered into flowering when nights become longer than a critical day length.

Answer 39

Short-day plant

Question 40

A nastic response triggered by touch.

Answer 40

Thigmonastic

Question 41

Directional growth response of a plant organ to a touch stimulus.

Answer 41

Thigmotropism