MIDTERM 1 Flashcards
What are leaves attached to?
Leaves are attached at nodes
One or more leaves occur at each node
Internodes
Internodes are the space between each node
Apical meristem
The apical meristem produces tissues that grow into mature stem and leaf tissues
Meristems
where growth occurs
California (wide and length)
200 miles wide; 800 miles long; 160,000 square miles in area
CA Topography
Topographically diverse
–The highest point in continental US (Mt. Whitney 14,495 ft)
–Lowest point (Death Valley 276 ft below sea level)
CA Climate
Portions of California, such as SLO, have a mediterranean climate
(Mild, wet winters, and warm, dry summers)
Coastal Areas
(Mild daily and seasonal temperatures)
High mountains
(Extreme seasonal and daily temperatures)
Locations a short distance apart may have very different climates and vegetation
Influence of Topography and Elevation
Precipitation increases and temperature decreases with elevation due to orographic effect
Rain Shadows
Mountains create “rain shadows”
-The climate is drier on lee slopes of mountains than on
windward slopes
Biodiversity Hotspots
Regions that harbor a great diversity of species and have been significantly impacted by humans
Floristic Provinces (CA has 3)
California Floristic Province
Great Basin Floristic Province
Sonoran Floristic Province
California Floristic Province
-Contains about 85% of the genera in California and 81% of the species
-Includes about 75% of the
state’s area plus
southwestern corner of
Oregon, northwestern
corner of Baja California,
and part of Nevada near
Lake Tahoe
Endemic Species
Confined to a particular location, region, or habitat
Ecotones
spatial borders where two or more communities come together
Succession
transition of community structure and composition through time
Why do we have plant names?
Plant names allow us to communicate about plants that:
We use for food, clothing, shelter, medicine
We grow in our gardens, yards, orchards
Encounter in the wild
Advantages of common names
Use begins in childhood
Used by untrained laymen
Generally easy to remember usually in the local language
Disadvantages of common names
Not standardized
Vary regionally
One plant-several different common names
Many plants have no common names
Genus
group of species with shared ancestry and characteristics
Angiosperms
Seeds develop inside fruit
-about 300,000 living plant species (88%)
CA Plant diversity
-CA has about 8,000 distinct species
-1,088 non-native species
-6,875 native species
how much of CA’s species are endemic?
1/3
binomial
The name of a species is a
two-word Latin name
genus
first word to
which the plant is assigned
