Test your knowledge of how plants reproduce and spread with these advanced, application-based questions.
Read the following scenario and answer the questions:
Scenario: Rohan took a potato from his kitchen that had small green buds, known as 'eyes', growing on it. He cut the potato into several pieces, making sure each piece had at least one 'eye', and planted them in his garden. A few weeks later, he noticed new potato plants growing from those pieces, even though he didn't plant any actual seeds.
Q1. What type of reproduction is Rohan demonstrating in this scenario? Explain how it is different from growing a plant from a seed.
Q2. Will the new potato plants that Rohan grew have any different traits (like different colored flowers or different tasting potatoes) from the original potato? Why or why not?
Q3. Observe the seeds of a dandelion and the seeds of a coconut. A dandelion seed is light and has hair-like structures, while a coconut is heavy with a fibrous husk. Explain how their physical structures dictate their method of seed dispersal.
Q4. A farmer sowed seeds very deep into the soil and tightly packed the earth above them. A week later, he observed that none of the seeds germinated. Identify two necessary conditions for germination that the farmer accidentally prevented the seeds from getting.
Directions: For the following questions, a statement of Assertion (A) is followed by a statement of Reason (R). Choose the correct option:
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false but R is true.
Q5.
Assertion (A): Seed dispersal is important for the survival of a plant species.
Reason (R): If all seeds fall near the parent plant, they will compete for sunlight, water, and nutrients, resulting in poor growth.
Q6.
Assertion (A): Fungi like bread mold reproduce sexually by forming flowers.
Reason (R): Fungi do not have stems, roots, or leaves, but they do have microscopic seeds.
Q7.
Assertion (A): A bryophyllum leaf can give rise to a whole new plant.
Reason (R): The margins of the bryophyllum leaf have specialized buds that can grow into new plantlets when they fall on moist soil.
Q8. A horticulturist wants to quickly produce 500 identical rose bushes of a rare, beautiful variety that does not easily produce seeds. Which method of reproduction should the horticulturist use and why is it superior to waiting for seeds in this specific case?