Recent questions in Diversity in Living World

1. Members of phylum - porifera are commonly known as sponges. 2. Sponges are generally marine and mostly symmetrical animals. 3. Sponges are primitive multicellular animals and have tissue level of organisation. Regarding 1,2 and 3:

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Segmentation: 1. In some animals the body is externally, but not internally divided into segments with a serial repetition. 2. The phenomenon is known as metamerism. 3. Earthworm shows this pattern called metameric segmentation. Regarding 1,2 and 3:

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Plant life cycle and alternation of generations: 1. The haploid gametophytic plant body produces gametes by mitosis. 2. Following fertilisation the zygote divides by mitosis to produce a diploid sporophytic plant body. 3. Haploid spores are produced by this plant body by meiosis. Regarding 1,2 and 3:

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1. Double fertilisation is an event unique to angiosperms and gymnosperms. 2. The zygote develops into an embryo 3. Primary endosperm nucleus (PEN) develops into endosperm which provides nourishment to the developing embryo. 4. The synergids and antipodals degenerate after fertilisation. 5. During these events the ovules develop into seeds and the ovaries develop into fruit. Regarding 1,2,3,4 and 5:

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In angiosperm : 1. After pollination, the pollen grains germinate on the stigma and the resulting pollen tubes grow through the tissues of stigma and style and reach the ovule. 2. The pollen tubes enter the embryo-sac where two male gametes are discharged. 3. One of the male gametes fuses with the egg cell to form a zygote (syngamy). 4. The other male gamete fuses with the diploid secondary nucleus to produce the triploid primary endosperm nucleus (PEN). 5. This event is termed as double fertilisation Regarding 1,2,3,4 and 5:

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In flower (of angiosperm) : 1. Each of the cells of an embryo-sac is haploid. 2. Each embryo-sac has a three-celled egg apparatus – one egg cell and two synergids, two antipodal cells and three polar nuclei. 3. The two synergids fuse to produce a diploid secondary nucleus. Regarding 1,2 and 3:

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In flower (of angiosperm) : 1. The anthers, following meiosis, produce pollen grains. 2. The embryo-sac formation preceeds meiosis. 3. Each of the cells of an embryo-sac is haploid. Regarding 1,2 and 3:

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In angiosperms : 1. The pollen grains and ovules are developed in specialised structures called flowers. 2. In angiosperms, the seeds are enclosed by fruits. 3. The angiosperms are an exceptionally large group of plants occurring in wide range of habitats. Regarding 1,2 and 3:

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In gymnosperms : 1. The pollen grain is released from the microsporangium. 2. Pollen grains are carried in air currents and come in contact with the opening of the ovules borne on megasporophylls. 3. The pollen tube carrying the male gametes grows towards archegonia in the ovules and discharge their contents near the mouth of the archegonia. 4. Following fertilisation, zygote develops into an embryo and the ovules into seeds. 5.The seeds are not covered. Regarding 1,2,3,4 and 5:

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In gymnosperms : 1. The megaspore mother cell divides mitotically to form four megaspores. 2. All the four megaspores are enclosed within the megasporangium (nucellus) develop into a multicellular female gametophyte 3. Female gametophyte bears one archegonium or female *** organ. 4. The multicellular female gametophyte is also retained within megasporangium. Regarding 1,2,3 and 4:

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In gymnosperms : 1. The megaspore mother cell is differentiated from few of the cells of the nucellus. 2. The nucellus is protected by envelopes and the composite structure is called an ovule. 3. The ovules are borne on megasporophylls which may be clustered to form the female cones. Regarding 1,2 and 3:

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In gymnosperms : 1. The microspores develop into a male gametophytic generation 2. Male gametophytic generation is highly reduced and is confined to a unicellular form. 3. The reduced gametophyte is called a pollen grain. 4. The development of pollen grains take place outside the microsporangia.

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In gymnosperms : 1. The gymnosperms are heterosporous. 2. They produce diploid microspores and megaspores. 3. The two kinds of spores are produced within sporangia 4. Sporangia are borne on sporophylls which are arranged spirally along an axis to form lax or compact strobili or cones. Regarding 1,2,3 and 4:

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In gymnosperms :

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In pteridophytes: 1. The megaspores and microspores germinate and give rise to male and female gametophytes, respectively. 2. The female gametophytes in these plants are retained on the parent sporophytes for variable periods. 3. The development of the zygotes into young embryos take place within the female gametophytes. 4. The development of the zygotes into young embryos within the female gametophytes is a precursor event to the seed habit considered an important step in evolution.

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In pteridophytes: 1.The gametophytes of the pteridophytes bear male and female * organs called archegonia and antheridia, respectively. 2. Water is required for transfer of antherozoids – the male gametes released from male * organ, to the mouth of female *** organ. 3. Fusion of male gamete with the egg result in the formation of zygote. 4. Zygote thereafter produces a multicellular well-differentiated sporophyte 5. Sporophyte is the dominant phase of the pteridophytes.

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In pteridophytes: 1. Pteridophytes are the first terrestrial plants to possess vascular tissues – xylem and phloem. 2. The pteridophytes are found in cool, damp, shady places 3. They can never grow in sandy-soil conditions.

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In Mosses: 1. After fertilisation, the zygote develops into a sporophyte 2. Sporophyte consists of a foot, seta and capsule. 3. The seta contains spores. 4. Spores are formed after mitosis.

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In liverworts: 1. During sexual reproduction, male and female *** organs are produced either on the same or on different thalli. 2. The sporophyte is differentiated into a foot, seta and capsule. 3. After meiosis, spores are produced within the capsule. 4. These spores germinate to form free-living gametophytes.

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In liverworts: 1. Asexual reproduction takes place by fragmentation of thalli 2. Sexual reproduction takes place by formation of gemmae 3. Gemmae are green, unicellular, buds 4. Gemmae develop in small receptacles - gemma cups located on the thalli. 5. The gemmae become detached from the parent body and germinate to form new individuals. Regarding 1,2,3,4 and 5:

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1. Mosses are some of the first organisms to colonise rocks 2. Mosses decompose rocks making the substrate suitable for the growth of higher plants. 3. Mosses form dense mats on the soil, they reduce the impact of falling rain and prevent soil erosion. Regarding 1,2 and 3:

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In Bryophytes: 1. The zygotes produce a multicellular body called a sporophyte. 2. The sporophyte is free-living 3. Some cells of the sporophyte undergo division to produce diploid spores. 4. These spores germinate to produce gametophyte.

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Regarding sexual reproduction in Bryophytes : 1. The female *** organ called archegonium is pyriformin shape 2. Archegonium produces a single egg. 3. The antherozoids are released into water where they come in contact with archegonium. 4. An antherozoid fuses with the egg to produce the zygote. 5. Zygotes undergo reduction division immediately.

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Regarding Bryophytes : 1.The plant body is thallus-like and prostrate or erect 2. The plant body is attached to the substratum by unicellular or multicellular rhizoids 3. They have true roots, stem or leaves. 4. They may possess root-like, leaf-like or stem-like structures. 5. The main plant body of the bryophyte is diploid.

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Regarding Rhodophyceae: 1. Majority of them are marine 2. Greater concentrations of Rhodophyceae are found in the warmer areas 3. They occur in well-lighted regions close to the surface of water 4. They can not grow at great depths in oceans where relatively little light penetrates

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Regarding the members of phaeophyceae or brown algae: 1. Vegetative reproduction takes place by fragmentation. 2. Sexual reproduction in most brown algae is by biflagellate zoospores. 3. Zoospores are pear-shaped and have two equal laterally attached flagella

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Regarding the members of phaeophyceae or brown algae: 1. possess chlorophyll a, c, carotenoids and xanthophylls. 2. Food is stored as complex carbohydrates, which may be in the form of laminarin or mannitol. 3. The vegetative cells have a cellulosic wall. 4. cellulosic wall usually covered on the outside by a gelatinous coating of algin. 5. The protoplast contains, in addition to plastids, a centrally located vacuole and nucleus.

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In Chlorophyceae: 1. Vegetative reproduction usually takes place by fragmentation or by formation of different types of spores. 2. Asexual reproduction is by non flagellated zoospores produced in zoosporangia. 3. Zoospores produced in zoosporangia. 4. The sexual reproduction shows considerable variation 5. Sexual reproduction may be isogamous, anisogamous or oogamous.

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In Chlorophyceae: 1. The pigments are not localised in chloroplasts. 2. The chloroplasts may be discoid, plate-like, reticulate, cup-shaped, spiral or ribbon-shaped in different species. 3. Most of the members have one or more storage bodies called pyrenoids located in the chloroplasts. 4. Pyrenoids contain only starch. 5. Some algae may store food in the form of cholesterol.

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1. Vegetative reproduction is by fragmentation. 2. Each fragment develops into a thallus. 3. Asexual reproduction is by the production of different types of spores, the most common - oospores. 4. The spores are non flagellated and on germination give rise to new plants.

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1. Numerical Taxonomy which is now easily carried out using computers is based on all observable characteristics. 2. Number and codes are assigned to all the characters and the data are then processed. 3. Some important characters are given more importance 4. Cytological information like chromosome number are aslo included 5. At the same time hundreds of characters can be considered.

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1. Fungi, and members of the Monera and Protista having cell walls have now been excluded from Plantae 2. Earlier classifications also have placed them in Plantae 3. The cyanobacteria that are also referred to as blue green algae are not ‘algae’ any more. Regarding 1,2 and 3:

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1. Lichens are symbiotic associations between algae and fungi. 2.The algal component is known as mycobiont and fungal component as phycobiont 3. Algal component is autotrophic and fungal component is heterotrophic 4.Algae absorb water and prepare food for fungi and fungi provide shelter and absorb mineral nutrients for its partner. 5. Lichens are very good pollution indicators - they grow well in polluted areas Regarding 1,2,3,4 and 5:

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Regarding 1,2 and 3: 1. Life cycle of plants has two distinct phases 2. Haploid phase gametophytic and diploid phase sporophytic. 3. This phenomenon is called alternation of generation.

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In Basidiomycetes: 1.The asexual spores are generally not found 2. Vegetative reproduction by fragmentation is common. 3. The *** organs are present 4. plasmogamy is brought about by fusion of two vegetative or somatic cells of same strain or genotype. 5. The resultant structure of plasmogamy is dikaryotic which ultimately gives rise to basidium. 6.Karyogamy and meiosis take place in the basidium producing four basidiospores. The basidiospores are exogenously produced on the basidium . 7. The basidia are arranged in fruiting bodies called basidiocarps.

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In Ascomycetes: 1.The asexual spores are conidia produced endogenously on the special mycelium called conidiophores. 2. Conidia on germination produce mycelium. 3. Sexual spores are called ascospores which are produced exogenously in sac like asci 4. These asci are arranged in different types of fruiting bodies called ascocarps.

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In Phycomycetes: 1. Asexual reproduction takes place by zoospores (non-motile) or by aplanospores (motile). 2. These spores are exogenously produced in sporangium. 3. A zygospore is formed by fusion of two gametes; if these gametes are similar in morphology (isogamous or oogamous) or dissimilar (anisogamous)

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The sexual cycle involves the following three steps: (i) Fusion of protoplasms between two motile or non-motile gametes called plasmogamy. (ii) Fusion of two nuclei called karyogamy. (iii) Meiosis in zygote resulting in diploid spores. Regarding (i), (ii) and (iii)

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1. Archaebacteria differ from other bacteria in having a different cell wall structure 2. Methanogens live in marshy areas and halophiles live in hot springs. 3. Methanogens are present in the gut of several ruminant animals

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Regarding Linnaeus' time : 1. a Two Kingdom system of classification with Plantae and Animalia kingdoms was developed. 2. This system is still used till 3. This system did not distinguish between the eukaryotes and prokaryotes, & photosynthetic (green algae) and non-photosynthetic (fungi) organisms; yet this system distinguishes unicellular and multicellular organisms

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Regarding Aristotle: 1. used floral characters to classify plants 2. divided animals into two groups, those which had red blood and those that did not 3. a Two Kingdom system of classification with Plantae and Animalia kingdoms 4. earliest to attempt to classify organisms more on a scientific basis 5. classified plants into trees, shrubs and herbs

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The herbarium sheets carry a label providing information about (i)date of collection (ii)place of collection (iii)botanical names, family names (iv)English, local names (v)collector’s name

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1.As one goes higher from species to kingdom, the number of common characteristics goes on increasing. 2. Lower the taxa, more are the characteristics that the members within the taxon share. 3.Higher the category, determining the relationship to other taxa at the same level becomes easy.

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1. Families are characterised only on the basis of reproductive features of plant species 2. Lion, tiger, leopard is put along with cats and dogs in the family Felidae 3. Three different genera Solanum, Petunia and Datura are placed in the family Solanaceae

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1. The scientific names need not always ensure that each organism has only one name. 2. Description of any organism should enable the people (in any part of the world) to arrive at the same name. 3. While naming a new organism suh a name may have been used for some other closely related known organism.

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Class – Mammalia : 1. Sexes are separate 2. Fertilisation is internal. 3. They are always viviparous 4. Development is direct. Regarding 1,2,3 and 4:

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Class – Mammalia : 1. Heart is four- chambered. 2. Respiration is by lungs. 3. They are poikilothermous. Regarding 1,2 and 3:

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Class – Mammalia : 1. The skin of mammals is unique in possessing hair. 2. External ears or pinnae are absent in most species. 3. Different types of teeth are present in the jaw. Regarding 1,2 and 3:

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Class – Aves : 1. Sexes are separate. 2. Fertilisation is external. 3. They are oviparous 4. Development is direct. Regarding 1,2,3 and 4:

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Class – Aves : 1. Heart is completely four- chambered. 2. Respiration is by lungs. 3. Air sacs connected to lungs supplement respiration. Regarding 1,2 and 3:

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