Plant Physiology

Plant Physiology (Biology 327) - Dr. Stephen G. Saupe; College of St. Benedict/ St. John's University; Biology Department; Collegeville, MN 56321; (320) 363 - 2782; (320) 363 - 3202, fax; ssaupe@csbsju.edu

Review Guide - Exam 2

General:
The exam will be a mixture of objective (e.g., multiple choice, matching, definitions, fill-in-blank) and subjective (non-objective) questions. The subjective questions could include completing/analyzing diagrams or experiments, short answers (require a few sentences) and essays (longer). I recommend that you use a pencil. The exam is designed to last one hour, hopefully a little shorter than the previous one. In general, the exam could include: (1) anything covered in class; (2) items in textbook that pertain directly to concepts covered in class; (3) lecture notes on-line pertaining to material covered in class; and (4) study sheets, handouts or other materials used/assigned in class; and (5) questions from videos or AV materials seen in lecture. The exam will be similar in format to the quiz questions posted online and to the first exam. The quiz questions for each unit should provide a good overview of each unit. In addition, the essay questions that are posted online are an excellent review for the exam.

Hopefully you've noticed in the syllabus that there is a major question for each day. These questions provide the main focus for each class. If you understand the answer to these questions (in reasonable detail) you should be in great shape for an exam.

You may want to check out the Study Hints I gave in the previous review sheet. Don't forget to check out the textbook website.

Below is a brief summary of the main topics that are "fair game" for the exam.

Water Relations

The main questions that we want to answer in this unit are "What determines the direction and rate of water movement in plants, and why is water such a unique molecule?"
Key topics include structure of water, properties of water, diffusion, osmosis, water potential
Chapter Ch 3
Study materials for this unit include my online notes and the quizzes on water properties and water potential (you may want to bring a calculator in case you have a question like some in this quiz).

Water balance

The main question that we want to answer in this unit is "How do plants obtain water from the soil?"
Key topics include soil properties, soil water distribution and plant containers, root structure, water movement from soil to stele, root pressure, guttation
Chapter 4
Study materials for this unit include my online notes, the quiz on water/soil, and the Spuds McSaupe Plays with Sponges

Water Transport

The main question that we want to answer in this unit is (How is water transported from the roots to the leaves?)
Key topics include xylem structure, water transport, capillary action, root pressure, cohesion-tension hypothesis
Chapter 4
Study materials for this unit include my online notes, and the quiz on water transport

Gas Exchange & Stomatal Mechanics

The key question that we want to answer in this unit is How do plants solve the transpiration / photosynthesis paradox?
Key topics include guard cell structure, guard cell mechanics/physiology, guard cell control and regulation; transpiration
Chapter 4
Study materials for this unit include my online notes; the quiz on gas exchange; and the GC mechanics diagram.

Phloem transport

The key question that we want to answer in this unit is "How do plants transport nutrients from the site of production to the site of need?"
Key topics include phloem anatomy, physiology/mechanics of phloem transport; phloem content
Chapter 10
Study materials include my on line notes; the phloem case studies; and the quiz on phloem.