Review Questions

For an element to be regarded as essential, all of the following criteria must be met, except:

1. No other element can perform the function.
2. The element is directly involved in plant nutrition.
3. The element is inorganic.
4. The plant cannot complete its lifecycle without the element.

The nutrient that is part of carbohydrates, proteins, and nucleic acids, and that forms biomolecules, is ________.

1. nitrogen
2. carbon
3. magnesium
4. iron

Most ________ are necessary for enzyme function.

1. micronutrients
2. macronutrients
3. biomolecules
4. essential nutrients

What is the main water source for land plants?

1. rain
2. soil
3. biomolecules
4. essential nutrients

Which factors affect soil quality?

1. chemical composition
2. history of the soil
3. presence of living organisms and topography
4. all of the above

Soil particles that are 0.1 to 2 mm in diameter are called ________.

1. sand
2. silt
3. clay
4. loam

A soil consists of layers called ________ that taken together are called a ________.

1. soil profiles : horizon
2. horizons : soil profile
3. horizons : humus
4. humus : soil profile

What is the term used to describe the solid rock that lies beneath the soil?

1. sand
2. bedrock
3. clay
4. loam

Which process produces an inorganic compound that plants can easily use?

1. photosynthesis
2. nitrogen fixation
3. mycorrhization
4. Calvin cycle

Through mycorrhization, a plant obtains important nutrients such as ________.

1. phosphorus, zinc, and copper
2. phosphorus, zinc, and calcium
3. nickel, calcium, and zinc
4. all of the above

What term describes a plant that requires nutrition from a living host plant?

1. parasite
2. saprophyte
3. epiphyte
4. insectivorous

What is the term for the symbiotic association between fungi and cyanobacteria?

1. lichen
2. mycorrhizae
3. epiphyte
4. nitrogen-fixing nodule