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Passage 13
The rat e at which pollen set t les is dict at ed principally by t he size and densit y of t he grain. The slow er t he set t lem ent rat e, t he great er t he dispersal range. Num erous species reduce t he densit y of t heir pollen grains t hrough air cavit ies in t heir walls. The grains of m any species quickly dehydrat e aft er release. There is a lim it , howev er, t o t he lower range of pollen size. The sm aller a part icle becom es, t he m ore difficult it s capt ure, because as airflow carrying part icles sweeps past surfaces, inert ia represent s a principal com ponent of t he m echanism for capt ure. Usually considered a primitive feature in textbooks, wind- pollinat ion has, in fact , reappeared independent ly in m any plant groups relat ively recent ly in geological t im e.

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General t ext book s st ill oft en give t he im pression t hat t he anem ophilous syndrom e is rat her unint erest ing, oft en defining it m ainly as a com binat ion of negat ives: a lack of nect ar, scent , pet als, et c. Wind 15 pollinat ion has t radit ionally been viewed as a reproduct ive process dom inat ed by random event s t he vagaries of t he wind and weat her. This view seem s j ust ified by t he pot ent ial hazards a pollen grain is subj ect t o when t ransport ed ov er long dist ances. Pollen loss t hrough happenst ance is com pensat ed for in wind - pollinat ed plant s t o a large degree by pollen - t o- ovule rat ios t hat great ly exceed t hose of insect - pollinat ed species. And unlike t he st icky pollen grains of plant s pollinat ed by insect s, t he pollen grains of wind - pollinat ed plant s are sm oot h and dry, t o avoid clum ping and precipit at ing, and t he st igm a of t he fem ale is huge, st icky, and feat hery, t he bet t er t o cat ch any float ing pollen grains. Sim ilarly, wind- pollinat ed plant s t ypically evolved t o grow in st ands, such as pine forest s, corn fields and grasslands. I ndeed t he wind vect or is only useful in large, near- m onocult ure populat ions. How ev er, recent resear ch has shown t hat sev eral rem arkably sophist icat ed m echanism s for dispersal and capt ure ar e charact erist ic of wind- pollinat ed plant s. Pollen release is oft en t ied t o t he recognit ion of unam biguous environm ent al clues. The devices t hat operat e t o prev ent self- pollinat ion are also som et im es ext r em ely int ricat e. Many species t ake advant age of t he phy sics of pollen m ot ion by generat ing aerodynam ic environm ent s wit hin t he im m ediat e vicinit y of t heir reproduct ive organs. Two biological feat ures appear t o be crit ical in t his process: t he densit y and size of t he pollen grain and t he m orphology of t he ovulat e organ. The shape of t he fem ale organ creat es pat t erns of airflow dist urbances t hrough which pollen grains t ravel. The obst ruct ing organ causes airflow t o separat e around windward sur faces and creat es t urbulence along leeward surfaces as am bient wind speeds increase. Because t he geom et ry of fem ale organs is oft en species- specific, airflow dist urbance pat t erns t hat are also species- specific can be generat ed. The speed and direct ion of t his pat t ern com bines wit h t he physical propert ies of a species pollen to produce a highly synergist ic pat t ern of pollen collision on windward surfaces and sedim ent at ion on leeward surfaces of reproduct ive organs. The aerodynam ic consequences of t his synergism

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can significant ly increase t he pollen - capt ure efficiency of an ovulat e organ.

1. I n general, according t o t he aut hor of t he passage, pollen grains t hat would have t he great est dispersal range would have which of t he following charact erist ics? I . Sm all size I I . Dryness I I I . Low- densit y A. B. C. D. E. I only I and I I only I and I I I only I , I I and I I I I I and I I I only

2. Which of t he following is t he t one of t he passage, in t he m ost part ? A. Crit ical B. Descript ive C. Laudat ory D. Hum orous E. Condescending

3. Based on t he inform at ion set fort h in t he passage, all t he following m echanism s serve t o reduce pollen loss in wind- pollinat ed plant s EXCEPT: A. ret ent ion of pollen wit hin t he m ale organ when weat her condit ions ar e not conducive t o dispersal. B. growt h of plant s in large populat ions wit h few species. C. creat ion of species- specific air- flow dist urbance pat t erns by t he m orphology of t he ovulat e organ. D. developm ent of int ricat e m echanism s t o prevent self- pollinat ion. E. high pollen- t o- ovule rat ios

4. Based on passage inform at ion, it is reasonable t o conclude t hat wind pollinat ed plant s are LEAST likely t o be found: A. B. C. D. E. in t ropical rain forest s of Sout h Am erica. in t he t aiga and ot her nort hern European coniferous forest s. in t he valleys of California. along river banks in t em perat e clim at es on t he windy slopes of t he Him alayas

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