In: Biology
Question 2
You are out exploring plants while on a hike, and you come across a group of ferns. You notice some with hairy fiddleheads (immature leaves), and some without. You form a preliminary hypothesis that they are members of different species. (32 pts)
Part 1: What specific features/aspects would you examine to test your hypothesis that these ferns have undergone speciation? Utilize at least two species concepts/definitions in your response. (16 pts)
Part 2: What events could potentially be influencing speciation? Describe at least two mechanisms of evolution that could be influencing this population of ferns and how these mechanisms may be causing change. (16 pts)
Part 1 answer-The leaves of the fern are the main features that proves that the ferns undergo speciation.Explanation-There are two characteristics typical of most fern leaves :a fiddlehead and aerphore lines .Fiddleheads are called croziers which are circinately coiled leaf buds .It is also subdivided into pinnae and pinnules.Pneumatophores are also characteristics all leptosporangiate fern leaves. So there is a vast amount of leaf diversity .Fern leaves are diversified in size,shape,dissection,apical indeterminancy,petiole morphology etc.Ophioglossaceae,psilotum,equisetum,tree ferns ,filmy ferns ,drynarioid fern are the example of the speciation. Part 2 Answer-i) Shoot apical meristem influences the leaf development.if a shallow incision is made between an incipient leaf primordium and apex of the shoot apical meristem then the primordium still developed as a leaf.If a deep incision separated an incipient leaf primordium and shoot apical meristem then the incipient leaf primordium develops as a shoot.This result suggest that a leaf determining signal comes from shoot apical meristem and the fern leaves are not determined as leaves immediately upon arising from the shoot apical meristem. ii)The two transcription factors class I knox and class iii HD Zip plays an immense role in leaf evolution in ferns.Class i Knox gene have a key role in maintaining the indeterminancy of the shoot apical meristem.Classiii hd zip genes has a role in the development of the shoot apical meristem ,vasculature,and the adexial region of the leaf.