Read Root Adaptations
A focused NSEB read for the root adaptations pattern. Learn the linked concept, then apply it in the source questions.
Living-system questions are solved by matching a structure or organism to its function, process and stated condition.
Root Adaptations
Shallow nutrient-poor soil favors lateral support. Buttress roots are common in tropical rain-forest trees where soils are often shallow, highly leached and nutrient-poor. They provide mechanical support to very tall trees despite relatively superficial root systems. Hence A.
Read the adaptation in an orchid root
Start with the outermost specialised layer. A multi-layered, spongy and hygroscopic velamen with large perforated cells is characteristic of an aerial orchid root. It absorbs and retains water, so the specimen is a hanging orchid root. Do not confuse it with a maize stilt root or a halophyte pneumatophore.
OlympIQ exam lens
- ✓Shallow nutrient-poor soil favors lateral support
- ✓Velamen identifies the aerial root of an epiphytic orchid.
Read the conditions in the stem carefully and use the stated model, labels, or assumptions before choosing an answer.
Ready to try the pattern?
100% coverage across the 2 linked questions.
Practise 2 linked questions