1.Barley must be malted before brewing alcohol. Malting involves wetting the see
ID: 68962 • Letter: 1
Question
1.Barley must be malted before brewing alcohol. Malting involves wetting the seeds and allowing them to germinate. Why must this step be carried out? (Remember that alcohol fermentation involves the breakdown of glucose by glycolysis. What is the storage chemical in barley and other cereal grains?)
2.A large white flower blooms on a cactus in the desert. It opens only at night and releases a sweet smell. Can you hypothesize which is the most probable pollinator? Explain your reasoning showing how the flower’s characteristics match its pollinating agent.
Explanation / Answer
Plants have formed associations with animals over a million years ago to ensure pollination. To facilitate this process, they provide the pollinator with the appropriate clues and positive reinforcements:
... vision, shape, and scent signals
... nutrition in the form of nectar, waxes or the pollen itself,
... sometimes narcotic drugs which modify the insect's behavior
... structures which may simulate or teach mating behavior,
... products which the pollinator may use for pheromones or defense.
Showy petals or sepals with obvious shape, size, and color for the vector's vision are critical and specific signals for the appropriate pollinator .
Butterflies and birds are attracted to red and yellow colors, and these contrasting colors in the same flower are readily seen by a number of pollinators.
Bees have vision that is shifted toward the blue end of our visible spectrum. They do not see red colors but do see into the near-ultraviolet. Thus when a bee visits a brightly colored flower ( which may attract other pollinators) they are cued most likely by a UV pattern we can not detect without a UV detector.
For animals such as moths and bats that fly at night a white or very pale color is certainly more observable.
Nectar guides and other color patterns may help either make the plant more distinguishable or orient the oncoming "bomber" to make the right flight pattern landing. .
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