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Listen to an Academic Talk Test #028
Listen to an Academic Talk
1. What is the main subject of the talk?
A) The life cycle of tropical trees
B) Parasitic relationships between plants
C) A type of plant that grows on other plants
D) How plants get nutrients from the soil
2. How do epiphytes get their nutrients?
A) Directly from the host plant's branches
B) From the air, rain, and surrounding debris
C) By sending roots down into the ground
D) Through a process involving photosynthesis only
3. What can be inferred about the relationship between an epiphyte and its host?
A) The host tree is harmed by the epiphyte.
B) The epiphyte provides nutrients to the host tree.
C) The host tree is largely unaffected by the epiphyte.
D) The host tree competes with the epiphyte for sunlight.
4. What is the professor's purpose in mentioning that the mass of epiphytes can exceed that of the host's leaves?
A) To suggest that epiphytes can harm host trees
B) To emphasize the significant presence of epiphytes
C) To explain how epiphytes get their nutrients
D) To question the accuracy of previous research
Professor: So, when you picture a tropical rainforest, you probably imagine a dense canopy of trees. But look closer at those trees, and you'll see they are home to many other plants. These are called epiphytes. An epiphyte is a plant that grows on another plant for physical support, but it's not parasitic—meaning it doesn't steal nutrients from its host.
Instead, epiphytes get their moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, and the organic debris that accumulates around them. Common examples include many types of orchids, bromeliads, and ferns. In some tropical forests, the total mass of epiphytes can be greater than the mass of the leaves of the host tree!
They play a crucial role in the ecosystem by capturing water and nutrients that might otherwise be lost from the forest canopy, making those resources available to other organisms. This demonstrates how complex and interdependent forest ecosystems truly are.
Instead, epiphytes get their moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, and the organic debris that accumulates around them. Common examples include many types of orchids, bromeliads, and ferns. In some tropical forests, the total mass of epiphytes can be greater than the mass of the leaves of the host tree!
They play a crucial role in the ecosystem by capturing water and nutrients that might otherwise be lost from the forest canopy, making those resources available to other organisms. This demonstrates how complex and interdependent forest ecosystems truly are.
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