Transcript Plants!!!!
Plants!!!! • Multi-cellular eukaryote that produces its own food in the form of glucose through the process of photosynthesis • All plants are autotrophic • Plant cells have thick cell walls made of cellulose Nonvascular Plants • Lack vascular tissue – Transport water, starch & nutrients by osmosis & diffusion • Must be small in size; usually only a few cells thick • Require a close association with water--MUST live in moist habitats • Reproduce using spores • The Gametophyte Generation (haploid) is dominant • Male reproductive structure = antheridium • Female reproductive structure = archegonium Vascular Plants • Have vascular tissues – Tube-like cells transport water & nutrients throughout the plant • Grow much larger than non-vascular plants • Can survive in a variety of habitats • Can adapt to changes in the availability of water • The Sporophyte Generation (diploid) is dominant • There are two major types of Vascular Plants – Non-Seed Plants and Seed Plants Nonvascular Plants: Mosses • Small plants with leafy stems • Rhizoids help anchor the stem to the soil • Usually grow in dense carpets • Will grow anywhere with enough moisture Nonvascular Plants: Liverworts • Usually grow in clumps/masses in moist habitats • Oily/shiny surfaces help reduce evaporation from tissues Nonvascular Plants: Hornworts • Sporophyte resembles an animal horn • Each cell has one large chloroplast Vascular Plants: Nonseed Plants • Prominent in ancient forests • Reproduce using spores • Requires film of water for sperm to reach egg • Ex: FERNS Vascular Plants: Seed Plants • Reproduce using seeds • Seeds provide food supply & protection for embryonic plant from the environment • Can provide a seed dispersal method Vascular Plants: Seed Plants • Gymnosperms – Naked seeds – Seeds produced on woody scales called cones – Ex: conifers (Pine trees, Fir trees, Redwood trees) • Angiosperms – Covered Seeds – Seeds enclosed in a fruit – Fruit is the ripened in the ovary of a flower Angiosperms: Anthophytes • Flowering plants • Divided into two classes: monocotyledons & dicotyledons • One seed leaf = monot • Two seed leaf = dicot • Annual, Biennial, & Perennial Monocots vs. Dicots Flowering Plant Life Spans • Annuals – Sprout, grow, reproduce, and die in a single season – Corn, wheat, peas, beans, squash • Biennials – Less than 2 years – Many develop storage roots – Survive winter/harsh conditions by dropping leaves or dying back to ground • Perennials – Several years – Produce flowers and seeds once a year – Also survive winter/harsh conditions by dropping leaves or dying back to ground