Kingdom Plantae

1. Kingdom Plantae National Geographic - Plants

2. Kingdom Plantae • What are plants? • most are autotrophs • eukaryotic • have cell walls containing cellulose • mostly land dwelling organisms • they are the foundations of almost all ecosystems.

3. Plants Non-flowering Flowering 1 seed-leaf 2 seed-leaves Spore-bearing Naked seeds Monocots Dicots Gymnosperms No roots with roots Mosses Ferns

4. Evolution of Plants • ancestors of modern day plants were aquatic organism similar to green algae. • to grow on land, plants have developed: • an embryo – reproductive structure which develops directly into a plant. • ability to stand upright and reach for the sun • tissues to transport water, nutrients and wastes. • strategies to reduce water loss • strategies to disperse seeds without relying on water currents. • flowering plants are the youngest in plant evolution.

5. Alternation of Generations • most plants have a life cycle that alternates between diploid and haploid forms. • diploid (2 sets of chromosomes – 1 from each parent) • haploid (1 chromosome set)

6. Classification of Plants: • there are 5 major groups of plants: • green algae • mosses and relatives • ferns and relatives • seed plants • flowering plants

7. 1. Green Algae – modern relatives of plant ancestors • many species are found in shallow fresh water – edges of ponds • 2. Mosses and Relatives – seedless non-vascular plants • (Bryophytes) • grow close to the ground in damp locations where can easily obtain water. • no seeds or stems – no rigid support structures in cell walls, so can’t grow tall. • non-vascular – can’t transport water or nutrients within. • male and female gametes are produced in separate reproductive structures - sperm have flagella and swim through water to the eggs.

8. Spore-producing capsule Mosses

9. 3. Ferns and Relatives – seedless vascular plants • have vascular structures to carry water. • gives advantage: can grow taller – reach the sunlight • vascular structures (veins) connect shoots above ground to roots below • seedless: reproduce much like mosses – sperm swims to egg on a film of water on the underside of the plant.

10. 4. Gymnosperms – seed plants • conifers (pine, fir, cedar, ginko) • ‘naked seeds’ – not protected or enclosed in an ovary. • seeds are plant embryos packaged in a protective coat along with a food supply. • pollen grains are small male gametophytes that contains cells that develop into sperm. • wind carries the pollen grains to female cones – where eggs develop.

11. 5. Angiosperms – flowering plants • reproductive structures are flowers • 2 groups: monocots and dicots • ovaries within flowers completely protect the seeds. • gametophytes of angiosperms develop within the flowers • flowers have many adaptations to disperse pollen and seeds. • insects, animals, birds (and wind) all transfer pollen from one flower to another. • once pollination occurs the ovary develops into a fruit – the ripened ovary of a flower. • fruits are a good way to disperse seeds: • if ingested, the seed survives and drops elsewhere • burrs stick to animal fur. • maple keys are suited to wind dispersal • coconuts are well suited to water dispersal

12. Flowering Plants Monocotyledons Dicotyledons

13. MONOCOTS vs. DICOTS

15. MONOCOTS 10 % of monocots (one seed leaf) have a woody stem (rigid). Examples include bamboo and palm trees.

16. MONOCOTS Most have a herbaceous stem (soft, fleshy). These include lilies, tulips, orchids, etc.

17. DICOTS Dicots are deciduous trees. They are considered to be “hardwood” and also provide a large amount of money to Canada in the lumber industry.

18. DICOTS Dicots are often used to make furniture, hockey sticks, and provide fuel for heating purposes. A typical salad contains many dicots (lettuce, tomatoes, radishes).