INTRODUCTION

Thefirstlandplantsappearedabout400millionyearsago.Plantsarethoughttohave
evolvedfromaclassoffreshwatergreenalgae.Whatchangeswouldalgaehavehad
tomaketosurviveonland?

KINGDOMPLANTAE
Plantsaremulticellular,eukaryoticorganismsthatperformphotosynthesis.Life
onEarthexistsbecauseofplants.Theyareautotrophicandliveinbothaquaticand
terrestrialenvironments.

Plantstakeinorganiccarbon(atmosphericCO2)andphotosynthesizeitintosugarand
oxygen.Thisprovidestheplantwithenergy(asitusescellularrespirationtoget
energy),aswellasprovidesanimalswiththeoxygennecessarytocarryouttheirlife
processes.

MORPHOLOGY
Plantshavehighlyspecializedorgansresponsiblefor
carryingouttheirmetabolicprocesses:

__________storeenergy,anchorplantstothe
ground,andabsorbwaterandinorganicnutrients.

__________storeenergy,transportnutrientsand
waterthroughouttheplant.

__________arethesiteofphotosynthesis,andthey
controlthetranspirationofwateraswellasthe
exchangeofgases.

__________containreproductivestructuresfor
someplants.
MORPHOLOGYCON'D
Anotherdefiningcharacteristicisthecompositionofthecellwallinplants.

Unlikefungi,thecellwallinplantsismadeofacomplexcarbohydratecalled
cellulose.Itprovidessupportaswellascohesivenessforplantcells.

Theothermajorfeatureofplantcellsistheorganelleresponsibleforphotosynthesis,
thechloroplast.Itconvertslightenergyintochemicalenergyandstoresitassugar
(glucose).

CLASSIFICATION
Thoughtherearemorethan300000speciesknown,plantscanbedividedinto4
majorgroups,eachcontainingseveraldivisions(roughlyequivalenttoPhyla).

NONVASCULARPLANTS(Mosses&relatives)
Becausetheylackvasculartissue,theseplantsmustobtainandtransportnutrients
throughdiffusionandosmosis.Thismeansthattheyhavetogrowinmatsoflow,
tangledvegetation,andholdwaterextremelywell(likeasponge),allowingthemto
surviveinharshconditions(cold,dry).Theyhavenoroots,rathertinyrootlike
structurescalledrhizoids.

PHYLUMBRYOPHYTA(Mosses)
Mossesareverywidespreadastheythriveindiverse
habitatslikebogs,tundra,bareexposedrocks,and
evenindeepshade.

Therearetwiceasmany
speciesofmossesas
therearemammals!
PHYLUMHEPATOPHYTA(Liverworts)
Liverwortsgrowflatandlowtotheground,andare
rarelymorethan30cellsthick.Theyalsohavemany
smallchloroplastspercell.

80%areleafyandliveintropicalforestsandinhumid
climates,whiletheother20%arethalloseliverworts
(flattenedbodies).

PHYLUMANTHOCEROPHYTA(Hornworts)
Hornwortsarebroad,flatandarecommonlyblue
greenincolour.Theyarenamedfortheirsporophyte
shape,forobviousreasons.

Theycanlooksimilartoliverworts,buttheyhaveone
largechloroplastpercell.

SEEDLESS,VASCULARPLANTS(Ferns&relatives)
Thoughtheyonlyevolvedabout300millionyearsago,thesearethepioneersof
plantsasweknowthem.Theydevelopedcomplexvasculartissuetotransport
waterandnutrients.Thisallowedplantstogrowmuchtallerthanthemosses.

PHYLUMPSILOTOPHYTA(WhiskFerns)
Theseplantslooklikesmallgreenwhiskbrooms.
Theyhavenoleavesorroots,butgrowfromshort
rhizomes(horizontal,undergroundstems).

PHYLUMLYCOPODOPHYTA(ClubMosses)

Thesearesmallevergreenlookingplantsthatgrow
indensematsinmoisttemperateortropicalforests.

Theyarenotrelatedtotruemossesandhavetrue
rootsandstems.
PHYLUMSPHENOPHYTA(Horsetails)
Oftenfoundindampareasoralongroadsides,horsetails
growupto1metretallandcanbeusedtoscourpots.

Theyhavesilicaintheircells,whichaccountsforthe
roughness,andcanbemadeintoashampootocombat
headlice.
PHYLUMPTERIDOPHYTA(Ferns)
Themostfamiliarandsuccessfuloftheseedless
vascularplants,fernshaveroots,stems,awaxy
epidermisthatreduceswaterlossbyevaporationand
stomataintheirleavesforgasexchange.

Fernsproducemillionsorevenbillionsofsporesintheir
lifetime.
Theleavesareactuallycalledfronds,whichareseed
leavesthatgrowupfromrhizomes.

GYMNOSPERMS(Conifers&relatives)
Containing3phyla,gymnospermsreproducesexuallywithoutneedingwaterandhave
seedsthatareexposedonthesurfaceofconescales.

Thewordgymnospermmeansnakedseed.Thisgroupincludestheconebearing
trees:pines,firs,spruce,yew,cedars,redwoodandmanyotherlargetrees.

PHYLUMCONIFEROPHYTA
Formingvastforestsinthecolderregionsoftheworld,
coniferousplantsaretheevergreens,whicharecontinually
losingandreplacingneedlesallyearround.

Theneedlelikeleaveshaveathick,waxycuticleandsunken
stomata,whichreducetherateofevaporation.They
reproducewithoutwater,andhavebarktopreventwaterloss.

Thepyramidalshapeofmanyconifershelpssnowandice
slideoffthetree,reducingbranchbreakings.
PHYLUMGNETOPHYTA

Gnetopytes
arevery
rare,
locatedin
thedeserts
southern
Africa.

PHYLUMCYCADOPHYTA
Locatedinthetropics,theseplantsonce
dominatedtheearth,andexistedwhen
dinosaursroamedtheplanet.Theyare
short,palmliketreeswithscalytrunks.

PHYLUMGINKGOPHYTA
Theonlylivingspeciesofthisplantisthe
Ginkobiloba,whichwascommonduringthe
Jurassicperiod(200millionyearsago).

ItiscultivatedinAsiantemplesforhundreds
ofyears,whichhelpedprotectagainst
extinction.
ANGIOSPERMS(FloweringPlants)
Plantsthatprotecttheirseedswithinthebodyofafruitarecalled
angiosperms.TheyappearedonEarthmorethan150millionyearsagoand
includevines,grasses,shrubs,treesandwaterplants.

Angiospermsgroweverywhereonlandfromtundratotropicsandaredivided
intomonocots(1seedleaf)anddicots(2seedleaves).Lilliesandgrasses
areexamplesofmonocotsanddaisiesanddeciduoustreesareexamplesof
dicots.Theyreproducesexuallybypollination.Thewind,water,animals,bats,
birdsandinsectsactaspollencarriers.

ClubMosses
Hornworts Liverworts Mosses Ferns Gymnosperms Angiosperms