botany: plant diversity Flashcards
From what are all plants thought to have evolved?
Simple unicellular algae.
What are the four major divisions of land plants?
Bryophyta, Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae (Gymnosperms), and Angiospermae (Angiosperms).
What features do all plants in the Kingdom Plantae share?
They are multicellular, eukaryotic, have cell walls made of cellulose, and perform photosynthesis with chloroplasts.
What is the alternation of generations in plants?
A life cycle with a spore-producing generation (sporophyte) and a gamete-producing generation (gametophyte).
What type of plants are Bryophyta?
Non-vascular plants like mosses, liverworts, and hornworts.
Where are Bryophytes commonly found?
In damp, shady areas.
How do Bryophytes reproduce?
Through spores produced in a structure called a sporophyte.
What anchors Bryophytes to a surface?
Rhizoids, not true roots.
What are the identifying features of Bryophyta?
Small size, leafy or flat thallus, and a distinctive sporophyte with a capsule at the end.
What plants are included in Pteridophyta?
Ferns.
What is the structure of a fern leaf called?
A frond, often divided into smaller leaflets.
How do ferns reproduce?
They produce spores in sporangia arranged in sori under the fronds.
What are the identifying features of Pteridophyta?
Horizontal rhizome, fronds, and sori (spore pouches) on the underside of fronds.
What are examples of Gymnosperms?
Cycads, ginkgos, conifers, and Gnetales (e.g., Welwitschia).
How do Gymnosperms reproduce?
By producing seeds on exposed scales of cones, with pollen carried by wind.
