Lecture 23 Flashcards
What is the importance of the seed evolving?
-one of the most dramatic innovations in land plant evolution -dramatic advance in evolution, protection of embryos by seeds -seed= container= embryo inside and diploid outside coating and nutrient material
What were the main advancements developed in seed plants?
-wind pollination= no need to swim -secondary growth= girth increase -embryo develops partially on the parent
When did seed plants evolve?
Fossil record extending back to the late Silurian (c. 420 million years)
What are the three divisions of seed plants?
-cycads -conifers -angiosperms (flowering plants)
How do cycads grow?
not much secondary growth, grow in columns
What is special about the ginko?
another group -believed to be extincted= it was in china 17th centuryone tree only= all of them from this one today
How do conifers reproduce?
-in cones segments= seeds large numbers of layer seeds juniper berries= modified cones= falvour of gin
What sort of environment do conifers need?
australia too arid for evergreens usually -not much to eat in conifer forests -has to be humid -they are the world’s greatest carbon sink
What are the four main events in land plant evolution?
- Development of secondary growth - produces woody tissues 2. Produce two types of spores: megaspores (in ovules - female) and microspores (pollen - males) 3. Reproduce by seeds - female gametophyte & embryo enclosed within an ovule, which is nourished and protected on the parent plant 4. Male gametes transported in pollen, by wind in the conifers (pollination).
What is the secondary growth?
• The Vascular Cambium is a meristem that produces additional (secondary) vascular tissue (xylem and phloem). • Secondary growth increases the girth of a stem by adding wood and bark. • Secondary growth is essential for development of shrubs and trees.
What are the growth rings?
one ring= one year as it gets cold and hot= depends on weather, if drought etc
What vessel network do the conifers have?
-tracheid vessels
What are the characteristics of pollen?
• Pollen grains are transported to the ovule (female gamete) prior to sperm cell development. • Pollen are wind-blown to the female ovule. • The sperm cells do not require free water. -sticky ovules= draw in the pollen
What does a seed develop from?
- from fertilized ovules.
What is an ovule?
An ovule is a sporangium surrounded by a protective covering (integument).