Module 2: Lower Plants Flashcards
What kingdom do plants belong to?
Plantae
What is the second largest kingdom?
Plantae
What were the first terrestrial organisms?
Plantae
Terrestrial
Living organisms that live and grow on land
Name 9 characteristics of plants
- Eukaryotic
- Multicellular
- Gains nutrients through photosynthesis
- Cell walls made of cellulose
- Absence of sensory system, nervous system, and organs for movement
- Alternates between haploid and diploid generations
- Autotrophic
- Contain chloroplasts to conduct photosynthesis
- Large central vacuole holds water and keeps plants turgid
Eukaryote
An organism whose basic structural unit is a cell containing specialized organelles and a membrane-bound nucleus
Autotroph
An organism that produces its own food
Haploid
Cells containing one set of chromosomes
Diploid
Cells containing two sets of chromosomes
What organisms are capable of photosynthesis?
Only plants
What differentiates plants from other organisms?
Photosynthesis
Chlorophyta
Green algae
Green Algae
Chlorophyta
What kingdom does green algae belong to?
Protista
What phylum does green algae belong to?
Chlorophyta
What kingdom is considered the ancestor of modern day plants?
Protista
Name two notable features of green algae
- Single-celled
- Live in watery habitats
Habitat
The natural home or environment of a plant, animal, or other organism
What is a primary problem plants on land face?
Need for water
Vascular Tissue
An arrangement of multiple cell types in vascular plants which allows for the transport of water, minerals, and products of photosynthesis to be transported throughout the plant
What are the two types of vascular tissue?
Xylem and Phloem
Xylem
Type of vascular tissues that transports water through a plant
Phloem
Type of vascular tissue that transports carbs through a plant
What are two plant features that are determined by the amount of vascular tissue it possesses?
Size and how close it must live to water
What are the two basic methods of plant reproduction?
Swimming sperm cells and flying sperm cells
What are two plant features that are determined by the basic method of reproduction it uses?
Size and how close it must live to water
What are the three categories of plants based on how much vascular tissue they possess?
Non-vascular, Seedless Vascular/Semi-Vascular, Seed Plants/True Vascular
How do nonvascular plants reproduce?
Spores/swimming sperm cells
Spore
A typically one-celled reproductive unit capable of asexual reproduction
What types of plants are considered “Lower Plants”?
Nonvascular and Semi-vascular plants
What category of plants do mosses belong to based on the amount of vascular tissue they hold?
Nonvascular
What category of plants do liverworts belong to based on the amount of vascular tissue they hold?
Nonvascular
How do semi-vascular plants reproduce?
Spores/swimming sperm cells
How do vascular plants reproduce?
Seeds/flying sperm cells
Gymnosperm
A plant whose seeds are unprotected by flowers or fruits
Angiosperm
A plant whose seeds are protected by flowers or fruits
What plants are considered to be “Higher Plants”?
Vascular plants
Liverworts
Hepaticophyta
Hepaticophyta
Liverworts
Hepatic
Liver
Wort
Tiny plant
Phyta
Plant
How many species of liverworts are there?
6,500
Thallus
A plant body that is not differentiated into stems and leaves and lacks true roots and a vascular system
Heterosporous
Distinct and separate male and female plants
Gemmae Cups
Asexual, cup-shaped reproductive structures
Zone of Saturation
The ground immediately below the water table in which all pores and fractures are saturated with water
Name 6 features of liverworts
- Fingernail sized
- Nonvascular
- Can only live in a zone of saturation
- Thallus; green, leafy body
- Heterosporous
- Contains gemmae cups
Anthocerophyta
Hornworts
Hornworts
Anthocerophyta
How many species of hornworts are there?
100
Homosporous
Combined sexes in a single plant
Name 5 features of hornworts.
- Nonvascular
- Can only live in a “zone of saturation”
- Thallus; green, leafy body
- Horn-shaped reproductive structure
- Homosporous
Bryophyta
Mosses
Mosses
Bryophyta
How many species of mosses are there?
10,000+
Archegonium
Egg-producing structure
Antheridium
Sperm-producing structure
Stalk & Capsule
A structure found in female plants that produces spores
Name 4 features of mosses
- Heterosporous
- Has an archegonium
- Has an antheridium
- Has a stalk & capsule
Sphagnum
Peat Moss
Peat Moss
Sphagnum
What are some past uses of peat moss?
Surgical dressings, diapers, lamp wicks, bedding, stable litter
What are some current uses of peat moss?
Used in potting soil and seed starters to help retain moisture
What are some past uses for spanish moss?
Stuffing material, insulation and mulch
What type of plant is moss?
Bromeliad, not moss
How did reindeer moss get its name?
It serves as pasture for reindeer, moose, caribou, etc. in the north
What kingdom does reindeer moss belong to?
Fungi
Pterophyta
True ferns
True ferns
Pterophyta
How many species of true ferns are there?
12,000+
Megaphyll
Large leaf
Frond
Leaf or leaf-like part of palm, fern, or similar plant
Pinnule
Any of the ultimate leaflets of a bipinnate or tripinnate leaf
Fiddlehead
An immature fern leaf with a distinctive curled end
Vestigial
Degenerate body structures that seem to have lost their original function in the species over an evolutionary timescale
Rhizome
Horizontal, above ground stem
Name 6 features of true ferns
- Megaphylls
- Fronds
- Pinnule
- Fiddleheads
- Vestigial roots
- Rhizome stems
Gametophyte
A plant that forms gametes (sex cells)
Prothallus
Green, heart-shaped reproductive structure
Antheridium
A haploid structure or organ producing and creating male gametes
Archegonia
Flask-shaped female sex organs of bryophytes, lower vascular plants, and some gymnospores
Sorus
A yellow-brown cluster of structures that produce spores
Sporangium
A structure within which spores are produced
What do fern spores grow into?
Prothallus
Indusium
Protective cap over the sorus
Hygroscopic Operation
Attracting and holding water molecules via either absorption or adsorption from the surrounding environment
When gender are ferns?
Hermaphroditic
Osmundo cinnamomea
Cinnamon fern
Cinnamon fern
Osmundo cinnamomea
Name three features of cinnamon ferns
- Largest fern in North America
- Dimorphic
- Edible fertile fronds
Osmunda regalis
Royal Fern
Royal Fern
Osmunda regalis
Name two features of royal ferns
- Grow in standing water
- Golden reproductive leaves on top of plant look like a crown
Polypodium polypodioides
Resurrection Fern
Resurrection Fern
Polypodium polypodioides
Name three features of the resurrection fern
- Grows on tree bark surfaces
- Turns brown and looks dead in dry weather
- Returns to green after rain
Pteridium aquilinum
Bracken fern
Bracken Fern
Pteridium aquilinum
Name two features of bracken ferns
- Toxic if eaten
- Inhabits hot, dry places
Aspenium platyneuron
Ebony spleenwort
Ebony spleenwort
Aspenium platyneuron
Name two features of the ebony spleenwort
- Small fern
- Black stem
Lorinseria areolata
Netted chain fern
Netted Chain Fern
Lorinseria areolata
Name one distinctive feature of the netted chain fern
Reproductive leaves resemble links of a chain
Polystichum acrostichoides
Christmas fern
Christmas Fern
Polystichum acrostichoides
Name three features of the Christmas fern
- Evergreen fern
- Used for Christmas decorations
- Ancestor of house plant ferns
Azolla caroliniana
Mosquito fern
Mosquito Fern
Azolla caroliniana
Name three features of the mosquito fern
- Floating fern
- World’s smallest fern
- Will sometimes cover the entire water surface, preventing mosquitoes and other insects from laying eggs
Asplenium tutwilerae
Tutwiler Fern
Tutwiler Fern
Asplenium tutwilerae
Name 2 features of the Tutwiler Fern
- Only grows in North Hale County, Alabama
- Discovered by Julia Tutwiler
Who was Julia Tutwiler?
An education pioneer who advocated for women’s education, a prison reformer, and an amateur botanist; founded the university that would go on to become Montevallo University
Onoclea sensibilis
Sensitive Bead Fern
Sensitive Bead Fern
Onoclea sensibilis
List two features of the sensitive bead fern
- Leaves are sensitive and close up on contact
- Reproductive leaves look like beads or coffee beans
Sphenophyta
Horsetails, Pipes, Scouring Rushes
Horsetails, Pipes, Scouring Rushes
Sphenophyta
What type of plant are horsetails based on the amount of vascular tissue in their structures?
Semi-vascular
What is the only extant member of the sphenophyta phylum?
Equisetum
Name five features of the stems of equisetum
- Hollow
- Photosynthetic
- Incorporate sediments to deter herbivores
- Pencil diameter
- Maximum of 2 feet tall
Name two features of the leaves of equisetum
- Scale or straw-like
- Resemble horse’s tail
What is one noticeable feature of the strobilus of the equisetum?
Cone-shaped
Coal Age
Geologic time period when the earth was covered with swamp forests and plants like calamites grew to enormous size; coal deposits of our time were once plants in the Coal Age
Name three features of calamites
- Extinct horsetail
- 30 to 50 feet tall
- 5 to 10 inches in diameter
What’s another name for the Coal Age?
Carboniferous Period
Lycophyta
Club Moss
Club Moss
Lycophyta/Lycopodium/Lepidodendron
Lycopodium
Club Moss
Name four features of the lycopodium club moss
- Extant member of lycophyta
- Very small today, 2 to 4 inches tall
- Short tiny leaves that resemble wolf paws
- Club-shaped strobili forms spores
Lepidodendron
Club Moss
Name three features of the lepidendron club moss
- Extinct giant club moss
- Major coal-producing plant in the Coal Age
- Bark pattern resembles leopard spots
Psilotophyta
Whisk Ferns
Whisk Ferns
Psilotophyta
What is the only member of the whisk ferns phylum?
Psilotem nudem
Name two features of the psilotem nudem
- Green, photosynthetic stem
- Naked, no leaves