Plants: Lecture 3 Flashcards
Conifers are what kinds of plant? How fast is their reproduction and what kind of seed do they have?
Conifers are seed plants meaning they have seeds and pollens. They have vey slow reproduction, and are called gymnosperms as they have naked seeds (no covering on the seed).
How fast is angiosperm reproduction?
It is relatively fast, as pollen landing to the seed may take as little as a week or some months at the most.
What kind of seeds do angiosperms have?
They have covered seeds, which are covered by fruit.
When did Anthophyta appear?
The division Anthophyta (flowering plants) appeared roughly 150 million years ago, then exploding into many different species.
Timeline for Anthophyta?
- Arose 150 mya
- Made up less than 20% of all plant species 105 mya
- Made up more than 80% of all plant species 65 mya
What is the Angiosperm Terrestrial Revolution in simple words?
An increase in angiosperm species fuelled the increase in the number of species of other groups.
How did the angiosperm terrestrial revolution affect modern biodiversity?
Everything experiences the same increase in diversity after the flowering plants began increasing.
- Expansions occurred in conjunction with the plants.
What is the Angiosperm Terrestrial Revolution?
The angiosperm terrestrial revolution was the diversification of the angiosperms (increase in species) which coincided with a dramatic diversification of other organisms (increase in species).
How many species live on land rather than the sea?
85% of plant, animal and fungal species live on land rather than in the sea. Half of these species live in tropical rainforests.
What were the side effects of this?
- The biosphere expanded to a new level of productivity, with more energy being produced.
- It coincided with innovations in flowering plant biology and evolutionary ecology, such as flowers, efficiencies in reproduction, coevolution with animals (pollinators like bees and bats, and herbivores), photosynthetic capabilities, adaptability and the ability to modify their habits.
When did the explosive boost occur?
This boost occurred from 100-50 million years ago.
What did the rise of angiosperms trigger?
The rise of angiosperms triggered a macro ecological revolution on land and drove modern biodiversity…. to new, high levels, a series of processes we name here the Angiosperm Terrestrial Revolution.
Why are angiosperms so diverse and have so many species numbers?
- They have insect pollination
- A flexibility in seed production and dispersal
- Greater genetic and phenotypic flexibility in cell & shoot elongation
- More complex mechanisms for activating and repressing the genes
- Greater complexity of the flower
How many named and estimated species are there?
There are 300,000 named and 400,000 estimated species.
What are the reproductive organs in the Anthophyta? What is dominant and are the hetero or homo-sporous?
- Their reproductive organs are in their flowers
- They are sporophyte dominant, meaning they are what they see
- They are heterosporous
What is the microgametophyte and macrogamrtophyte in the flowering plants?
The microgametophyte = pollen or sperm
The macrogametophyte = 8 nuclei and 7/8 cells (eggs)
What is different about flowering plants (3n)?
All flowering plants have endosperm, which are 3n or triploid.
What is the androecium?
The male structures: anther and filament (stamen)
What is the Gynoecium?
The female structures: pistil/carpel, ovary, stigma
Male and female structures in flowers?
They are mainly hermaphrodidic. Male and female are on the same plant/flower.
Monocots vs. Eudicots?
Monocots have one seed leaf that comes out (monocotyledon)
Eudicots have two seed leaves that come out.
Examples of monocots?
- Grasses: Maize, wheat, rice, bamboo
- Orchids
- Irises
- Lilies
- Palms
Characteristics of monocots?
- One cotyledon
- Leaf veins are usually parallel
- Vascular tissue is scattered
- Root system is usually fibrous with no main root
- Pollen grain with one opening
- Floral organs (petals) usually in multiples of three
Examples of eudicots?
- Oaks
- Maples
- Dandelions
- Sunflowers
- Legumes
- Melons
- Potatoes
- Poppies
- Roses