Plant KingdomPlant Kingdom

Mosses, Ferns, Gymnosperms, & Angiosperms

Mosses, Ferns, Gymnosperms, & Angiosperms

Characteristics of Plants

• THINK! – What characteristics do all plants have in common?– Autotrophic; cells contain a Nucleus– Cell Walls made of cellulose– Chloroplasts to make food; (chlorophyll is the green pigment)

• THINK! – What process do plants use to make their food?– Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis

• Watch the brain pop on photosynthesis. As you watch, listen to learn the inputs and outputs of photosyntheis.– http://glencoe.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0

07877800x/student_view0/brainpop_movies.html

Photosynthesis

• Ingredients for photosynthesis– Water (H2O)– Carbon Dioxide (CO2)– Light (energy!)

• Products of photosynthesis– Sugar (C6H12O6)– Oxygen (O2)

Chemical Equation

Carbon Dioxide(CO2)

Water(H2O)

Oxygen(O2)

Sugar(C6H12O6)

Light Energy

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Mosses & Relatives: Examples

Mosses Liverworts Hornworts

Mosses & Relatives: Characteristics

• Simplest plants

• These plants are nonvascular which means there are NO tubes to transport food and water up and down through the plant.

• Thus, they DO NOT grow tall and remain small & low to the ground.

• They use spores to reproduce

• They DO NOT have true roots, stems or leaves

• They can be found on moist rocks, logs, & soil

Mosses & Relatives: Reproduction

• To reproduce, plants have 2 distinct stages that repeat. This is called alternation of generations.

• In one stage, the sporophyte produces spores

• This spore grows into the other stage called the gametophyte. The gametophyte produces the sperm and eggs.

• When sperm and egg unite this grows back into the sporophyte.

Gametophyte

Sporophyte

Mosses & Relatives: Environmental Connection

• Peat moss is used in gardening. It helps the soil retain water.

Ferns & Relatives: Examples

I took a picture of aFiddlehead in the Kuranda Rainforest of Australia!

Ferns & Relatives: Characteristics

• Has vascular tissue – Xylem – tube like cells that conduct water upward

from roots to leaves– Phloem – tube like cells that conduct food downward

from leaves to roots

• Has true roots, stems, leaves– Roots: anchorage, storage, absorption– Stems: supports and transports nutrients– Leaves: main site of photosynthesis (light collectors)

• Uses spores to reproduce

• Habitat – moist area of forest floor

Ferns & Relatives: Reproduction

• Again, there are 2 distinct stages

• The one form (sporophyte) produces spores.

• The other form (gametophyte) produces sperm and eggs.

• The form of the fern we usually see is the sporophyte. The brown dots under the fern fronds are spore capsules.

SpermEgg

Spores

Ferns & Relatives: Environmental Connection

• Ferns make great indoor plants.

• Ancient forests were made up mostly of ferns. Their remains helped form our “fossil fuels”

Here I am in theKuranda Rainforestof Australia! Look at the size of these Giant Ferns!

Cone Bearing Plants: Examples

Blue Spruce

California Redwood

Cone Bearing Plants: Characteristics

• Has vascular tissue – Xylem – What does xylem conduct?– Phloem – What does phloem conduct?– Has true stems, leaves, and roots and thus

can grow very big

• Has Cones; also called gymnosperms

• Habitat – northern, mountain forests (North America, Northern Europe, etc. )

Cone Bearing Plants: Reproduction

• The mature plant produces reproductive structures called cones.

• Sperm and egg in the cones fuse to produce a seed.

• This seed will grow into a mature cone bearing plant.

Male Cone

Female Cone

Seed

Pollen + Egg

Cone bearing plants: Environmental Connection

• There are several cone plants: spruces, firs, redwoods, pines, cedars, junipers, etc.

• Why shouldn’t we chop down all our forests? What other important purpose do they serve?– Produces oxygen

Flowering Plants: Examples

Fruit treesGrass

• Here I am in the Kuranda Rainforest next to the Great Strangler Fig Tree! The strangler fig is the vine-looking structure wrapping around the tree. It will continue to wrap around the tree and “strangle” it until there is nothing left. This plant is an angiosperm!

Look at the size of this Satinay tree found during my trip to Fraser Island. The satinay tree is a timber tree. The wood was used to build furniture and ships! This tree is also an angiosperm!

Flowering Plants: Characteristics

• Has vascular tissue – Xylem – What does xylem conduct?– Phloem – What does phloem conduct?– Has true stems, leaves, and roots

• Has flowers; also called angiosperms

• Habitat – very common; found in most land areas

• Speaking of Roots…Check out these mangrove trees at Cape Tribulation, Australia. Look at how they grow on the edge of the sandy beach near the water’s edge. The root system is important because it helps prevent erosion and therefore these mangroves are environmentally protected!

Flowering Plants: Reproduction• The mature plant has

reproductive structures called flowers.

• Sperm and egg in the flower fuse to produce seeds

• This seeds will eventually grow into a mature flowering plant.

• Watch this Brain Pop Movie on “Plant Growth”– http://glencoe.mcgraw-hill.com/

sites/007877800x/student_view0/brainpop_movies.html#

Flowering Plants: Environmental Connection• Plants improve the quality of human life

in many ways:

– Almost all fruit and vegetables are flowering plants: corn, rice, wheat, fruit trees, other grains, etc.

– Flowering plants are harvested for medicines, perfumes, decorations, and fibers for clothes (such as cotton)