Plants

Pitcher Plant (left) Venus Fly Trap (above)

Plant Adaptations to Land

Cuticle: Waxy covering on outside of plant leaves to prevent water loss

Stomata: Small openings in leaves that allows for gas exchange between plant and atmosphere

Vascular vs. Nonvascular Plants

Vascular• Obtain nutrients and water

through vascular tissue• This tissue transports materials

much faster than osmosis and diffusion

Nonvascular Plants• Obtain nutrients and water

through osmosis and diffusion

Nonvascular PlantsGeneral Characteristics

Nonvascular plants are plants that do not have a real xylem or phloem so each cell is responsible for absorbing its own water and nutrients on its own

Usually small, which enables most materials to move within them easily

Often found growing in damp, shady areas

Contain rhizoids instead of roots, which are branched threads that absorb water & also used to anchor the plants

Mosses (above), Hornworts, & Liverworts

Seedless Vascular Plants

Club Moss (above) strobilus Fern (below)

Seedless vascular plants have leaves, stems and true roots.

These plants also have cells that contain chlorophyll, the chemical that allows photosynthesis

Vascular tissue consists of the xylem, which transports minerals and water up through the roots. The xylem cells have rigid cell walls that help support the plant.

The phloem transports organic nutrients throughout the plant

Seedless vascular plants depend heavily on the wind for spore dispersal.

Vascular Seed Plants

General Characteristics

All contain seeds that contain one or more cotyledons

All have a variety of different adaptations for seed dispersal

Flowering plants would be considered a vascular seed plant

Plants in this group can be a few cm to over 100 m, live a few days to 1000s of years, and be extremely massive!

Tree Tidbits

• Giant Sequoia •Height = 275 ft• Circumference = 108 ft • Mass = 1,910 tons• Age = 2300-2700 years

General Sherman Methuselah

• Great Basin Bristlecone Pine• Age = 4,842 years old

• Conifer• Height = 8cm• Branch Diameter = 5mm

Pygmy Pine