NOTES

GB2 U4L1: PLANTS

Objective: To be able to describe the evolution, growth and development, resource transport, reproduction
and responses to stimuli of plants.

Essential question: What is a plant???

- Plants are eukaryotic, multicellular organisms that have chloroplasts that contain chlorophyll a and
chlorophyll b and carry on photosynthesis. Their cells have cellulose cell walls and are for most part,
terrestrial organisms.

Recall: ALTERNATION OF GENERATIONS.

EVOLUTION OF PLANTS
Plants were originally aquatic, and they needed to adapt to terrestrial life too. From fresh water green algae,
plants evolved to have:
1. Multicellular bodies
2. Sporangia and gametangia
3. Drought-resistant spores
4. Vascular tissues
5. Waterproofing cuticle
6. Stomatal pores and guard cells
7. Upright bodies- with true roots and stems and
leaves
8. Seeds and pollen that resist drying

PLANT GROUPS
I. Nonvascular plants (bryophytes)
Share the following characteristics:
1. Lack vascular tissues
2. No true roots or leaves
3. Gametophyte generation is the most prominent
part of the life cycle.
4. The sperm swims to the egg.

Kinds of nonvascular plants:

a. Mosses
b. Liverworts
c. Hornworts

Some terms you may need to know:

Herbaceous vs Woody
Annual vs Perennial
Trees vs Shrubs vs Herbs
Deciduous vs Nondeciduous

The Significance of Vascular Tissue

For transport of water and nutrients all over the plants. There are two kinds:
a. Xylem- for transport of water and minerals from the roots to the leaves. Made of hollow dead cells
strengthened with lignin.
i. Vessel elements
ii. Tracheids
b. Phloem- for transport of organic molecules such as sugar and amino acids from the leaves to the
growth or storage areas. Live cells
i. Sieve tube elements
ii. Companion cells.

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The Development of Roots, Stems and Leaves

A. Roots
o Underground parts of plants that anchor them into the soil and absorb water and nutrients
(N, P, K and others) from the soil.
o They grow by their tips to increase surface area for absorption. Root hairs function for the
same thing too.
o Most of the time, food for the winter and the
next growing season is stored in the roots.
o Types of roots and specialized roots:
a. Tap root
b. Fibrous roots
c. Pneumatophores (for breathing)
d. Adventitious roots
e. Haustoria (parasitic roots)
B. Stems
o Above-ground structures of plants that support
the leaves.
o The transport raw materials from roots to the
leaves and manufactured food from leaves to
roots.
o These can be herbaceous or woody.
o Herbaceous stems are also involved in
photosynthesis.
o Some specialized stems:
a. Tubers
b. Cladophyll
c. Corms
d. Rhizome
e. Stolon
f. Offsets
g. Thorns
h. Tendrills
C. Leaves
o Major sites of photosynthesis—should have large surface areas and relatively thin.
o Epidermal layers are waxy to become waterproof.
o Guard cells and stomata help resist water loss through transpiration—the pull of water and
minerals up the xylem due to negative pressure. Stomata also regulate gas exchange.

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o Some specialized leaves:

a. Petals, sepals, bracts
b. Tendrils
c. Bulbs
d. Prickles and spines
e. Carnivorous leaves

II. Seedless Vascular Plants

Share the following characteristics:
1. They have vascular tissue
2. Most have roots, stems and leaves
3. The sporophyte generation is the most prominent
part of the life cycle.
4. The sperm swims to the egg
5. They do not have seeds.

Kinds of seedless vascular plants:

a. Ferns
b. Horsetails
c. Club mosses
d. Whisk ferns

III. Seed-Producing Vascular Plants

Seeds- specialized structures that contains an embryo, along with stored food, enclosed in a protective
covering called a seed coat which helps resist drying.
Pollen- miniaturized male gametophyte generation, can be carried by wind or animals which makes the
presence of water unnecessary.

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A. Gymnosperms
o produce naked
seeds
Kinds of gymnosperms:
a. Cycads
b. Ginkgo trees (Ginkgo
biloba)
c. Conifers

B. Angiosperms
o Produce flowers and have their seeds enclosed in fruits—a modification of the ovary wall
into a special structure that contains
seeds.

Flower structure
Perfect flowers- contain both pistil and
stamen
Imperfect flowers- contain only either pistil or
stamen

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Double fertilization!

Pollination Strategies
1. Wind- for plants with small inconspicuous
flowers
2. Insects and other small animals- for plants
with large, showy flowers
Seed Dispersal Techniques:
1. Animals through attachment hooks
2. Animals through eating
3. Wind
4. Water
5. Ballistic force
Diversity of Angiosperms: Monocots vs Dicots

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Growth of Woody Plants

Vascular cambium- source of
vascular tissue and responsible for the
increase in the diameter of woody
plants. Situated between the phloem
and the xylem. Whenever cambium
cells divide, only one specializes and
the other remains a cambium cell.

Phloem bark (outside cambium

ring)
Xylem  wood (inside cambium ring)

PLANTS AND THEIR RESPONSES TO THEIR ENVIRONMENT

Tropism- growth movement toward or away form a stimulus.
a. Phototropism- growth towards the light by the shoot (auxin—responsible for cell growth and
elongation)
b. Thigmotropism- directional response of a plant organ to touch or physical contact with a solid object.
May be positive (towards object) or negative (away from the object).
c. Gravitropism- growth towards the ground.
d. Hydrotropism- growth towards water
Seasonal responses
a. Production of flowers depending on day length.
b. Shedding of leaves depending on day length
Responses to Injury
a. Repair of wounds by growing scar tissue
b. Deposition of toxins on new growths after injury.

Coevolution of plants and animals

Animals need plants and plants need animals.

Some terms you may need to know:

Herbaceous vs Woody
Annual vs Perennial
Trees vs Shrubs vs Herbs
Deciduous vs Nondeciduous

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