Plant Notes- Kingdom Plantae

Characteristics of Plants • Multicellular ( many-celled)• Autotrophic ( make their own food)• Primary producers in most ecosystems and provide

the nutritional basis in terrestrial ecosystems• Release oxygen to atmosphere• Do you remember the equation for Photosynthesis?

Write it below. 6 CO2 + 6 H2O C6H12O6 + 6 O2

• Cell walls are composed of cellulose• Cannot move from place to place

4 Basic Kinds of Plants:

• 1. Nonvascular Plants-Usually small and lack tissue to transport water and nutrients. They lack roots stems and leaves. Example: mosses.

• 2. Seedless Vascular Plants-Have roots stems and leaves; reproduce with spores instead of seeds. Examples: Ferns

• 3. Nonflowering Seed Plants (Gymnosperms)-vascular plants that reproduce using seeds but do not produce flowers-they produce seeds in a CONE.

• Example: Pines and Spruces.

• Usually have needle like leaves and live in cold dry (arid) environments.

• Leaves falling to the ground make the soil very acidic and many plants cannot survive so there is not a lot of diversity.

• What does acidic mean?

• What does diversity mean?

• 4. Flowering Seed Plants (Angiosperms)-

• Plants that produce flowers. Seeds are produced in a fruit. Examples: roses, grasses and oaks.

2 groups of Angiosperms:• Monocots-

• one cotyledons(seed leaf)

• flower parts in 3’s

• leaves with parallel veins

• vascular tissue is scattered

• fibrous root systems.

• Examples: Grains (such as wheat, corn, rice and grasses)

• 2. Dicots• two cotyledons(seed leaf)

• flower parts in 2’s,4’s or 5’s

• leaves with branching veins

• vascular tissue is in circular bunches

• tap root

• Examples: Daisies, roses, apples, peaches, potatoes, tomatoes

• A Flower contains the reproductive organs of the plant.

Parts of a Flower and Their Functions

• Sterile parts: (not used in reproduction)

– Petals-usually colorful to attract pollinators

– Sepals- often green and cover the bud of a flower and protects it as it develops.

Female parts:• Pistil- includes all female parts; • located at the center of the flower

– Stigma- sticky part on which pollen lands

– Style-connects the stigma to the

ovary

– Ovary-contains ovules & develops

into a fruit

– Ovule- structure in which an egg develops and eventually become seeds

Male parts:

• Stamen-includes all male parts– Anther-

produces pollen

– Filaments-supports the anther

Major Parts of A Plant

• Major Structures of VASCULAR PLANTS include:

• ROOTS, STEMS AND LEAVES.

Roots

• Take in nutrients from the ground• Anchor plants into the ground• Tap root- one central root with tiny roots

branching off• Fibrous roots-highly branched made up of

many roots that are the same size

Fibrous root Tap Root

Stems

• Made up of several types of tissue

• Supports the leaves and houses vascular tissue

• Phloem-tissue that transports nutrients

• Xylem- tissue that transports water

Leaves• Site of food production –photosynthesis

• Parts of leaf:

• Cuticle- waxy covering on the leaf that prevents water loss

• Stomata- pores on the leaf that prevent water loss (p503, 561)

• Guard cells- border each stoma.

• Stomata open and close as the guard cells change shape.

Guard cells

Stomata

Stomata Opened

Stomata Closed

• Epidermis-outer layer of tissue

• Mesophyll- packed with chloroplasts; where photosynthesis occurs

• 2 Layers of mesophyll:

• 1.Palisade layer-columnar cells that are right below the upper epidermis

• 2. Spongy layer-loosely packed spherical cells between palisade and lower epidermis

Upper epidermis

Palisade

Vasculartissue

Spongy mesophyll

Lowerepidermis

Guard cells Stomata

Transpiration- loss of water from a plant (THROUGH THE STOMATA)

cotyledon 3’s parallel Scattered vascular tissue

Fibrous roots

Tap rootVascular tissue in bundles

netlike4’s or 5’scotyledon