Plants and Their Adaptations Different Methods of Reproduction

Nonvascular Plants Mosses and liverworts live in damp places so that they can soak in water from cell to cell without xylem and phloem tubes Nonvascular plants are smaller than vascular because of this Nonvascular plants do NOT have roots, stems and leaves, but have parts that look similar Nonvascular plants do NOT have flowers with seed so they must reproduce with spores Spore = a single reproductive cell that grows into a new plant Mosses produce male and female cells on separate plants. These cells unite and produce a spore stalk that grows from the female plant. The spore stalk releases spores. (Page A80)

Simple Vascular Plants Ferns and horsetails are simple vascular plants. Millions of years ago, ferns covered much of the earth but today they are mostly found in the tropics There are fewer horsetail plants that are small. Years ago, people used dried horsetail plants to scrub pots and pans Simple vascular plants produce spores similar to nonvascular plants. The difference is that in simple vascular plants, the united cell is called a zygote and it divides and grows into a separate spore-like producing plant. (Page A81)

Cone-Bearing Vascular Plants Spore-producing plants make many spores, while seed-producing plants make fewer seeds Seeds have a better chance of growing than spores because the seeds contain food supplies Most vascular plants produce seeds Seeds with no protection Seeds with fruit as protection Gymnosperms = unprotected seeds that mainly come from cone-bearing plants (pine trees) Male and female cones are on the same tree. Male cones have pollen Pollen = structures that contain the male reproductive cells Female cones can be ¾ inch to 2 ft. in size. They are covered with plates called scales. Male and female cones reproductive cells unite and form a zygote that divides and grows into seeds. Dry weather causes the scales to open and the seeds to be released.

Flowering Vascular Plants Angiosperms = flowering plants Almost all our food comes from angiosperms Angiosperms are pollinated by the wind like gymnosperms but also by insects and small animals Colors, shapes, and smell of the flowers causes insects and animals to be attracted to them and allow them to carry the pollen from one flower to another Angiosperm seeds are protected by the fruit of the plant…apples, oranges, peanuts, tomatoes, etc. Seed protection happens in many ways Inside keeps the birds from eating it Protects the seeds in cold weather Rotting fruit provides extra food for a new plant

Comparing Life Cycles Animal and plants both have life cycles and stages they go through during their lifetime (page A84) Some animals look like their parents Some animals don’t look like their parents Flowering plants are very different from their parent plants (page A84) Embryo starts inside the seed Seed sprouts and the embryo grows into a seedling As the seedling grows, it looks more and more like the plant it came from