multicellular eukaryotic sexually reproducing autotrophic photosynthetic cell walls made of cellulose store food as starch

Plants take CO 2, H 2 O, and sunlight and create O 2 and food (glucose). They convert the energy from the sunlight into a form of energy they can use. CO 2 O2O2 Sunlight H2OH2O

Evolved from multicellular green algae that lived 430 million years ago  Both Photosynthesize with chlorophyll  Both have cell walls with cellulose  Both store food as starch

Uni- and multicellular plant-like protists Evolved in the sea No true roots, leaves, or stems or complex reproductive structures Gametes are released into water, where fertilization occurs Use the same kind of chlorophyll found in land plants

Needed:  to reproduce on land  to conserve water  to absorb minerals from rocky surfaces Adaptations: ¨seeds(eventually- first land plants did not have them) ¨cuticle, waxy coating ¨fungal symbiosis with alga

Reproduction in Plants Most plants have 2 stages in their life cycle: Sporophyte: produce spores which grow into gametophytes. Gametophyte: produces sperm and egg cells. When egg cells are fertilized they grow into sporophytes

Must rely on Osmosis and Diffusion to transfer materials No special system to transport water & minerals throughout the plant

 Must have moist environment to reproduce The result is that these plants remain small & close to the ground

 Flat, broad tissue for photosynthesis; no true leaves

 Rhizoids, long thin strands of cells, attach the plant to the soil. Photo taken from: Photographer:Curtis Clark. Plan t Morphology Course WebPage Downloaded 4/1/2003.

Live in almost every environment Decompose dead organisms Keep the soil moist and prevent erosion

 Decomposer of dead organisms  Forms peat bogs  Very absorbent  Used in gardening  Used for fuel  Part of coal making process “Mosses and Liverworts in Wales” Downloaded 4/1/2003 Alan Hale

“Mosses and Liverworts in Wales” Downloaded 4/1/2003 Alan Hale

 Adapted only to moist areas  Not as abundant as mosses  Very unusual characteristics Photos by Maria Oehler, Allison Hall, Linda Westgate and Botanical Society of America Lab Topic 15 Investigating Plant Phylogeny: Seedless Plants Nonvascular Seedless Plants Downloaded 4/1/2003