1. Kingdom Plantae Pima Medical Institute Veterinary Technician Program
VTT 200-General Sciences-Biology

2. Kingdom Plantae Basic Characteristics
All Plants Share these Traits:
Eukaryotic
Multicellular
Autotrophic Photosynthesizers
Cell wall made of cellulose
Reproduce sexually and asexually

3. History of Kingdom Plantae
Modern plants are decendents of algae
As plants began to grow on land, they developed stalks and roots to help with the transition
Algae is considered a member of Kingdom Protista, but are similar to plants in that they perform photosynthesis and have chloroplasts
Algae provide many benefits to humans:
-Produce huge amounts of oxygen
-Help break down rocks and gravel to make soil
-Used in many foods: ice cream, toothpaste, etc.

4. History of Kingdom Plantae
First land plants were the transition organisms from protista to plantae: the nonvascular plants
Lack vascular tissue to move water and nutrients
They still rely heavily on moisture in the environment
The mosses and liverworts reproduce asexually, there is no seed in these plants
They are plants because they have chloroplasts and do photosynthesis and are not required to be under water like algae

5. Two Divisions of Plants
Vascular
Have tubes for movement of water and nutrients
EX: Ferns (seedless)
Gymnosperms
(w/ cones, no fruit)
Angiosperms
(no cones, w/ fruit)
NonVascular
Do not have tubes for water and nutrient movement
EX: Mosses & Liverworts

6. Vascular Plants
Important evolutionary jump from non-vascular plants like mosses to plants with vessels
These plants could live on more dry lands because they could hold water and nutrients within their vessels

7. Vascular Plants Vessels are:
Xylem: conducts water UP through the plant
Phloem: moves food and nutrients up and down throughout the plant
Roots: Conduct water from under the ground and help anchor the plant

8. Vascular Plants Divided into two main groups:
Vascular plants without seeds
EX: Only the Ferns
Vascular plants w/ seeds
EX: All other vascular plants with seeds
Shrubs, Trees, Flowers, etc.

9. Seedless Vascular Plants
FERNS
Still must have high levels of moisture
Have true roots, stems, leaves (fronds)
Contain xylem and phloem vessels
Do not have seeds, but reproduce both asexually and sexually via spores called
Alternation of Generation

10. Vascular Plants with Seeds
As the environment became drier, plants needed a reproductive structure to enclose the developing egg and keep it moist and provide access to nutrients
Seeds developed to house the fertilized egg, surrounded by nutrients
This seed can be in many forms:
typical fruit seed, pine cone, acorn, etc.

11. Seeds
Reproductive structures that include a developing plant and a food reserve enclosed in a protective outer covering which are resistant to drying
Contain enormous amount of high energy food (very fatty, that is why birds cannot survive on all seed diet—will become obese)
Some come as cones (pines and evergreens)
In this case: pines have female pine cones and male
filament type extensions from their branches
Most pines and evergreens can self-pollinate, the pollen is blown into the cone where it fertilizes the egg; the cone falls off and becomes the seed housing

12. Flowers
Female Parts:
Pistil: contains all female reproductive structures:
Stigma: tip which is sticky to attract pollen
Style: Stalklike structure enclosing the pollen tubule
Ovary: entire base of pistil enclosing the ovule (will develop into fruit)
Ovule: houses the egg (will develop into seed)
Male Parts:
Stamen: houses all male structures
Anther: tip of filament containing the pollen granules
Filament: stalklike protrusion to hold anther out for pollination

13. Flowers Non Sexual Parts: Petals: Flowers which attract pollinators
Sepal: envelopes flower before it opens
and helps keep it supported after opening
Perfect plants have both male and female
parts and can self-pollinate
Imperfect plants have only one gender
of reproductive parts and must cross-pollinate

14. Plant Sexual Fertilization (AKA Pollination)
Ovules in female cones or pistil contain the egg cell
Pollen in male cone parts or stamen are tiny granules of sperm covered with a tougher (than animal sperm) cell wall
FYI: this is what gives you hay fever
Pollination is when egg is fertilized with sperm by several methods of transfer:
Insect,
wind,
animal,
water,

15. Plant Sexual Fertilization (AKA Pollination)
Self-pollination: Plant has both male and female parts and can pollinate itself
Cross-pollination: Plant needs carrier of pollen from one plant with male part to another plant with female part
Pollen must move down style or into cone and push through outer covering of ovule to reach egg
Fertilization is the union of gametes (as in animal reproduction)
NOTE: Self-pollinating plants still reproduce sexually, the plant simply contains both the male and female parts

16. Seed Vascular Plants Most of the plants on earth
Do not need standing water in which to grow like mosses and ferns
Seed can grow underground with some moisture applied to ground
Divided into two major groups:
Gymnosperms: cones, but no fruit
Angiosperms: no cones, but with fruit

17. Gymnosperms and Angiosperms
Do not have ovary or fruit protecting the seed—
Mmost likely a cone—
Examples
Cycads: tropical plants like palm trees w/ cone in middle
Conifers: largest group of gymnosperms—all make cones and most are evergreens—needles are leaves on these trees
Angiosperms:
Largest group of plants in world
AKA-flowering plants
Flowers contain reproductive parts and can be imperfect or perfect
Ovary may develop into fleshy covering over seeds known as a fruit (following pollination)
Many phyla and classes