Characteristics of Plants Notes

Characteristics of Plants
All are many celled
Most contain the green pigment chlorophyll
All have cell walls to provide structure
Most do not move around
All are made up of eukaryotic cells (have a

membrane and nucleus)
Found in nearly every environment on earth
About 285,000 plant species have been identified and

scientist believe many have not yet been found (tropical
rainforests)
Origin of Plants
Earliest plants came from the sea from plant-like protists
Depended on water to sustain life
Plants eventually had to adapt to land
Cell walls made of cellulose kept plant cells from drying out.
Most land plants also have a waxy, protective layer on stems and
leaves called a cuticle
The cuticle is an adaptation that enables plants to keep from

drying out on land
Life on Land
Advantages of life on land:
More direct sunlight available for photosynthesis
More availability of carbon dioxide (there is more CO2

in the air than in the water)
What Plants need to Survive
Sunlight
Plants use the energy from sunlight to carry out photosynthesis
Plants have many adaptations to maximize their ability to absorb

sunlight
Water
All cells require a constant supply of water
Water is used up quickly during photosynthesis because of the

sun.
Plants have developed lots of adaptations to absorb water and
prevent water loss.
What Plants need to Survive
Minerals
Plants absorb minerals
These nutrients are in the soil and are necessary for plant
growth
Gas Exchange
Plants need oxygen for respiration as well as carbon dioxide for

photosynthesis.
Plants need to exchange these two gases with the atmosphere

without losing water in the process
Movement of water and nutrients throughout the

plant body
Plants absorb water and minerals through their roots, but make
food in their leaves.
Classification of Plants
Plants are divided into 4 major groups:

Bryophytes - Mosses
non-vascular
seedless
Ferns
vascular
seedless
Cone-Bearing Plants - Gymnosperms
Produce seeds
vascular
Flowering Plants - Angiosperms
Produce seeds
vascular
Bryophytes
Bryophytes: small plants found in damp environments like
the forest floor, the edges of ponds and streams and near the ocean
Usually just a few cells thick so they can absorb water directly
through their cell walls.
They are nonvascular
Vascular tissue is made up of long, tubelike cells in which water

and nutrients are transported through the plant
Bryophytes do not have vascular tissue
Mosses and liverworts are in the Bryophyte Division

Bryophytes do not grow tall
off
Do not have roots, stems or leaves

Grow form spores instead of seeds
Reproduce asexually
Can develop when a small piece of the parent breaks
Mosses
Liverworts
Seedless Nonvascular Plants
Include:
Of 20,000 species of nonvascular plants, most are

classified as mosses
Mosses
Rootless plant with leaf like growths in a spiral around a

stalk
Held in place by root like filaments or threads, called

rhizoids
Grow in damp areas range in size from 2-5 centimeters

in height
Liverworts
Unlike tree leaves which have veins that conduct water,

nutrients and other materials, in liverworts there is little or no
conducting tissue
Tree leaves have window-like stomata which close when

the leaf is threatened with drying out; liverworts have nothing
like stomata, so the whole plant shrivels when dry
Instead of bearing regular roots, liverworts anchor

themselves with one-celled appendages known as rhizoids
Importance of Mosses and
Liverworts
Are often the first plants to grow in new environment,

such as a volcanic site or forest fire area
These pioneer plant species grow and die and become

food and nutrients for other less hardy plants
They change the conditions in the environment so that

other plants can grow there also
Seedless Vascular Plants
Characteristics:
Produce Spores (not seeds)
Have vascular tissue (unlike the mosses)
The vascular tissue is made up of long, tube like cells
These cells carry water, minerals and nutrients to all the cells
throughout the plant
This allows the plants to grow bigger and thicker than the
nonvascular plants
Include:
Club mosses and spike mosses

Horsetails
Ferns
Ferns
Largest group of seedless vascular plants in this division.
12,000 living species
Require very little water to grow
Rhizome is the underground stem system of a fern
The leaf of a fern is called a frond
Reproduce by a spore, a reproductive cell that forms new

organisms without fertilization
Rhizome
An underground stem.
Roots grow from the rhizome to root the plant to

the soil.
Importance of Seedless
Vascular Plants
Over long periods of time, this plant material built up,

became compacted and compressed and eventually became
coal
Seedless plants such as bryophytes and ferns make up

peat, which in turn becomes fuel
Found in bogs today, a poorly drained area with spongy,

wet ground this is composed mainly of dead plants whose
decay has been slowed by lack of oxygen
Peat
Peat forms in bogs, but after millions of years

it becomes coal, natural gas and petroleum.

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Characteristics of Plants

All are many celled

Most contain the green pigment chlorophyll

All have cell walls to provide structure

Most do not move around

All are made up of eukaryotic cells (have a

Found in nearly every environment on earth

About 285,000 plant species have been identified and

Earliest plants came from the sea from plant-like protists

Depended on water to sustain life

Plants eventually had to adapt to land

The cuticle is an adaptation that enables plants to keep from

Advantages of life on land:

More direct sunlight available for photosynthesis

More availability of carbon dioxide (there is more CO2

What Plants need to Survive

Plants use the energy from sunlight to carry out photosynthesis

Plants have many adaptations to maximize their ability to absorb

All cells require a constant supply of water

Water is used up quickly during photosynthesis because of the

Plants have developed lots of adaptations to absorb water and

prevent water loss.

What Plants need to Survive

Plants absorb minerals

Plants need oxygen for respiration as well as carbon dioxide for

Plants need to exchange these two gases with the atmosphere

Movement of water and nutrients throughout the

Plants are divided into 4 major groups:

Bryophytes: small plants found in damp environments like

They are nonvascular

Vascular tissue is made up of long, tubelike cells in which water

Bryophytes do not have vascular tissue

Mosses and liverworts are in the Bryophyte Division

Do not have roots, stems or leaves

Seedless Nonvascular Plants

Of 20,000 species of nonvascular plants, most are

Rootless plant with leaf like growths in a spiral around a

Held in place by root like filaments or threads, called

Grow in damp areas range in size from 2-5 centimeters

Unlike tree leaves which have veins that conduct water,

Tree leaves have window-like stomata which close when

Instead of bearing regular roots, liverworts anchor

Importance of Mosses and

Are often the first plants to grow in new environment,

These pioneer plant species grow and die and become

They change the conditions in the environment so that

Seedless Vascular Plants

Produce Spores (not seeds)

Have vascular tissue (unlike the mosses)

The vascular tissue is made up of long, tube like cells

Club mosses and spike mosses

Largest group of seedless vascular plants in this division.

12,000 living species

Require very little water to grow

Rhizome is the underground stem system of a fern

The leaf of a fern is called a frond

Reproduce by a spore, a reproductive cell that forms new

Roots grow from the rhizome to root the plant to

Over long periods of time, this plant material built up,