(@TEAMFLOOD) Plant Kingdom
(@TEAMFLOOD) Plant Kingdom
(@TEAMFLOOD) Plant Kingdom
Eukaryotic, multicellular, chlorophyll containing and having cell wall, are grouped
under the kingdom Plantae. It is popularly known as plant kingdom.
Phylogenetic system of classification based on evolutionary relationship is presently
used for classifying plants.
Numerical Taxonomy use computer by assigning code for each character and
analyzing the features.
Cytotaxonomy is based on cytological information like chromosome number,
structure and behaviour.
Chemotaxonomy uses chemical constituents of plants to resolve the confusion.
Algae: These include the simplest plants which possess undifferentiated or thallus like
forms, reproductive organs single celled called gametangia. It includes only Algae.
Characteristic of Algae
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and sexual reproduction by fusion of two gametes which may be Isogamous
(Spirogyra), Anisogamous (Chlamydomonous) or Oogamous (Volvox).
Life cycle is various- haplontic, diplontic or diplohaplontic.
Reserve food is starch Reserve food is laminarin. Reserve food is floridean starch.
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Economic importance-
1. A number of brown algae ( Laminaria, Sargassum) are used as food in some countries.
2. Fucus and Laminaria are rich source of Iodine.
3. Laminaria and Ascophyllum have antibiotic properties.
4. Alginic acid is obtained from Fucus and Sargassum, which is used as emulsions.
Bryophytes – They are non-vascular mosses and liverworts that grow in moist shady region.
They are called amphibians of plants kingdom because these plants live on soil but
dependent on water for sexual reproduction.
Characteristic features-
Live in damp and shady habitats, found to grow during rainy season on damp soil,
rocks, walls, etc.
The dominant phase or plant body is free living gametophyte.
Roots are absent but contain rhizoids
Vegetative reproduction is by fragmentation, tubers, gemmae, buds etc. sex organs
are multicellular and jacketed. The male sex organ is called antheridium. They
produce biflagellate antherozoids. The female sex organ called archegonium is flask-
shaped and produces a single egg.
Sporophyte is dependent on gametophyte for nourishment.
The plant body of a liverwort is thalloid, e.g., Marchantia. The thallus is dorsiventral
and closely appressed to the substrate.
Asexual reproduction in liverworts takes place by fragmentation, or by the formation
of specialised structures called gemmae.
Gemmae are green, multicellular, asexual buds, which develops in small receptacles
called gemma cups. The gemmae becomes detached from the parent body and
germinate to form new individuals
During sexual reproduction, male and female sex organs are produced either on the
same or on different thalli. The sporophyte is differentiated into a foot, seta and
capsule. Spores produced within the capsule germinate to form
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free-living gametophytes.
Bryopsida (Mosses)
The gametophyte of mosses consists of two stages- the first stage is protonema stage,
which develops directly from spores. It is creeping, green and frequently filamentous.
The second stage is the leafy stage, which develops from secondary protonema as
lateral bud having upright, slender axes bearing spirally arranged leaves.
Vegetative reproduction is by the fragmentation and budding in secondary
protonema. In sexual reproduction, the sex organs antheridia and archegonia are
produced at the apex of the leafy shoots.
Sporophytes in mosses are more developed and consist of foot, seta and capsule.
Common examples are Funaria, Polytrichum, Sphagnum etc.
Pteridophytes
They are seedless vascular plants that have sporophytic plant body and inconspicuous
gametophyte. Sporophytic plant body is differentiated into true stem, roots and
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leaves.
Vascular tissue are present but vessels are absent from xylem and companion cells
and sieve tube are absent.
Sporophytes bear sporangia that are subtend by leaf like appendages called
sporophylls. In some plants (Selaginella) compact structure called strobili or cone is
formed.
Sporangia produce spores by meiosis in spore mother cells. Spores germinate to
produce multicellular thalloid, prothallus.
Gametophyte bears male and female sex organ called antheridia and archegonia.
Water is required for fertilisation of male and female gametes.
Most of Pteridophytes produce spores of similar kind (homosporous) but in Selginella
and Salvinia, spores are of two kinds (heterosporous) larger called megaspore that
produce female gametophyte and smaller microspore that produce male gametes.
Gymnosperms:
Gymnosperms are those plants in which the ovules are not enclosed inside the ovary
wall and remain exposed before and after fertilisation.
They are perennial and woody, forming either bushes or trees. Some are very large
(Sequoia sempervirens) and others are very small (Zamia pygmia).
Stem may be unbranched(Cycas) or branched(Pinus). Root is taproot. Leaves may be
simple or compound.
They are heterosporous, produce haploid microspore and megaspore in male and
female Strobili respectively.
Male and female gametophytes do not have independent free-living existence.
Pollination occurs through air and zygote develops into embryo and ovules into seeds.
These seeds are naked.
Example- Pines, Cycus, Cedrus, Ginkgo, etc.
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Angiosperms
Pollen grain and ovules are developed in specialized structure called flower. Seeds
are enclosed inside the fruits.
Size varies from almost microscopic Wolfia (0.1cm)to tall tree Eucalyptus (more than
100m
The male sex organs in a flower is the stamen. It contains pollen grain.
The female sex organs in a flower is the pistil or the carpel. Pistil consists of an ovary
enclosing one or many ovules. Within ovules are present highly reduced female
gametophytes termed embryo-sacs.
Each embryo-sac has a three-celled egg apparatus – one egg cell and two synergids,
three antipodal cells and two polar nuclei. The polar nuclei eventually fuse to produce
a diploid secondary nucleus.
Monocotyledons
Dicotyledons
Monocotyledons Dicotyledons
Double fertilisation- Each pollen grain produce two male gametes. One gametes fuse
with egg to form embryo. This is called Syngamy. Other gametes fuse with two polar
nuclei to form endosperm, triple fusion. Since fertilisation takes place twice, it is
called double fertilisation.
Alternation of generation
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Different plant groups complete their life cycles in different patterns. Angiosperms complete
their life cycle in two phases- a diploid sporophytes and haploid gametophyte. The two
follows each other. This phenomenon is called alternation of generation.
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