: Plant Diversity

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the major plant divisions (Bryophytes, Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms, and Angiosperms), transport tissues, flower anatomy, reproductive processes, and ecological conservation principles from Grade 11 Life Sciences.

Biodiversity

The variety of living organisms, genes, and ecosystems in an area.

Indigenous

Describes a species that occurs naturally in a particular region without being introduced by people.

Endemic

Describes a species that occurs naturally ONLY in a specific geographic area.

Xylem

Vascular tissue that transports water and dissolved minerals from roots through the plant and provides structural support.

Phloem

Vascular tissue that transports dissolved sugars, such as sucrose, from sources to sinks via translocation.

Bryophytes

Non-vascular plants (such as mosses, liverworts, and hornworts) that lack true roots, stems, and leaves, have a dominant gametophyte generation, reproduce via spores, and require water for flagellated sperm to reach the egg.

Rhizoids

Root-like anchoring structures found in bryophytes that anchor the plant in the absence of true roots.

Pteridophytes

Seedless vascular plants (such as ferns) possessing true roots, stems, and leaves (fronds), in which the sporophyte generation is dominant, reproduction occurs via spores, and swimming sperm require water for fertilisation.

Fronds

The true leaves of ferns, which frequently bear clusters of sporangia (sori) on their undersides.

Sorus

A cluster of sporangia, typically located on the underside of a fern frond (plural: sori).

Sporangium

A specialised plant capsule or structure in which spores are produced and released.

Prothallus

The small, heart-shaped haploid gametophyte of a fern that germinates from a spore and produces sperm and egg cells.

Spore

A reproductive cell capable of germinating and developing into a new stage or organism without fusing with another cell.

Stamen

The male reproductive organ of a flower, consisting of the anther and filament.

Anther

The pollen-producing component of a flower's stamen.

Filament

The slender stalk that supports the anther in a flower's stamen.

Pistil (Carpel)

The female reproductive organ of a flower, composed of the stigma, style, and ovary.

Stigma

The sticky, receptive tip of the pistil that captures pollen grains during pollination.

Style

The neck-like structure of the pistil that connects the stigma to the ovary, through which the pollen tube grows.

Ovary

The swollen base of the pistil that contains ovules and typically develops into a fruit following fertilisation.

Ovule

The structure within the ovary containing the female egg cell, which matures into a seed after fertilisation.

Petal

A sterile floral part, often brightly coloured, that serves to attract pollinators.

Sepal

An outer floral part that encloses and protects the flower bud before it opens.

Peduncle

The main stalk supporting an individual flower or inflorescence.

Pollen grain

The structure containing the male gametophyte; it is transferred to the female reproductive organ and is not itself a sperm cell.

Pollen tube

A tube that grows down through the style to deliver sperm cells directly to an ovule, removing the need for external water during fertilisation.

Pollination

The transfer of pollen grains from an anther to a receptive stigma.

Fertilisation

The fusion of a male gamete with a female egg cell in the ovule to form a diploid zygote.

Seed

A mature, fertilised ovule containing an embryo and stored food reserves protected by a seed coat.

Fruit

A mature, developed ovary formed after fertilisation that protects enclosed seeds and aids in their dispersal.

Gymnosperms

Vascular, seed-bearing plants (such as pines, cycads, and ginkgo) that bear 'naked seeds' typically on cones without enclosing them inside a fruit.

Welwitschia mirabilis

A distinctive gymnosperm species native to the Namib Desert.

Angiosperms

Vascular, seed-bearing flowering plants whose ovules are enclosed inside an ovary and whose seeds develop within fruits.

Seed bank

A facility that preserves genetic diversity and protects threatened, rare, indigenous, and endemic plant species by storing seeds under controlled cool, dry conditions.

Invasive alien plants

Non-native plant species introduced to an area that can outcompete indigenous plants for vital resources like light, nutrients, and water.

Seed dispersal

The movement or transport of seeds away from the parent plant.