Plant Classification, Bryophytes, and Seedless Vascular Plants Vocabulary

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering taxonomy, evolutionary classification, bryophytes, and seedless vascular plants based on Chapters 18, 22, and 23.

Taxonomy

The science of describing, naming, and classifying organisms.

Binomial Nomenclature

A system for giving each organism a two-word scientific name, consisting of a genus name followed by a specific epithet.

Systematics

The scientific study of the diversity of organisms and their natural (evolutionary) relationships.

Phylogeny

The evolutionary history of a species or other taxonomic group.

Monophyletic

Said of a group consisting of organisms that evolved from a common ancestor.

Paraphyletic

Said of a group consisting of a common ancestor and some, but not all, of its descendants.

Cladistics

Classification of organisms based on recency of common ancestry rather than degree of structural similarity.

Cladogram

A diagram that illustrates evolutionary relationships based on the principles of cladistics.

Cuticle

A noncellular, waxy covering over the epidermis of aerial plant parts that reduces water loss.

Stoma

A small pore in the plant epidermis that provides for gas exchange for photosynthesis.

Alternation of Generations

A type of life cycle characteristic of plants in which they spend part of their life in a multicellular $n$ gametophyte stage and part in a multicellular $2n$ sporophyte stage.

Antheridium

A multicellular male gametangium that produces sperm cells.

Archegonium

A multicellular female gametangium that produces an egg.

Protonema

In mosses, a filament of $n$ cells that grows from a spore and develops into leafy moss gametophytes.

Thallus

A body that lacks roots, stems, or leaves.

Gemma

A small body of tissue that becomes detached from a parent liverwort and is capable of developing into a new organism.

Xylem

The vascular tissue that conducts water and dissolved minerals.

Phloem

The vascular tissue that conducts dissolved sugar and other organic compounds.

Microphyll

A type of leaf found in lycophytes that contains a single vascular strand.

Megaphyll

A type of leaf found in virtually all vascular plants except lycophytes that contains multiple vascular strands.

Prothallus

The tiny, green, heart-shaped gametophyte generation of a fern.

Homospory

Production of one type of $n$ spore that gives rise to a bisexual gametophyte.

Heterospory

Production of two types of $n$ spores, microspores and megaspores.

Microspore

The $n$ spore in heterosporous plants that gives rise to a male gametophyte.

Megaspore

The $n$ spore in heterosporous plants that gives rise to a female gametophyte.