fossils 5.2

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms related to the characteristics and classification of land plants based on the lecture notes.

Kingdom Plantae

The biological kingdom that includes all plants.

Photosynthesis

The process by which green plants use sunlight to synthesize nutrients from carbon dioxide and water.

Vascular tissue

Tissue in plants that conducts water and nutrients and provides structural support, including xylem and phloem.

Bryophytes

Non-vascular plants that reproduce via spores, such as mosses, liverworts, and hornworts.

Lycopsids

Clubmosses characterized by small leaves with unbranched veins, prehistoric plants prevalent in the Paleozoic era.

Sphenopsids

A group of vascular plants such as horsetails, known for their jointed stems and whorled leaves.

Filicopsids

Ferns that produce spores, recognized by their characteristic fronds.

Gymnosperms

Seed-producing plants that produce seeds not enclosed in ovaries, including conifers and cycads.

Angiosperms

Flowering plants that produce seeds enclosed within ovaries, appearing in the fossil record during the early Cretaceous.

Alternation of generations

The life cycle of plants where there is a switch between a multicellular diploid generation (sporophyte) and a multicellular haploid generation (gametophyte).

Palynology

The study of pollen grains and spores, often used in the field of paleoecology.

Permineralization

A process of fossilization where mineral deposits form internal casts of organisms.

Carbonification

The process by which organic material becomes coal through heat and pressure over time.

Cuticle

A protective, waxy layer that covers the surfaces of leaves and stems in land plants to prevent water loss.

Stomata

Pores found in the leaf and stem epidermis that allow for gas exchange.

Pollen

The male gametophyte of seed plants, involved in the fertilization process.

Fossil record

The preserved remains or traces of organisms from the past, utilized for understanding the evolution of life on Earth.