Plant Evolution: How Plant Diversification Changed Planet Earth

Flashcards covering key concepts related to plant evolution, diversity, and human influence on angiosperms.

Kingdom Plantae

The classification for all modern land plants, which evolved from green algal ancestors.

Streptophytes

A group that includes plants and their closest green algal relatives.

Vascular plants

Plants that possess xylem and phloem, which provide conduction systems for water, minerals, and organic compounds.

Apical meristems

Tissues at the tips of roots and shoots that are responsible for plant growth.

Embryophytes

A foundational feature of land plants; they are multicellular sporophytes that develop from fertilized eggs.

Gametangia

Specialized structures in land plants that generate and protect gametes.

Sporangia

Structures that produce and protect spores in land plants.

Bryophytes

Nonvascular plants including liverworts, mosses, and hornworts.

Cuticle

A waxy layer that helps prevent water loss in vascular plants.

Stomata

Pores on plant surfaces that allow gas exchange while conserving water.

Gymnosperms

Seed-producing plants that include cycads, ginkgos, and conifers, characterized by 'naked seeds'.

Angiosperms

Flowering plants that produce seeds enclosed in fruits and have efficient conducting systems.

Monocots

Angiosperms with one embryonic leaf (cotyledon).

Eudicots

Angiosperms with two embryonic leaves (cotyledons).

Alternation of generations

A life cycle characteristic of plants involving a switch between haploid gametophyte and diploid sporophyte generations.

Secondary metabolites

Organic compounds in plants that aid in survival and reproduction, not essential for basic cell structure.