Plant Diversity II: The Evolution of Seed Plants

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts related to the evolution and diversity of seed plants, their adaptations, and their reproductive structures.

Seed Plants

Plants that reproduce via seeds, crucial to most terrestrial ecosystems.

Gymnosperms

A clade of seed plants that produce seeds not enclosed in a fruit, including conifers and cycads.

Angiosperms

Seed plants that produce flowers and fruits; they are the most diverse group among plants. Most abundant plant.

Heterospory

The production of two distinct types of spores: microspores (male) and megaspores (female).

Reduced Gametophytes

The trend in seed plants where the gametophyte is smaller and protected by sporophyte.

Ovule

A structure in seed plants that develops into a seed after fertilization.

Pollen

A fine powdery substance that contains male gametophytes; it makes water unnecessary for fertilization.

Seeds

Structures that contain a sporophyte embryo, a food supply, and a protective coat from the integument, allowing for dormancy and long-distance dispersal.

Integument

The layer of protective tissue surrounding the ovule in seed plants.

Double fertilization

A process in angiosperms where one sperm fertilizes the egg, forming a zygote, and another sperm fertilizes the central cell, forming the endosperm.

Monocots

A group of angiosperms characterized by having one cotyledon, parallel leaf venation, and floral organs often in multiples of three. Fibrous roots. Unorganized vascular tissue.

Eudicots

A major group of angiosperms with two cotyledons, netlike leaf venation, and floral organs usually in multiples of four or five. Taproot. Organized vascular tissue.

Pollination

The transfer of pollen grains from male anthers to female stigma, enabling fertilization.

Stamen

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

Carpel

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

Fruit

A mature ovary that protects seeds and aids in their dispersal.

Conifers

A group of gymnosperms that are cone-bearing and often evergreen.

Cycads

Endangered. Flagellate sperm. Subgroup of gymnosperms. Medicinal properties.

Ginkgo

Resilience and medicinal properties. Gymnosperm subgroup.

Vascular Tissue

The specialized tissue in plants responsible for the transport of water, nutrients, and photosynthetic products.

Dioecious

Male and female cones separate on all plants.