1. Plantae

2. Distinguishing Characteristics
All plants are multicellular
All plants are autotrophic
Some plants have specialized tissues called xylem & phloem
All plants reproduce sexually, and a few can also reproduce asexually
Very important to the balance in ecosystems because of their ability to create glucose, oxygen, and provide food & shelter to other organisms.

3. Method of Nutrition Completely autotrophic –
*Even the plants that are referred to as “carnivorous” are autotrophic. Carnivorous plants still photosynthesize for their glucose, and get minerals/vitamins from the insects and small animals that they breakdown.

4. Method of Reproduction
All plants reproduce sexually via sperm & egg
Some plants also reproduce asexually
* Roots - shoots & suckers
* Stems - stolons, runners, rhizomes,
bulbs, corms, or tubers
*Leaves - plantlets

5. Asexual Reproduction in Plants
Bulbs
Sucker
Plantlets
Tubers
Stolon

6. Sexual Reproduction in Plants
Non-vascular - Liverwort
Vascular Flowering Plant

7. The Good and the Bad
Produce a large amount of oxygen for our biosphere
Begin most food chains on our planet (exception – aquatic food chains that start with a photosynthetic protists)
Provide shelter for other organisms
Many have medicinal qualities that humans use
Textiles & fabrics for clothing
Building materials
Breakdown & become soil
Help prevent soil erosion
Aesthetically pleasing
Many are edible & are a direct way that humans can get energy (glucose)
Introduced species can become problematic * definition on next slide
Can cause disease/illness in humans and animals
 Poison Ivy = Toxicodendron radicans

8. Introduced/Invasive Species
Plants non-native to an area (don’t naturally grow there; are brought in).
Can grow rapidly because there are no natural competitors in the new area.
Example ~ Kudzu

9. Four Separate Groups of Plants
Non-Vascular
Vascular
~ have xylem & phloem for transporting water & nutrients
mosses, liverworts, and hornworts
Seedless plants
Seed plants
ferns, horsetails, and club mosses
Nonflowering
Gymnosperms
Flowering
Angiosperms

10. Non Vascular Plants Hornworts Mosses Liverworts
Live in damp, dimly lit (=shady) areas.
Have no specialized tissues (xylem or phloem) or systems (i.e. roots, stems, or leaves) that move water & nutrients throughout the plant.
These plants depend on diffusion to move water between cells. & are therefore, very small.
These primitive plants do not make pollen (a protective covering around sperm), so they have to live in moist areas for reproductive purposes.
Hornworts
Mosses
Liverworts
Monoclea forsteri
Sphagnum flexuosum
Phaeoceros laevis

11. Seedless Vascular Plants
Because these plants have vascular tissue for transporting water and nutrients, they can be larger than the nonvascular plants.
Reproduce sexually. But still have to live in moist environments for sexual reproduction to occur because they do not make pollen.
Similar to their nonvascular counterparts, these vascular plants produce spores as a result of sexual reproduction.
Help form soil, help prevent soil erosion, help form communities in new ecosystems, some are edible by humans, vascular ancient ancestors created fossil fuels, and some are even used in dietary supplements, shampoos, and skin-care products.
Horsetails
Ferns
Club Mosses

12. Seed Bearing Vascular Plants
Has vascular tissue and more complex systems than their primitive relatives (ferns, horsetails, & club mosses).
Can live in drier areas because the sperm cells of these plants are protected by pollen capsules.
Sexual reproduction in this group produces seeds instead of spores.
The pollen and seeds involved in the life cycle of seed bearing vascular plants allow for more genetic variation.
Nonflowering
Gymnosperms
Flowering
Angiosperms
Lillum rubescens
Monocots & Dicots
Includes trees, shrubs, grasses, weeds, & many flowering plants
For example: roses, apple trees, dandelions, corn, strawberries, tulips, & lilies)
Pseudotsuga menziesii)
Seeds are protected by cones
(i.e. conifers, cycads, & ginkgoes)