The Kingdom Plantae
It includes all the eukaryotic multicellular chlorophyllous photosynthetic autotrophs having cell wall made up of primarily of cellulose; zygote retained to become embryo and exhibiting heteromorphic alternation of generation e.g. moss, fern, pine, apple. Plants are adapted to living on land.
Terrestrial Adaptations in Plants: Living on land poses very different problems from living in water and it is a set of structural, chemical and reproductive adaptations for terrestrial living that distinguishes plants from algae.
Structural Adaptations:
- Absorption of water and minerals by roots.
- Stomata for gaseous exchange.
Chemical Adaptations:
- Cell wall composed of cellulose.
- Formation of cuticle to reduce the rate of transpiration.
- Lignin to harden the cell wall.
- Sporopollenin, a polymer that is resistant to environmental damages.
Reproductive Adaptations:
- Early plants produced their gametes within gametangia.
- Organs having protective jackets of sterile cells that prevent gametes.
- Embryo is formed by zygote within female body.
Classification of Plants: An outline of classification of plantae.
Division 1:
- Bryophyta (Non-vascular plants)
- Class: Hepaticae (Liverworts)
- Class: Musci (Mosses)
- Class: Anthocerotae (Hornworts)
- Bryophyta (Non-vascular plants)
Division 2:
- Tracheophyta (Vascular Plants)
- Subdivision: Psilopsida (Psilopsids)
- Subdivision: Lycopsida (Club mosses)
- Subdivision: Sphenopsida (Horse tails)
- Subdivision: Pteropsida (Ferns)
- Subdivision: Spermoside (Seed plants)
Bryophytes: Bryophytes are non-vascular plants showing heteromorphic alternation of generation with dominant gametophytes having amphibious nature. Gametophytes are chlorophyllous, photosynthetic autotrophs having thalloid body or differentiated in rhizoids, pseudostem, and leaves. Sporophytes are semi-parasite on gametophytes having a body differentiated in foot, seta, and capsule.
General Characteristics of Bryophytes:
- Bryophytes grow in humid and shady places. A few of them, for example, Riella, Ricciocarpos are aquatic.
- Vascular tissues i.e., xylem and phloem are absent.
- In most of the cases, plant body is thallus, i.e., not differentiated into root stem and leaves e.g., Marchantia.
- Most of them are small in size, up to 1-2 cm high and the largest is not more than 20cm in height.
- Alternation between externally and internally different sporophytic and gametophytic generations occurs.
- Gametophytic generation is dominant.
- Sporophyte is diploid and depends on gametophyte for nutrition and attachment.
- Instead of roots, rhizoids are present for absorption of soil materials and attachment.
- Reproductive structures are gametangia, male gametangium is called antheridium and female is called archegonium.
- Fertilization takes place inside archegonium.
- Fertilization needs water. So, they are called amphibious plants.
Classification: Bryophytes are classified into three classes. These are:
Class Hepaticae Characters:
- Thallus is lobbed and the lobes resemble the lobes of liver.
- The dominant generation is gametophyte which is a green, dorsoventrally flattened and dichotomously branched thallus.
- Vegetative reproduction takes place by gemmae, produced in gemma cup.
- Sexual reproduction takes place by archegoniophore and antheridiophore i.e., female and male receptacles respectively.
- Sporophyte is simple, having foot, seta and capsule. Examples include Ricciocarpos, Marchantia, Riccia, etc.
Class Musci Characters:
- Along with most shady places, they may also grow on dry places but water is still necessary for sexual reproduction.
- Sporophyte consists of foot, seta and capsule.
- The spores, on germination give rise to a filamentous structure called protonema.
- Numerous shoots arise from protonema which compose the mature moss plant (gametophyte).
- Gametophyte consists of pseudostem, leaves, and rhizoids. Examples include Funaria, sphagnum, polytrichum etc.
Class Anthocerotae Characters:
- Plant body is thalloid.
- Thallus is lobbed, dorsiventral and with or without midrib.
- Gametophyte is matlike.
- Sporophyte consists of long capsule resembling horns. Sporophyte has stomata and its cells can use their chloroplasts for photosynthesis.
- Sporophyte contains meristem due to which it can survive even after the death of gametophyte. Examples include anthoceros, Mequaceros etc.
Land Adaptations in Plants:
Rhizoids for Water Absorption: To absorb water from soil, the earliest land plants i.e., Bryophytes developed filamentous extension from the cells of lower epidermis. These extensions are called rhizoids.
Conservation of Water by Cuticle: Direct sunlight may cause death of plant by excess evaporation, but this problem has been solved by waxy cuticle over the exposed parts of land plants, as it limits evaporation.
Absorption of CO₂ by Aerating Pores: Water plants exchange gases with surrounding water. Early land plants have pores called aerating pores in their epidermis that allows CO₂ to move inside air chambers and finally to the wet surfaces of photosynthetic cells in air chambers and diffuse into cytoplasm.
Heterogamy: It is the production of two different types of gametes, one is male (motile) and the other is female (non-motile). Heterogamy increases the chances of fertilization and successful reproduction.
Protection of Reproductive Structures: In bryophytes, the male and female reproductive cells are well-protected inside antheridium and archegonium respectively. Moreover, they have hair-like structures called paraphyses that prevent drying of sex organs.
Formation and Protection of Embryo: Land plants observe an embryo stage i.e., the zygote divides to form an embryo, and for protection, the embryo is retained inside the archegonium.
Life Cycle of Bryophytes / Moss / Funaria: The life cycle shows heteromorphic alternation of generations with gametophyte as the dominant generation. The life cycle is completed into two stages:
Gametophytic Stage: The gametophyte is haploid, consisting of rhizoids, pseudostem, and leaves. In this phase, male and female reproductive organs are produced, antheridia (male) and archegonia (female).
The Antheridia:
- The antheridia are club-shaped. Each antheridium is surrounded by an outer jacket layer. Inside the antheridium, antherozoid mother cells or androcytes are produced. They divide and re-divide to form motile biflagellate antherozoids (male gametes) or spermatozoids.
The Archegonia:
- Each archegonium is flask-shaped. It consists of a stalk, venter, and neck. The stalk helps in the attachment of the archegonium. The venter is the middle swollen part. It contains a large egg cell and a smaller venter canal cell. The neck is the upper elongated tube-like part. It contains neck-canal cells.
Fertilization:
- The motile spermatozoids move toward the archegonium in the presence of water. They enter the archegonium through its open mouth, and one spermatozoid fuses with the egg cell, with the result that the zygote (2n) is formed.
Sporophytic Stage:
- The zygote develops into a sporophyte. The venter wall enlarges to form the protective layer around the embryo, called the calyptra. The sporophyte grows upon the gametophyte; it depends partially or completely for its nourishment upon the tissues of the gametophyte. The sporophyte consists of three parts: foot, seta, and capsule. The foot helps in the attachment of the sporophyte and in the absorption of food from the tissues of the gametophyte. The seta is the stalk of the capsule. The capsule produces spore-mother cells. They are diploid (2n); they divide by meiosis and form haploid (n) spores. Each spore can germinate into a new gametophyte during favorable conditions.
Tracheophytes: The Vascular Plants: Major Groups of Vascular Plants:
- Subdivision: Psilopsida (Psilopsids)
- Subdivision: Lycopsida (Club mosses)
- Subdivision: Sphenopsida (Horse tails)
- Subdivision: Pteropsida (Ferns)
- Subdivision: Spermospsida (Seed plants)
Psilopsida, Lycopsida, Sphenopsida, Pteropsida are non-flowering plants collectively called Pteridophyta. Spermospsida have flowers and seeds collectively called spermatophyte. Spermospsida are further divided into gymnosperms and angiosperms. Tracheophytes possess four important characters:
- A protective layer of sterile jacket cells around the reproductive organs.
- Multicellular embryos retained within the archegonia.
- Cuticle
- Xylem
Psilopsida:
Rhynia:
External Features of Rhynia:
- Rhynia is one of the most primitive vascular plants. It is a fossil which became extinct in the Devonian period. As the genus has been derived from the place Rhynia situated in Scotland, and therefore it is named after the name of the place of its origin and known as Rhynia. Till now only two species of Rhynia named as Rhynia major and R. gwynne-vaughani have been described.
Systemic Position Pteridophyta:
Division - Psilophyta
Class - Psilophytopsidae
Order - Psilophytales
Family - Rhyniaceae
Genus - Rhynia
They were herbaceous plants.
The plant body consisted of dichotomously branched horizontal rhizome and the erect, aerial dichotomously branched stem.
The aerial branches were leafless shoots.
The rhizoids were present in patches on the underside of the rhizome.
The aerial branches were naked, leafless, cylindrical, dichotomously forked, and tapering at their apices.
The terminal, elongated sporangia were found on the tapering vegetative apices. Sporangia contain spores.
The main plant is sporophyte.
The Internal Anatomy of Rhynia:
- The internal structure of the rhizome and aerial stem was quite similar to each other. This was differentiated into epidermis, cortex, and stele.
- Epidermis:
- The epidermis was one cell in thickness with thick outer wall and cuticle on the outer side.
- The aerial stems bore the stomata on the epidermis.
Cortex:
- The cortex consists of two zones (a) the outer cortex and (b) the inner cortex.
Stele:
- The central xylem core was completely surrounded by a phloem layer four or five cell in thickness. The xylem consists of tracheids only. The phloem consists of elongated thin-walled cells with oblique end walls.
Evolution of Leaf in Vascular Plants:
- The primitive vascular plants lacked leaves in contrast to the present-day advanced ones. When the advanced plants evolved from their primitive ancestors, there occurred evolution of leaf, besides other changes.
Types of Leaves:
- In vascular plants leaves are of two types. One type is small, scale-like with a single vein (vascular bundle) and is hence called one-veined leaf or microphyllous leaf as found in club-mosses and horse-tails. The second type has a large blade having two or more veins. It is called many-veined leaf or megaphyllous leaf as found in many plants.
Evolution of One Veined Leaf:
- The fossil record does not help us to understand the evolution of one-veined leaf. Hence two possibilities have been put forth. One possibility is that it originated as a small outgrowth from the branches of the primitive ancestral plant. With an increase in size vascular tissue (a vein) was supplied for support and conduction of water. The second possibility is that it originated by a reduction in size of a part of a leafless branching system of the primitive vascular plant.
Evolution of Many Veined Leaf:
- Many-veined leaves have evolved from the forked branching system of the primitive vascular plants. This is evident from the study of fossil plants living in Devonian and Carboniferous periods. In the first step, the branches were brought in a single plane. Consequently, the branching system became flat. This is known as planation. Then the spaces between the branches became filled with photosynthetic tissue. This is called webbing because the leaf looked superficially like the webbed foot of a duck. The leaves of the majority of vascular plants had their evolutionary origin from a branching system of this kind.
Lycopsida: (The Club Mosses):
- The first representative of Lycopsida appeared in the middle of the Devonian period, almost 10 million years after the first psilopsids. During the late Devonian and the Carboniferous periods, these were among the dominant plants on land. Some of them were very large trees that formed the earth’s first forests. Toward the end of the Paleozoic era, however, the group was displaced by more advanced types of vascular plants, and only five genera are alive today. Two of these, Selaginella and Lycopodium (often called running pine or ground pine), are common in many parts of Pakistan.
Unlike the Psilopsids, Lycopsids have true roots. It is generally supposed that these arose from branches of the ancestral algae that penetrated soil and branched underground. Lycopsids also have true leaves, which are thought to have arisen as simple scale-like outgrowths (emergence) from the outer tissue of the stem. Certain of the leaves that become specialized for reproduction bear sporangia on their surfaces. Such reproductive (fertile) leaves are called sporophylls. In many Lycopsids, the sporophylls are congregated on a short length of stem and a cone-like structure (strobilus). The cone is rather club-shaped; hence the name "Club Mosses" for the Lycopsids, though Lycopsids are not related to the true mosses, which are bryophytes.
The spores produced by Lycopodium are all alike, and each can give rise to a gametophyte that will bear both archegonia and antheridia. However, some lycopsids (e.g., Selaginella) have two types of sporangia, which produce different kinds of spores. One type of sporangium produces very large spores called megaspores, which develop in female gametophytes bearing archegonia; the other type produces small spores called microspores, which develop into male gametophytes bearing antheridia. Plants like Lycopodium that produce only one kind of spore, and hence have only one kind of gametophyte that bears both male and female organs, are said to be homosporous. Plants like Selaginella that produce both megaspores (female) and microspores (male), i.e., in which the sexes are separate in the gametophyte generation, are said to be heterosporous.
Evolution of Seed: There are three steps in the evolution of seed:
- Origin of heterospory
- Development of integument for the protection of megasporangia
- Retention of the mature megaspores in the sporangia to develop female gametophyte.
Development of Heterospory: The seedless green land plants such as the nonvascular plants and primitive vascular plants (Club mosses, Horsetails, Ferns) are homosporous, i.e., all the spores of a species are similar in size, structure, and function. The spores grow into similar bisexual gametophytes. On the other hand, the seed plants (Pines, their relatives, and flowering plants) are heterosporous. They produce two kinds of spores, viz., the microspores and megaspores. The former grow into male gametophytes and the latter into female gametophytes. The two different kinds of spores are produced in two kinds of sporangia, the micro and the megasporangia.
Formation Of Integuments Around The Megasporangium: During the course of evolution, the megasporangia became surrounded by protective envelopes. Some of the fern-like plants from amongst the fossils of the carboniferous period (280 - 350 million years ago) have been found to bear seed-like structures. Each of their megasporangia containing one or more megaspores was surrounded by branch-like outgrowths from the sporophyte. During evolution, these branches became fused around the megasporangium to form an integument (covering).
Retention Of Megaspore In The Sporangium: The megaspore of seed plants, unlike that of seedless plants, is retained and protected inside the integumented megasporangium where it grows into a small female gametophyte. The integumented megasporangium in which megaspore is retained is called an ovule (immature seed). Besides providing the protective covering of integuments, the ovule contains a large amount of stored food which is utilized for the production of new offspring when the seed matures and germinates. Seed production is one of the important characters that better adapts the vascular plants to their environment and makes them the predominant form of vegetation on the earth.
Sphenopsida: (The Horse Tails) The Sphenopsids first appeared in the fossil record late in the Devonian period. They became a major component of the land flora during the carboniferous period and then declined. Members of the lone living genus, Equisetum, are commonly called horse tails. Though most of these are small (less than one meter), some of the ancient sphenopsids were large trees. Much of the coal we use today was formed from the dead bodies of these plants. Like the lycopsids, sphenopsids possess true roots, stems, and leaves. The stems are hollow and are jointed. Whorls of leaves occur at each joint. Many of the extinct sphenopsids had cambium and hence secondary growth, but the modern species do not. Spores are borne in terminal cones (strobili). In Equisetum all spores are alike (i.e., the plants are homosporous) and give rise to small gametophytes that bear both archegonia and antheridia (i.e., the sexes are non-separate) e.g., Sphenophyllum.
Pteropsida: (The Ferns) The dominant plants of pteropsida are generally known as ferns. It is found all over the world. They usually grow in wet and shady places, some fern grow in land and some are grow in water.
Life Cycle Of Fern: The life cycle of fern shows the heteromorphic alternation of generation in which sporophyte-plant is dominant. All the fern are homosporous because they produce the same spores. The life cycle is completed in two phases.
- Sporophyte phase.
- Gametophyte phase.
Sporophyte Phase: The sporophyte of fern is the dominant plant. It is diploid (2n) and performs asexual reproduction. The sporophyte plant consists of the following parts.
Root:
Fern has an adventitious root that arises from the stem.Stem:
Fern has an underground stem called rhizome, but some have an aerial stem.Leaf:
Fern has both simple and pinnately compound leaves. Leaves are large in size and known as megaphyll.
Asexual Reproduction in Fern: Asexual reproduction takes place by means of haploid spores produced by meiosis inside the sporangium. During reproduction, a number of sporangia develop inside a single sorus. The sori are green but, when ripe, they become dark brown. The leaves bearing sori are called sporophyll. Sorus is surrounded by a protective layer called indusium.
Structure of Sporangium: Each sporangium consists of a stalk called sporangiophore and a biconvex capsule. The wall of the capsule is composed of two cell layers.
Annulus:
It is a thick outer layer.Stomium:
It is a thin inner layer. The capsule contains a mother spore cell, which produces four haploid spores by meiosis. These spores are liberated through stomium. The spores are germinated and produce a bisexual gametophyte called prothallus.
Gametophyte Phase: The fern prothallus is short-lived, independent, autotrophic, heart-shaped, dorsoventrally flattened, lying prostrate on some wet substratum. It is not more than 1 cm in size.
- Rhizoid:
It is a thread-like structure that arises from the lower end of the prothallus. It fixes the prothallus with the soil and helps in the absorption of water and nutrients. The prothallus is monoecious, having archegonia and antheridia on the same prothallus.
Structure of Archegonia: Each archegonium is flask-shaped and consists of two parts. The upper part is tube-like and known as the neck, while the lower part is swollen and called the venter. The venter contains a cell called the egg cell, known as the female gamete.
Structure of Antheridia: Antheridium is a rounded or oval-shaped structure and grows near the rhizoid. They produce a number of cells called antherozoides. Antherozoides produce ciliated male gametes called sperm.
Fertilization: Sperms move by chemotactic movement in water and reach the archegonium. Only one sperm fuses with the ovum to form an oospore (zygote), which is diploid.
Germination of Oospore: Oospore germinates into a young diploid sporophyte within the gametophyte. The prothallus of the fern is degenerated, and in this way, the life cycle is completed.
Subdivision Spermospsida: (Seeded Plants)
Late Devonian plant.
Herb, shrub, or trees.
The gametophyte is even more reduced than ferns.
Gametophyte is not photosynthetic or free-living.
Sperms are not independent, free-swimming, or flagellated.
Embryo is with rich food and enclosed in a seed (with a resistant seed coat).
Divide into two groups:
- Gymnospermae (naked seed plants), e.g., Pinus, cycads, ginkgo.
- Angiospermae (fruit-enclosed seed), e.g., Monocots and dicots.
The Gymnosperms: (Gymnos = Naked; Sperma = Seed)
They have naked seeds because ovules are not covered by ovary. The first gymnosperms appeared in the fossil record in the late Devonian, some 350 million years ago. Many of those first seed plants had bodies that closely resembled the ferns, and indeed for many years their fossils were thought to be fossils of ferns. Slowly, however, evidence accumulated that some of the ‘ferns’ that were such important components of the coal-age forests produced seeds, not spores. Today these fossil plants, usually called the seed ferns, are grouped together as the class Pteridospermae of the subdivision Spermospsida. No members of this class survive today.
Pinus:
Pinus belongs to the group Gymnosperms. It is a long erect and evergreen tree consisting of three parts.
- Root
- Stem
- Leaf
It has a tap root. Stem produces two types of branches. One is long shoots, and the other is dwarf shoots, called Spur. The leaves are also of two types:
- Scaly leaves
- Foliage leaves (needle)
Scaly Leaves:
These are small scale-like leaves produced on long shoots at an early stage for protection. After that, they fall on the ground.
Foliage Leaves:
These leaves are produced on dwarf shoots. They are long needle-like, so-called needles. They are green in color and manufacture food material.
Life Cycle of Pinus:
The life cycle of the Pinus plant is completed in two stages. The first stage is called the sporophyte, and the second stage is known as the gametophyte. It shows heteromorphic alternation of generations.
Sporophyte Stage:
In this stage, asexual reproduction takes place. In this process, two types of cone-like structures are formed, called cones or strobili. They are produced on separate branches of the same plant. These cones are as follows:
Staminate cone (Male cone)
Ovulate cone (Female cone)
Staminate Cone: (Male Cone)
It is a small cone. Its size is less than 3 cm. Each cone consists of a central axis. From its both sides, spiral-shaped scales are developed.
called microsporophylls.
On the inner side of each scale, two microsporangia are present. In each microsporangium, numerous microspores are produced by meiosis. Each microspore consists of two layers, the outer layer is called exine and the inner one is known as intine. Exine layer is changed into two wing-like structures, by the help of which they are migrated to the ovulate cone by the agency of wind.
Ovulate Cone: (Female Cone)
It consists of a central axis. Round the axis, many thin, brownish scales are produced,
which are spirally arranged. They are called carpellary scales or bract scales. At the upper side of each carpellary scale, a large, hard, and woody scale is present, known as ovuliferous scale. It produces two ovules on the inner side. Each ovule consists of a central body, called nucellus or megasporangium. It is surrounded by an outer layer, called integument, which consists of two or three layers. These layers are arranged in such a manner that an opening is formed at the lower side known as micropyle, through which pollen tube enters the ovule in the nucellus or megasporangium. A megaspore-mother cell is produced which forms four megaspores by meiosis. Only one megaspore is functional, while others become degenerated. Megaspore takes part in the formation of the female gametophyte.
Gametophyte Stage:
In pinus, microspore forms male gametophyte and megaspore develops into female gametophyte.
Male Gametophyte:
Microspore starts its germination when it is still present in the microsporangium.