Plant Diversity II

LEVEL 1 BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY

Campbell: Chapter 30
Reproductive adaptations of
seed plants
 Three life cycle modifications led to the success of
terrestrial plants:
 Reduction of the gametophyte: retained in the
moist reproductive tissue of the sporphyte
 Origin of the seed:
 Zygotes developed into embryos packaged with a
food supply within a protected seed coat
 Seeds replaced spores as the main means of dispersal
 Evolution of pollen: plants were no longer tied to
water for fertilisation
Reduction of gametophytes in
seed plants
Sporophyte (2n)
Gametophyte (n) Sporophyte (2n)

Sporophyte (2n) Gametophyte (n)

Gametophyte
(n)

Sporophyte dependent on Large sporophyte and small Reduced gametophyte

gametophyte (e.g. bryophytes)independent gametophyte dependent on sporophyte
(e.g. ferns) (seed plants)
In seed plants, the seed replaced
the spore as the main means of
dispersing
 offspring
Relatively harsh terrestrial environment:
Bryophytes and seedless vascular plants release spores

 Seeds are more hardy because of their multicellular nature
 Seed is a sporophyte embryo and a food supply surrounded
by a protective coat
 All seed plants are heterosporous
 Development of seed associated with megasporangia:
 Seed plant megasporangia are fleshy structure called nucelli
 Additional tissues (integuments) surround megasporangium
 Resulting structure is called an ovule
 Female gametophyte develops in wall of megaspore, is
fertilised (embryo) and resulting ovule develops into a seed
 From ovule to seed

Integuments (2n)
Seed coat (2n)
Nucellus Female derived from
(megasporangium) Spore case (n) gametophyte (n) integuments
(2n)
Food supply
(derived from
female
gametophyte
tissue
Megaspore (n) Egg
nucleus
Pollen tube (n) (n) Embryo (2n)
new sporophyte
Discharged sperm
Micropyle nucleus (n)
Pollen became the
vehicle for sperm cells in
seed plants
Microspores
 develop into pollen grains which mature
to form the male gametophytes of seed plants:
 Pollen grains coated with a resistant polymer,
sporopollenin
 Can be carried away by wind or animals (e.g. bees)
following release from microsporangia
 A pollen grain near an ovule will extend a tube and
discharge sperm cells into the female gametophyte
within the ovule:
 In some gymnosperms, sperm are flagellated
(ancestral)
 Other gymnosperms (including conifers) and
angiosperms do not have flagellated sperm cells
Gymnosperms

 Descended from Devonian

progymnosperms:
 Seedless
 Seeds evolved late Devonian
 Climatic changes during
Permian led to lycopods,
horsetails and ferns being
replaced by conifers and
cycads
 Lack enclosed chambers
(ovaries) in which seeds
develop
Four divisions of extant
gymnosperms

Cycads Gingko

Gnetophytes Conifers
Conifers are the largest
division of gymnosperms
 Mostly evergreens e.g. pines,
firs, spruces, larches, yews,
cypresses etc.
 Include the tallest, largest and
oldest living organisms
 Needle-shaped leaves
adapted to dry conditions:
 Thick cuticle covers leaf
 Stomata in pits, reducing
water loss
 Megaphylls cf. other leaves
The life cycle of a pine
Angiosperms
Angiosperms (flowering
plants)
 Flowering plants are the
most widespread and
diverse (250,000 species)
 Only one division
(Anthophyta), with two
classes:
 Monocotyledons
 Dicotyledons
 Less dependent on wind
pollination - use insects and
animals
Evolution of vascular tissue in
angiosperms
 Conifers have water-
conducting cells called
tracheids

Angiosperms have vessel

elements:
More specialised for transport
Less specialised for support
Xylem reinforced by fibres:
Specialised for support - thick
lignified wall
Evolved in conifers (conifers
lack vessel elements)
The flower is the defining
reproductive adaptation of
angiosperms  Sepals: sterile, enclose bud
 Petals: sterile, attract
pollinators
 Stamen: produces pollen
 Carpel: evolved from seed-
bearing leaf that became
rolled into a tube
 Stigma: sticky structure that
receives pollen
 Ovary: protects ovules, which
develop into seeds after
fertilisation
Fruits help disperse the seeds
of angiosperms
 Fruits are ripened ovaries that
protect dormant seed and
aids in its dispersal
 Modifications of fruits that aid
dispersal include:
 Seeds within fruits that are
shaped like kites or propellors
(e.g. maple)
 Burr-like fruit that cling to
animal fur
 Edible fruit - tough seeds pass
through digestive tract
Life cycle of an
angiosperm
Anther

MITOSIS

Ovule
Germinating
seed
Stigma
Ovary Pollen
tube
Food supply Seed
Pollen
tube
MITOSIS Style

Pollen
tube
Angiosperms and animals
shaped one another’s
evolution Coevolution: reciprocal

evolutionary responses
among two or more
interacting species
 Coevolution led to diversity of
flowers:
 Flower-specific pollinators
 Usually adapted for types of
pollinators
 Attraction of ripening fruits:
 Soft, fragrant and sugary
 Attractive change of colour
Plants transformed the
atmosphere and the climate
Colonisation of land by plants

Diversification of vascular plants

25  Plants decreased
atmospheric carbon
20 dioxide, resulting in global
cooling
15
Cooler environment
10
made terrestrial life
5 more habitable for other
organisms