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Land Plants definitions Flashcards

Land Plants definitions
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  • Land Plants

    Terrestrial plants evolved from green algae, adapting to land with features like cuticles, seeds, and vascular tissues. They include nonvascular, seedless vascular, and seed plants.

  • Cuticle

    A waxy, protective layer covering the epidermis of plants, crucial for preventing water loss and protecting against pathogens in terrestrial environments.

  • Vascular Tissue

    Specialized plant tissue that transports water, minerals, and nutrients, enabling plants to grow larger and thrive on land.

  • Pollen

    A male gametophyte encased in a tough coating, enabling sperm to travel through air and fertilize eggs without needing water.

  • Embryophytes

    Organisms that evolved from green algae to live on land, retaining embryos within parental tissues, and include nonvascular, seedless vascular, and seed plants.

  • Nonvascular Plants

    Plants that lack specialized vascular tissues (xylem and phloem) for water and nutrient transport, resulting in small size and reliance on moist environments for reproduction.

  • Trachids

    Specialized plant cells with thick lignin-reinforced walls, crucial for water transport and structural support, enabling plants to grow taller and larger.

  • Lignin

    A complex organic polymer in plant cell walls that provides rigidity and structural support, enabling plants to grow taller and withstand various environmental stresses.

  • Bryophytes

    Nonvascular land plants, including mosses, liverworts, and hornworts, that lack lignin and tracheids, are gametophyte-dominant, and rely on moist environments for reproduction.

  • Gametophyte

    The haploid stage in a plant's life cycle that produces gametes (sperm and eggs) through mitosis, dominant in nonvascular plants like mosses.

  • Sporophyte

    The diploid, multicellular stage in a plant's life cycle that produces spores through meiosis, leading to the formation of gametophytes.

  • Xylem

    A vascular tissue in plants that transports water and minerals from roots to other parts, providing structural support through lignin-reinforced cells.

  • Phloem

    Specialized vascular tissue in plants that transports sugars, amino acids, and nutrients from photosynthetic areas to other parts of the plant.