How Plants Came to Be

Our best model so far…

Condensed Time Line

• 4.5 Billion years ago – Spherical Earth

• 4 Billion y.a. – Building blocks of life

• 3.5 Billion y.a – First Life– Used CO2, light and thermal-chemical vents

• 3 Billion y.a. – Oxygen Poisoning

• 2 Billion y.a. – Life adapts to Oxygen

• 1.5 Billion y.a. – Eukaryotic Cells

• 1 Billion y.a. – Cells live in colonies

Cont’d Time Line

• 700 Million y.a. – Multi-celled life

• 470 Million y.a. – First land plants (cuticle)

• 450 Million y.a. – Lichen

• 350 Million y.a. – Ferns (stem)

• 300 Million y.a. – Seed Plants

• 250 Million y.a. – Flowering Plants, insect colonies and mammals

• 50 Million y.a. – Grasses

General Plant Evolution• 4.5 Billion years ago – Spherical Earth• 4 Billion y.a. – Building block of life• 3.5 Billion y.a – First Life

– Used CO2, light and thermal-chemical vents

• 3 Billion y.a. – Oxygen Poisoning• 2 Billion y.a. – Life adapts to Oxygen• 1.5 Billion y.a. – Eukaryotic Cells• 1 Billion y.a. – Cells live in colonies• 700 Million y.a. – Multi-celled life• 470 Million y.a. – First land plants (cuticles)• 450 Million y.a. – Lichen• 350 Million y.a. – Ferns (stems)• 300 Million y.a. – Seed Plants• 250 Million y.a. – Flowering Plants, insect colonies and mammals• 50 Million y.a. – Grasses

Plant List 1

Assigned 9/5/08“Quiz” on 9/14/08

(8 plants this week)

Has Chlorophyll:

Uses Light and CO2 to make sugar

Algae

LichenHas a waxy cuticle

to hold in water

No cuticleLives in water

Lives with Fungi to

keep it from drying out

MossesLiverwort

Hornwort

No stem – has to transport

water from cell to cell

Stem with tubes and vessels for transport

Ferns, Club Mosses, Horsetails (And more advanced plants)

Lichen species

• Algae species that lives with a fungus species

• Dry & crunchy, can be flat or wispy

• Grows on surfaces (bark or rocks)

• Can be many colors

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/N2_Lichen.jpg

Moss species

• Very small

• Fuzzy green tufts

• (Sometimes have stalks)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/63/RedMoss.jpg

Liverwort species

• Very small

• Flattened “tongue” or “liver lobe”

• (Sometimes has stalks or cups on surface)

Bracken(Pteridium aquilinum)

• Classic fern

• Frond/leaves over 1 foot long

• Complex leaf from base of plant

Spiny Cliff Brake(Pellaea logimucronata)

• Small desert fern (less than 15 inches)

• Dark stems with hard, pointed “leaflets”– Often second stem at a 90º angle

• Compound leaf from base of plant

Star Cloak Fern(Notholaena standleyi)

• Small desert fern (less than 10 inches)

• Five-sided star frond, lobed edges

• Compound leaf from base of plant

Wavy Cloak Fern(Notholaena sinuats)

• Medium desert fern (less than 20 inches)

• Oval “leaflets” with wavy edges

• Compound leaf from base of plant

Resurrection Plant(Selaginella lepidophylla)

• Appears like a big moss plant (“club moss”)

• Branches (moss do not)

• Can dry brown but turns green when watered

Plant List 1

• Lichen spp.

• Moss spp.

• Liverwort spp.

• Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum)

• Spiny Cliff Brake (Pellaea logimucronata)

• Star Cloak Fern (Notholaena standleyi)

• Wavy Cloak Fern (Notholaena sinuats)

• Resurrection Plant (Selaginella lepidophylla)

Plant List 2

Assigned 10/2/09“Quiz” on 10/9/09

(6 plants this week)

Has Chlorophyll:

Uses Light and CO2 to make sugar

Algae

LichenHas a waxy cuticle to

hold in water

No cuticleLives in water

Lives with Fungi to keep

it from drying out

Mosses

Liverwort

Hornwort

No stem – has to transport

water from cell to cell

Stem with tubes and vessels for transport

Ferns, Club Mosses, Horsetails (And more advanced plants)

Has Chlorophyll:

Uses Light and CO2 to make sugar

Algae

LichenHas a waxy cuticle to

hold in water

No cuticleLives in water

Lives with Fungi to keep

it from drying out

Mosses

Liverwort

Hornwort

No stem – has to transport

water from cell to cell

Stem with tubes and vessels for transport

Horsetail

Club Mosses (Resurrection Plant)

Ferns (Star Cloak, Wavy Cloak, Spiny Cliff Brake)

Makes spores

Makes seeds

Angiosperm (Fruit and Flower Plants)

Gymnosperm (Naked Seed Plants = Pine, Fir, Juniper, Ephedra, Cycads…)

Horsetail(Equisetum spp.)

• Single green stem

• Several jagged pseudo leaves at joint

• Structure at the tip that releases spores

Ephedra(Ephedra trifurca)

• Bush made up of branching green sticks

• Three dried, pointed ‘leaves’ at each joint

• 8mm cones on female plant, pollen on male

Alligator Juniper(Juniperus deppeana)

• Grey bark with square scales like alligator skin

• Tiny scale leaves that overlap

• Bluish-purple “berries”

Yellow/Ponderosa Pine(Pinus ponderosa)

• Needle-like leaves– In bunches of 3 to 5– Between 5-9 inches long

• Brown bark– Flakes puzzle pieces– Smells like vanilla

• Cone under 3 inches

Pinyon Pine(Pinus edulis)

• Rough grey or black bark

• Curved needle-like leaves– In bunches of 2– About 1.5 inches long

• Cones 2-3 inches

Douglas Fir(Pseudotsuga menziesii)

• Brown rough bark• Needle-like leaves

– Single (all firs & spruce have single needles)

– 1-1.5 inches long

• Cones– Have a wing between the

scales– 3 inches long

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Douglas_Fir_buds.jpg

Plant List 2

• Horsetail (Equisetum spp.)

• Ephedra (Ephedra trifurca)

• Alligator Juniper (Juniperus deppeana)

• Yellow/Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa)

• Pinyon Pine (Pinus edulis)

• Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)

Plant List 3

Assigned 1/25/08“Quiz” on 2/1/08

(7 plants this week)ALL in the CACTUS Family

Has Chlorophyll:

Uses Light and CO2 to make sugar

Algae

LichenHas a waxy cuticle to

hold in water

No cuticleLives in water

Lives with Fungi to keep

it from drying out

Mosses

Liverwort

Hornwort

No stem – has to transport

water from cell to cell

Stem with tubes and vessels for transport

Horsetail

Club Mosses (Resurrection Plant)

Ferns (Star Cloak, Wavy Cloak, Spiny Cliff Brake)

Makes sporesMakes seeds

Angiosperm (Cactus…)

Gymnosperm (Pine, Fir, Juniper, Ephedra…)

Naked Seed

Fruit and Flower

Saguaro(Carnegiea gigantea)

• Tall column (over 8 ft when mature), with branching arms

• Straight white spines on ribs

• White flowers with red fruit

Chain-fruit Cholla(Opuntia fulgida)

• Green tubular segmented cactus

• Straight yellow-white spines

• Green fruit grow linked together– NOTE: Does not “jump” but segments break

off (and stick to you) with a slight touch

Staghorn Cholla(Opuntia versicolor)

• Tubular segmented cactus

• Spines are sparse, short, & straight

• Varies in color, often have purple on stems

• Flowers and fruit vary (white, yellow orange, red, purple)

Prickly Pear, Engelmann’s(Opuntia engelmannii)

• Segmented cactus with oval, flat pads

• White spines with yellow mini-spines– “Glochids” are what hurt and break off in skin

• Yellow flowers, deep red fruit

Fishhook Barrel(Ferocactus wislizeni)

• Short ribbed column (no arms)

• One ribbed hooked spine (pink) and many straight spines (white) per spot

• Yellow fruit and red/pink flowers

Hedgehog Cactus(Echinocereus riglochidiatus)

• Small column cactus (under 15 inches)

• Straight white or yellow spines

• Grows in clusters

Mammallaria(Mammillaria grahamii)

• Small column or ball (under 6 inches)

• One tiny hooked spine (red) and A LOT of tiny straight spines (white) per spot

• Small bright red fruit

Plant List 3

• Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea)

• Chain-fruit Cholla (Opuntia fulgida)

• Staghorn Cholla (Opuntia versicolor)

• Prickly Pear, Engelmann’s (Opuntia engelmannii)

• Fishhook Barrel (Ferocactus wislizeni)

• Hedgehog Cactus (Echinocereus riglochidiatus)

• Mammallaria (Mammillaria grahamii)