Difference between revisions of "Vascular plant" - New World Encyclopedia

From New World Encyclopedia
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{{Taxobox_end}}
 
{{Taxobox_end}}
  
The '''vascular plants''' are plants in the Kingdom [[Plantae]] (also called Viridiplantae) that have specialized tissues for conducting water.  Vascular plants include the [[fern]]s, [[clubmoss]]es, [[horsetail]]s, [[flowering plant]]s, [[conifer]]s and other [[gymnosperm]]s. Scientific names are ''Tracheophyta'' and ''Tracheobionta'', but neither is very widely used. [[Nonvascular plant]]s include both earlier-derived lineages in Plantae ([[moss]]es, [[hornwort]]s, and [[liverwort]]s) and members of other kingdoms (the various [[alga]]e).  
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The '''vascular plants''' are plants in the Kingdom [[Plant|Plantae]] (also called Viridiplantae) that have specialized tissues for conducting water.  Vascular plants include the [[fern]]s, clubmosses, horsetails, [[flowering plant]]s, conifers and other [[gymnosperm]]s. Scientific names are ''Tracheophyta'' and ''Tracheobionta'', but neither is very widely used. Nonvascular plants include both earlier-derived lineages in Plantae (mosses, hornworts, and liverworts) and members of other kingdoms (the various [[algae]]).  
  
 
The vascular plants are set apart in two important ways:
 
The vascular plants are set apart in two important ways:
 
# Vascular plants have water-carrying tissues,  enabling the plants to evolve to a larger size. Non-vascular plants lack these and are restricted to relatively small sizes.  
 
# Vascular plants have water-carrying tissues,  enabling the plants to evolve to a larger size. Non-vascular plants lack these and are restricted to relatively small sizes.  
# In vascular plants, the principal generation phase is the ''[[sporophyte]]'', which is [[diploid]] with two sets of chromosomes per cell. In non-vascular plants, the principal generation phase is often the ''[[gametophyte]]'', which is [[haploid]] with one set of chromosomes per cell.  ''See also [[alternation of generations]].''
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# In vascular plants, the principal generation phase is the ''sporophyte'', which is [[diploid]] with two sets of chromosomes per cell. In non-vascular plants, the principal generation phase is often the ''gametophyte'', which is haploid with one set of chromosomes per [[cell]].
  
Water transport happens in either xylem or phloem: [[xylem]] carries water and inorganic solutes upward toward the leaves from the roots, while [[phloem]] carries organic solutes throughout the plant.  
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Water transport happens in either xylem or phloem: [[xylem]] carries water and inorganic solutes upward toward the leaves from the roots, while [[phloem]] carries organic solutes throughout the [[plant]].  
  
  
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*Spore-bearing vascular plants
 
*Spore-bearing vascular plants
**[[Horsetail|Equisetophyta]] ~ horsetails
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**Equisetophyta ~ horsetails
**[[Lycopodiophyta]] ~ clubmosses, spikemosses, quillworts
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**Lycopodiophyta ~ clubmosses, spikemosses, quillworts
**[[Psilotophyta]] ~ whisk-ferns
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**Psilotophyta ~ whisk-ferns
 
**[[Fern|Pteridophyta]]~ ferns
 
**[[Fern|Pteridophyta]]~ ferns
  
 
*Seed-bearing vascular plants - Superdivision [[Spermatophyta]]
 
*Seed-bearing vascular plants - Superdivision [[Spermatophyta]]
**[[Pinophyta]] ~ conifers
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**Pinophyta ~ conifers
 
**[[Cycad]]ophyta ~ cycads
 
**[[Cycad]]ophyta ~ cycads
**[[Ginkgo]]phyta ~ ginkgoes
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**Ginkgophyta ~ ginkgoes
**[[Gnetophyta]] ~ gnetophytes
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**Gnetophyta ~ gnetophytes
 
**[[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]] ~ flowering plants
 
**[[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]] ~ flowering plants
  
 
==See also==
 
==See also==
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*[[Plant]]
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*[[Angiosperm]]
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*[[Gymnosperm]]
 
*[[Fern ally|Fern allies]]
 
*[[Fern ally|Fern allies]]
  

Revision as of 12:54, 24 July 2006

Vascular Plants
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae (in part)
'Divisions'

The vascular plants are plants in the Kingdom Plantae (also called Viridiplantae) that have specialized tissues for conducting water. Vascular plants include the ferns, clubmosses, horsetails, flowering plants, conifers and other gymnosperms. Scientific names are Tracheophyta and Tracheobionta, but neither is very widely used. Nonvascular plants include both earlier-derived lineages in Plantae (mosses, hornworts, and liverworts) and members of other kingdoms (the various algae).

The vascular plants are set apart in two important ways:

  1. Vascular plants have water-carrying tissues, enabling the plants to evolve to a larger size. Non-vascular plants lack these and are restricted to relatively small sizes.
  2. In vascular plants, the principal generation phase is the sporophyte, which is diploid with two sets of chromosomes per cell. In non-vascular plants, the principal generation phase is often the gametophyte, which is haploid with one set of chromosomes per cell.

Water transport happens in either xylem or phloem: xylem carries water and inorganic solutes upward toward the leaves from the roots, while phloem carries organic solutes throughout the plant.


This article is too short. You might want to take each of the "members" below and expand each into a paragraph. Actually, other than the ferms, I doubt we will have a separate entry for the other spore-bearing vascualar plants. The seed-bearing plants we will probably have. At any rate, can just cut and past content from the Wikipedia article on the first three spore-bearing plants. The other members cannot do that, because we will have separate articles. But one brief paragraph on each and what their characterists are would be helpful in this article, unless you have another way to expand it.

Members

  • Spore-bearing vascular plants
    • Equisetophyta ~ horsetails
    • Lycopodiophyta ~ clubmosses, spikemosses, quillworts
    • Psilotophyta ~ whisk-ferns
    • Pteridophyta~ ferns
  • Seed-bearing vascular plants - Superdivision Spermatophyta
    • Pinophyta ~ conifers
    • Cycadophyta ~ cycads
    • Ginkgophyta ~ ginkgoes
    • Gnetophyta ~ gnetophytes
    • Magnoliophyta ~ flowering plants

See also

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