LS1

Lecture 14
October 24, 2016
Plants
- Know the differences between Angiosperms and gymnosperms, not too
many details though
- Angiosperms
o One of the great radiations in plant evolution
o 3 Key innovations: vessels, flowers, and fruits
o Sporophyte Dominant
o Pollen is water independent for fertilization
o Dispersed via seeds
o As plants moved from gymnosperms to angiosperms, there is a
much reduced form of the gametophyte
o Evolution of flowers
Purpose of flowers is to attract pollinators
Flowers do not all look the same because the pollinators
are also diverse
Pollinators get nectar and sources of sugar from flowers
Co-evolution though time of pollinators and flowers
o Flowers evolved to attract the best pollinators
Sexual reproduction: getting gametes where they need to
go
Immense diversity in flowers
Pollination
Generalist
o Pollen/nectar for all, there are many pollinators
Specialist
o One/few pollinators, less pollen wasted
Pollination by animals is more efficient than wind
pollination
o With animals, there is a direct path of
pollination
Free service provided by animals
Symbiotic relationship
Pollinator influence on Plant Species Formation
Radiation of columbine species and shifts in
pollinators
When killing pest insects via pesticides, other insects, such
as pollinators also die
Colony collapse disorder (CCD)

Many organisms depend on certain ecosystems to

live, so when the ecosystem is destroyed or changed,
the species dies out
A lot of money is being spent fighting CCD

o Fruits
Simply ripened ovaries
They have different morphologies
Some things we call fruits are not fruits
Strawberries are enlarged receptacles
Fruits are a way to disperse seeds
When humans live in urban areas, they are not helping
plants spread their seeds
Humans get free food, but are not returning the favor
Wind, water, and animals all disperse seeds
Pollen disperse by wind
Coconuts float, so they disperse in water
Fungi
- Fungi are in the superkingdom Opsithokonta
- Mushrooms are not the entire part of the fungi
- Fungi include mushrooms, sac fungi, lichens, yeast, molds, and rusts
- Humans have a lot more in common with fungi than with plants
- Some fungal species have a fruiting structure
o Root-like structures with mycelium
o Nutrition
Heterotrophic
They have to get their carbon based nutrition from
other sources
They absorb sugars and other carbon-based
compounds from the environment
Extracellular digestion
Secrete enzymes that break down starch, cellulose,
and lignin into simpler compounds
Absorb compounds directly across cell walls
Saprophytic fungi
Decompose plant material
They break down plant material so that it does not
prove detrimental to other growing organisms
o They form symbiotic relationships with plants
o Fungi are multicellular for the most part
o They move via growth
Growth only occurs at the tips
o Mycorrhizal fungi

Fungal root
Over 90% of land plants live in symbiotic relationships with
fungi
Up to 20% of sugars produced by plants end up in
mycorrhizae
Ectomycorrhizae
Form outside plant roots
Transfer of nutrients to plants