Lab 9: Kingdom Plantae (12 Points) Introduction Plants are defined as multicellular eukaryotes with cell walls made of cellulose. Nearly all of them contain chlorophyll and carry out photosynthesis. Being photoautotrophs, plants can make all their own organic molecules. All they need is energy from light, carbon from carbon dioxide, water, and various elements (like N, P. K. Ca, and Mg). Water can be absorbed into a plant by osmosis, but it can only travel a few cells away from a source. In order to transport water long distances, some groups of plants have specialized tissues (vascular tissue). Plants without vascular tissues must live in wet areas and cannot grow very tall. Consult the plant lecture, slides, and links on Canvas for more information on defining features of plants and groups of plants. Part 1: Comparing major groups of plants Within the plant kingdom, biologists separate plants into four major groups: bryophytes (mosses and liverworts), pteridophytes (ferns). gymnosperms (conifers), and angiosperms (flowering plants). The separations are primarily based on anatomical structures, particularly the ones they use to transport water in their bodies, and on the different ways in which plants reproduce sexually. ****** *What to submit for this activity* ** Use the information from lectures, the textbook, and any other sources of your choice to fill out the table comparing the four major groups of plants. Submit your completed table as part of what you upload to the Canvas lab assignment for this week. (5 Points) What are one or more examples? Do they have vascular tissue (xylem and phloem)? Which part of the life cycle/generatio n is more dominant in structure? Mosses and liverworts (Bryophytes) Ferns and relatives (Pteridophytes) Conifers (Gymnosperms) Flowering plants (Angiosperms) NRT NET​