Does everyone know which plants are called higher? This species has its own characteristics. To date, higher plants include:
- Plutos.
- Moss.
- Ferns.
- Horsetails.
- Gymnosperms.
- Angiosperms.
There are more than 285 species of similar plants. They are distinguished by a much higher organization. Their bodies contain shoot and root (except mosses).
Features
Higher plants live on earth. This place of residence is different from the aquatic environment.
Characterization of higher plants:
- The body is made up of tissues and organs.
- With the help of vegetative organs, nutrition and metabolic functions are carried out.
- Gymnosperms and angiosperms reproduce using seeds.
Most of the higher plants have roots, stems and leaves. Their organs are complex. This species has cells (tracheids), vessels, sieve tubes, and their integumentary tissues form a complex system.
The main feature of higher plants is the alternation of generations. They move from a haploid phase to a diploid one, andvice versa.
The origin of higher plants
All signs of higher plants indicate that they may have evolved from algae. Extinct representatives belonging to the highest group have a very great resemblance to algae. They have a similar alternation of generations and many other characteristics.
There is a theory that higher plants originated from green algae or freshwater. The rhinophytes arose first. When the plants moved to land, they began to develop rapidly. Mosses were not as viable, as they need water in the form of drops to exist. Because of this, they appear in places where there is high humidity.
To date, plants have spread throughout the planet. They can be seen in the desert, the tropics and in cold areas. They form forests, swamps, meadows.
Despite the fact that when thinking about which plants are called higher, one can name thousands of options, but still they can be combined into some groups.
Moss
When figuring out which plants are called higher, we must not forget about mosses. In nature, there are about 10,000 of their species. Outwardly, this is a small plant, its length does not exceed 5 cm.
Mosses do not bloom, they do not have a root, a conductive system. Reproduction occurs with the help of spores. The haploid gametophyte dominates the moss life cycle. This is a plant that lives for several years, it may have outgrowths that look like roots. And here is the moss sporophytedoes not live long, it dries out, has only a leg, a box where spores ripen. The structure of these representatives of wildlife is simple, they do not know how to take root.
Mosses play the following role in nature:
- Create a special biocoenosis.
- The cover of moss absorbs radioactive substances, keeps them.
- Regulate the water balance of landscapes by absorbing water.
- Protect soil from erosion, allowing for even water flow.
- Some types of moss are used for medicines.
- Peat is formed with the help of sphagnum mosses.
Lycopterous plants
Besides mosses, there are other higher plants. The examples may be different, but they are all somewhat similar to each other. For example, moss-like plants resemble mosses, but their evolution is more advanced, since these are vascular species. They consist of stems that have covered small leaves. They have roots and vascular tissue through which nutrition occurs. By the presence of these components, club mosses are very similar to ferns.
In the tropics, epiphytic club mosses are isolated. They hang from the trees, giving the appearance of a fringe. Such plants have the same spores.
Some club plants are listed in the Red Book.
Psilotoid plants
This type of plant lives for more than one year. This includes 2 genera of representatives of the tropics. They have erect stems similar to a rhizome. But they have no real roots. The conducting system is located in the stem, consists ofphloem, xylem. But water does not enter the leafy appendages of plants.
Photosynthesis occurs in the stems, spores form on the branches, turning them into cylindrical branches.
Ferns
What plants are called higher still? These include ferns, which are part of the vascular department. They are herbaceous and woody.
The composition of the fern body includes:
- Petiole.
- Sheet plates.
- Roots and shoots.
Fern leaves were called fronds. The stem is usually short, it has a vascular tissue. From the buds of the rhizome, fronds grow. They reach large sizes, perform sporulation, photosynthesis.
Sporophyte and gametophyte alternate in the cycle of life. There are some theories that say that ferns evolved from club mosses. Although there are scientists who believe that many higher plants appeared from psilophytes.
Many types of ferns are food for animals, and some are poisonous. Despite this, similar plants are used in medicine.
Horsetail
Higher plants also include horsetails. They consist of segments and nodes, which distinguishes them from other plants of a higher species. Horsetail representatives resemble some conifers, flowering plants and algae.
This is a kind of representative of wildlife. They have vegetative characteristics similar to cereals. The length of the stems can be several centimeters, and sometimes grows up to several meters.
Gymnospermsplants
Gymnosperms are also isolated from higher plants. There are only a few varieties today. Despite this, various scientists argued that angiosperms originated from gymnosperms. This is evidenced by various plant remains found. DNA studies were carried out, after which some scientists deduced theories that this species belongs to a monophyletic group. They are also divided into many classes and departments.
Angiosperms
These plants are also called flowering plants. They are considered to be of the highest order. They differ from other representatives in the presence of a flower that serves for reproduction. They have a feature - double fertilization.
The flower attracts pollinators. The walls of the ovary grow, change, turn into a fetus. This happens if fertilization has occurred.
So, there are different higher plants. Examples of them can be listed for a long time, but they were all disbanded into certain groups.
