Learn how advancements in the xylem, vascular tissue, and flower separate angiosperms from gymnosperms
Gymnosperms dominated the plant world until they were replaced by the more advanced flowering plants known as angiosperms.
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Transcript
The word gymnosperm means naked seed, that is, a seed without a fruit. The gymnosperm group is made up of familiar trees like firs, pines, and redwoods, but it also includes larches, cedars, and yew trees.
The gymnosperms dominated world vegetation from about 225 million years ago until they were displaced by even [music in] more advanced plants: the angiosperms.
The angiosperms, or flowering plants, may have superseded the gymnosperms due to advancements in vascular tissue. Tissue called phloem consists of sieve tubes and companion cells that have a larger diameter than the simpler sieve cells found in the gymnosperms, the end result of which is a more energy efficient food transfer through the stem.
An even greater advance is found in the xylem. While the tracheids of gymnosperms function as both stiffening and conducting tissue, in angiosperms, there is a distinct division of labor in the xylem, with thick-walled stiffening fibers and large, relatively thin-walled vessels as conducting units. Both fibers and vessels arise from tissues that would have become tracheids in the gymnosperms. This division of labor produces stronger stems and more efficient water transport.
The advance which is probably most important in the angiosperm's rise to undisputed dominance of the plant world is the development of the flower. The flower has many features that improve the efficiency of pollination and, therefore, reproduction.
The gymnosperms dominated world vegetation from about 225 million years ago until they were displaced by even [music in] more advanced plants: the angiosperms.
The angiosperms, or flowering plants, may have superseded the gymnosperms due to advancements in vascular tissue. Tissue called phloem consists of sieve tubes and companion cells that have a larger diameter than the simpler sieve cells found in the gymnosperms, the end result of which is a more energy efficient food transfer through the stem.
An even greater advance is found in the xylem. While the tracheids of gymnosperms function as both stiffening and conducting tissue, in angiosperms, there is a distinct division of labor in the xylem, with thick-walled stiffening fibers and large, relatively thin-walled vessels as conducting units. Both fibers and vessels arise from tissues that would have become tracheids in the gymnosperms. This division of labor produces stronger stems and more efficient water transport.
The advance which is probably most important in the angiosperm's rise to undisputed dominance of the plant world is the development of the flower. The flower has many features that improve the efficiency of pollination and, therefore, reproduction.