Plant Cladistics Analysis Lab

1. Think about all of the figures that illustrate tracheids. What are the functions for tracheids? How can you identify a tracheid in a cross section? What plants did you observe today that had tracheids? What do they have in common?

Tracheids support the plant and transports water. You can identify tracheids in a cross section because the cells fit into each other very neatly and they are neatly stacked together and the cells all have similar shapes. We observed different kinds of flowers that all had tracheids. The flowers were all similar because the tracheids were all similar to each other even though the flowers were all different.

2. Think about all of the figures that illustrate vessel elements. What is the main function of a vessel element? How can you identify a vessel element in a cross section? What plants did you observe today that had vessel elements? What do they have in common?

The main function of a vessel element is that they are specialized for water transport. In a cross section you can identify a vessel element because the cells are very large with somewhat similar shapes. However, the cells are not all stacked neatly and tightly together like the tracheid cells, instead they are very loosely placed together. We observed flowers and they were similar in that the vessel element cross sections were similar.

3. Think about all of the figures that illustrate fibers. What is the main function of a fiber? How can you identify a fiber in a cross section? In what tissues did you find fibers? What plants did you observe today that had fibers? What do they have in common?

The main function of a fiber is to support the plant. In a cross section, fiber cells are very randomly placed together and the cells look very unorganized. Fiber tissue was found in the stem of the plants and all the flowers had fibers. They are all similar because the cross section images were all similar.

4. Compare the sexual cycles for moss and ferns. What do they have in common? How do they differ?

They are similar in that they both go through meiosis and fertilization. They also have spores and go through many of the similar stages. Both moss and ferns have an antheridium, sperm, archegonium, egg, zygote, and spore. They are different in that the moss has a protonema where the fern has none.

5. Compare the sexual cycles for ferns and pine. What do they have in common? How do they differ?

Ferns and pine are similar in that they both goes through meiosis and fertilization. Both plants also have an archegonium. However, they differ in that the pine has a megaspore, megagameophyte, microspores, microgametophyte, tube, embryo, seed coat, and a seedling. The pine's mother and father both go through meiosis separately then fertilize.

6. The "basic life cycle" illustrated in this lab