Identify the major phla of life with an emphasis on plants and animals, including the basis for classification, structural and physiological adaptations, evolutionary histry, and ecological significance.

 

• Introduction

This lab focuses on the ability to classify plants based on specific characteristics.

Learning Objectives

Lab 1109

SLO – 5: Describe phylogenetic relationships and classification schemes.

SLO – 6: Identify the major phla of life with an emphasis on plants and animals, including the basis for classification, structural and physiological adaptations, evolutionary histry, and ecological significance.

Materials

1. Fee for site visit
2. Lab worksheet

Instructions

1. Schedule a visit to a local arboretum, zoo or botanical garden to collect the information for the worksheet. The fees associated with visitation will be assumed by the student
2. While visitng a local arboretum, zoo or botanical garden, complete the worksheet based on the plant species available.

Listed below are some interesting places in and around Houston to study plants.

Houston Arboretum: http://houstonarboretum.org/

Armand bayou Nature center: http://www.abnc.org/

Maas Nursery Kemah: https://maasnursery.com/

Houston Zoo: http://www.houstonzoo.org/

If you are not able to visit a nature center, arboretum or nursery to photograph and look at plants, you may use the following websites as alternatives.

https://plants.usda.gov/java/  or

http://www.wildflower.org/plants/

Choose one plant from each of the categories on the worksheet and answer the questions about that plant.  The categories are the headings – moss, fern, gymnosperm, angiosperm dicot, and angiosperm monocot.

Please use a contrasting color when you type your answers on the worksheet.

Name: ___________________________________ Date: ______________

Points : 100

Lab 3-Survey of the Plant kingdom

Please complete the worksheet and submit it through blackboard

This lab is about Plant kingdom. As you know plants are all around us. This week students will study plants and their diversity. Plants are classified based on habit, habitat, presence or absence of vasculature, presence and absence of spores, naked seed or enclosed seeds, fruits and flowers.

Use the resources available to you and answer the following questions. You can visit a local arboretum, zoo or botanical garden to collect the information for the worksheet.

Listed below are some interesting places in and around Houston to study plants.

Houston Arboretum

Armand bayou Nature center

Maas Nursery Kemah

Houston Zoo

Please look around and identify plants from all the groups listed below. Answer the questions based on your observations. Include a picture of the plant species you use to make your observations.

Bryophytes (20 points)

Mosses are common examples of seedless non-vascular plants. Identify a moss plant and answer the following questions based on your observations

a. Is the plant a sporophyte or gametophyte?

b. Does this plant have vasculature?

c. What is the function of vasculature?

d. What can you predict about the size of the plant based on answer to question B?

e. What other adaptations are essential for this plant to succeed?

f. Do you find true roots, leaves and stem in mosses?

g. How does reproduction take place in this plant (asexual or sexual)?

h. Picture of the plant (plants) and its scientific name.

Pteridophyta (20 points)

Ferns are common examples of seedless vascular plant. Identify a fern and answer the following questions based on your observations.

a. Is the plant body a sporophyte or gametophyte?

b. Does the plant have vasculature?

c. How does presence or absence of vasculature affect the size of the plant?

d. What is the advantage Pteridophytes have over Bryophytes?

e. How does reproduction take place in ferns?

f. Are the spores haploid/diploid?

g. What is the major innovation in this group (Pteridophytes)?

Gymnosperms (20 points)

a. What does ‘Gymnos’ ________________ and ‘sperma’______________ mean?

b. Do you see flowers in this group?

c. What are some plants that belong to this group around you?

d. Is the plant body a sporophyte or a gametophyte?

e. How does reproduction take place in gymnosperms? Sexual or asexual?

f. What is a major innovation of this group?

Angiosperms (20 + 20 points)

Most successful group of plants. Angiosperms are found in diverse habitats because of their successful reproductive strategies and various adaptations.

Angiosperms are divided into Monocots and Dicots.

Please identify dicot plant/tree and answer the following questions.

a. Does the plant have vasculature?

b. Does this plant have flower?

c. What is the function of the flower?

d. Count the number of petals of the flower?

e. Draw the leaf of the plant? How are the veins on the leaf (parallel or reticulate).

f. Are the leaves simple or compound?

g. What is the major innovation in Angiosperms?

Monocot

a. Does this plant have flower?

b. What is the function of the flower?

c. Count the number of petals of the flower?

d. How are the veins arranged in the leaves of Monocots?

e. What are the differences between Monocots and Dicots?

f. Pictures of the Dicot, Its scientific name________________________

g. Picture of a monocot, its scientific name_______________________

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