Evolution of

Plants
p.334a
Why did it take so long for plants
to adapt for life on land?
 Ozone layer needed. Why?
 Special adaptations for life on land to
 Retain water: Special systems to
absorb, retain, transport water
 seasonal changes on land is more
drastic than in aquatic environment
 Support system (water supports in
aquatic plants)
 Reproductions without the aid of water
Adaptation for Life on
Land
1. Root system – absorb nutrients,
water anchor plant
2. Shoot System – supports leaves
(lignin), conduct water and
nutrients
3. Vascular system – transport of
water and nutrients and food
produced
 Xylem: water and nutrients
 Phloem: food
Adaptation for Life on Land cont.
4. Waxy cuticle – prevent water loss
5. Stomata – small pores in leaves that
allow for gas exchange
6. Reproductive System – delay gamete
formation and fertilization till
conditions are appropriate
7. Dominant sporophyte generation from
dominant gametophyte generation.
 zygote only,
no
sporophyte

spo
r
gam ophy
eto te’
phy s im
te’ p
s im ortan
por ce
tan
ce

green algae bryophytes ferns gymnosperms angiosperms

Fig. 21-2, p.336

Adaptation for Life on Land
cont.
8. Pollen – male gamete independent of
water
9. Seed – embryo plant can be dormant
and contain nutrients for the initial
development of the plant

Did all of these adaptations happen at once?

How do we know that these adaptations happened

and in what order?
 Evolutionary Tree Of Land Plants
Flowerin
Unicellular
photosyntheti Protists g plants
Moss Pines
c Fern
Cyanobacteri Algae Covered
a seed
Na
ke and
d
Va Se flowers
Sy scu ed
st la s
Ro em r
Sh ot
M oo Sy
ar ulti t S ste
Me ce ys m/
m llu te
or b l m
ga r
ne a n e
Ch lle bo
Common lorop s un
d
Ancestor hy ll
Hetererotro
ph
Importance of plants
 Food
 Oxygen Photosynthe
 Building materials sis
 Fuels
 Clothes
 Other types of constructions
 Aesthetics
Photosynthesi
s
What is photosynthesis?
Light Energy
shortest range of heat longest
wavelength range of escaping wavelengt
s most from Earth’s hs
(most radiation surface (lowest
energetic) reaching energy)
Earth’s
gamm x ultraviol near- infrare microwav radio
surface
a rays rays et infrared d es waves
radiation radiation radiati
VISIBLE LIGHT on

Wavelengths of light (nanometers)

Fig. 6-2, p.94

What is a wavelength

p.94
 How do the pigments
help in photosynthesis?
• Pigment absorbs photons
(energy packets)
• ROYGBIV
• Plant pigments are
Mainly - Chlorophyll a - red and
violet, more abundant than
- Chlorophyll b – blue range

Accessory - Caretenoid blue violet etc

Xanthophyll - yellow, brown,
purple
Absorption Spectra of plant
pigments
chlorophyll beta-carotene
a phycoerythrin
chlorophyll (a phycobilin)
b

Fig. 6-4, p.95

 A crystal prism breaks up a beam of light into
a spectrum of colors, which are cast across a
droplet of water on a microscope slide.

part of an algal strand

stretched out across
a microscope slide

Heterotrophic Autotrophic
bacteria algae Fig. 6-6, p.95
Fig. 6-7a1, p.96
 Cross Section of Leaf
Upper
Epiderm
is

Lower
Epiderm
a section from the leaf, showing its internal organization
Fig. 6-7a2, p.96
 central vacuole

chloroplast

one photosynthetic cell inside the leaf

Fig. 6-7b, p.96
two outer membranes

Chloroplast thylakoid
membrane
System - Grana

Thylakoid
stroma

Fig. 6-7c, p.97

 Overview
1. Light dependent reactions
– Light energy absorbed
– Water split, oxygen released
– ATP and NADPH made
2. Light independent reactions
(Calvin Benson Cycle)
Carbon fixed (from CO2)
Products of Light R is used to
make sugars
LIGHT-
HARVESTING PHOTOSYSTEM II sunlight PHOTOSYSTEM I
COMPLEX

NADPH

NADPH + H+
H+ H+ H+ H + H+
H +
H +
H+ H+ H+ thylakoid
H +
compartment

thylakoid
membrane
ADP + Pi ATP

stroma

Light
Fig. 6-9b, p.99
 Light Reaction
• Clusters of chlorophyll a and b
molecules make up
photosystems I and II
• Chlorophyll absorbs light
energy
• Electrons lost by one
chlorophyll replaced by
another chlorophyll.
• Electrons lost are obtained
from water molecule
H2O 2H+ + 2e- + 1/2O2
 Light reaction ….
• Hydrogen ions (protons)
accumulate inside the thylakoids
• Creates a concentration gradient
• Hydrogen diffuses out through
ATP synthase to make ATP
• H+ + e- + NADP+ NADPH
 6CO2

Calvin Cycle
ATP
6 RuBP 12 PGA
12

6 ADP

Calvin-Benson 12 ADP +
ATP cycle 12 Pi

12NADPH
4 Pi
12 NADP+
10 PGAL 12 PGAL

1 Pi

1 glucose-6-1-phosphate

Fig. 6-11, p.101

 6CO2

It takes six Rubisco

turns of the attaches C from
cycle to make CO2 to RuBP.
one glucose 6 RuBP Resulting
12 PGA ATP
molecule intermediate
splits into PGA.
Calvin-Benson PGA gets
ATP cycle phosphate
NADPH
10 PGAL get from ATP,
phosphate hydrogen and
groups from electrons
12 PGAL from NADPH;
ATP. This
primes them forms PGAL.
for reactions 1 glucose 2 PGAL
that combine to
regenerate form
RuBP. Glucose enters reactions glucose.
that form carbohydrates.

Stepped Art

Fig. 6-11, p.101

 Limiting Factors of
photosynthesis
• Light Intensity
• Temperature
• Carbon Dioxide
• Oxygen
C-3 Plants
stomata closed,
 Stomata close on hot no CO2 uptake
dry days
 CO2 levels fall and O2
levels rise
 Rubisco reacts with CO 2
PGA
and O2 RuBP
 Photorespiration forms Calvin-
Benson
only one PGA cycle
 Half the number of Glu
molecules formed and
growth slows sugar

Fig. 6-12a3, p.103

 stomata closed,
no CO2 uptake
C-4
Plants
C4 oxaloacetate mesophyll cell
cycle

CO2

RuBP PGA
Calvin- bundle-sheath cell
Benson
cycle

sugar
Fig. 6-12b3, p.103
C-4 Plants
 Special adaptation for hot days when stomata
closed
 CO2 forms oxaloacetate (4C) with an enzyme
that does not compete with O2 in mesophyll
cells
 Transferred to bundle sheath cells (surrounding
the veins)
 Reverse reaction generates CO2 and Calvin
Cycle is not effected
 Photosynthesis as usual
 Ex. Corn and grasses that grow well in the hot
dry summer months.
 CO2 uptake at night only
CAM
Plants
runs
C4
at
cycle night

Calvin-
runs
Benson
during
cycle
day

sugar

Fig. 6-12c3, p.103

CAM Plants
 Adapted to desert conditions when stomates
are tightly closed in the daytime
 Same as C4 except
 Stomates open only at night and fix the CO2 as
the four C compound and store
 Reverse reaction during day when the Light
reaction and Calvin Cycle is active and
provides the CO2 for photosynthesis
 Why do these plants have a slow growth rate?
 Ex. Cactus
 sunlight

Light-
Dependent 12H2O 6O2
Reactions

ADP + Pi ATP NADPH NADP+

6CO2
Calvin-
6 RuBP Benson 12 PGAL
cycle
Light-
6H2O
Independent
Reactions
phosphorylated glucose

end products (e.g., sucrose, starch, cellulose)

Fig. 6-13, p.104
Solar-powered Elysia chlorotica
From: Liz Summer
Collected from Martha’s Vineyard
MA