BOT 109 Lecture 1: Plant Systematics: An Introduction

What is a plant?
- Autotrophic (through photosynthesis) but with exceptions such achlorophyllus plants (rafflesia,
etc.) which are parasitic
- Immobile
- Belongs to Domain Eukarya and Kingdom Plantae
- Acts as producers and releases oxygen into the environment for other organisms
- Possibly diverged from a common ancestor first than animals
- Cellulosic cell wall
- Undergoes photosynthesis (chlorophyll a and b)
- Produces starch for storage of sugars
- Multicellular eukaryotes (has true nucleus, DNA is coiled in histones, has double membraned
organelles)
- Some algae are considered plants (sea grasses, etc.)

Note: Taxon = any group of organisms in any hierarchal category, Kingdom = highest Taxa, Domain is used
as a category but it is not recognized as a taxon
Note: Prokaryotes have circular DNA, no true nucleus, DNA is attached with HNSP
Endosymbiotic Theory
- Evolution of cell
- Archezoa is the group that went through endosymbiotic theory (Archezoa hypothesis)
Composition of Plants
- Chlorobionta/Viridiplantae – all green plants
Note: Unifying characteristic -> Green plant chloroplast
o Embryophytes – land plants
Note: Terrestrialization -> when plants started to become independent from water, acquisition of cuticle,
gametangia, embryo
 Nontracheophytes (Lower Vascular plants) – first group to diverge from green
algae, dependent on water, close gametophyte and sporophyte stages, has
leptoids and hydroids, no true roots (only has rhizoids which function for
anchorage only), absorbs water and nutrients through osmosis
 Liverworts
 Hornworts
 Mosses
 Tracheophytes (Higher Vascular plants) – has xylem and phloem, independent
sporophyte
 Monilophytes
o Lycophytes
o Equisetales
o Ophioglossales
 o Psilotales
o Marattiophytes
o Polypodiales
 Spermatophytes – has seed and the presence of wood, very large
organisms
o Gymnosperms
 Cycads
 Conifers
 Gingko
o Angiosperms – has flowers -> very important evolutionary
structure due to pollination
 Monocots – one cotyledon, parallel venation, usually
floral parts occur in 3’s
 Eudicots – two cotyledons, netted venation, usually floral
parts occur in 4’s or 5’s
Central Problem in Plant Systematics – Reconstruct the history of the separation of the lineages and the
history of their modifications as accurately as possible bringing as much relevant information as possible
to bear on the problem (how are these plants related).
Definition of Terms:
- Systematics
o science of organismal diversity
o Entails the discovery, description, and interpretation of biological diversity as well as the
synthesis of info on diversity in the form of predictive classification systems
o Taxonomy + Evolutionary history + Phylogeny
- Taxonomy
o Classification of organisms in an organized system
o Discovering and describing biodiversity
o Entails identification, nomenclature, classification, and interpretation
- Phylogenetics
o Reconstruction of evolutionary history and relationships between organisms
- Evolution
o Descent with modification (gradual change)
o Population = unit of evolution
o Occurs generationally
o Descent results in a lineages
 Lineage/Clade – sequence of ancestors and descendants, involves transfer of
DNA through space and time
 Monophyletic – with all descendants and common ancestor
 Polyphyletic – descendants with no common ancestor
 Paraphyletic – with common ancestor but not all descendants
o What is being modified?
 Genetic material or DNA
 Through
 Natural Selection – directed by survivorship and reproductive ability
 Genetic Drift – directed by chance events, usually affected by size of
population
Why study systematics?
- It is the foundation of biology
- Integrative, unifying science
- Practical value – plants are economically important
- Conservation biology – to save rare and endangered species
- Intellectually challenging and fun
Aims of Plant Systematics
- Provide a convenient method of identification and communication
- Provide an inventory of the world’s flora
- Detect evolution at work
- Provide a system of classification which depicts evolution within a group
- Provide an integration of all available info
- Provide an information reference
- Provide new concepts, reinterpret old and develop new procedures for correct determination of
taxonomic affinities
- Provide integrated database including all species of plants
What is unique with Systematics?
-