NEWSFLASH:  Plants Colonize Land.

General Characteristics of Plants

1. are multicellular eukaryotic photoautotrophs.

2. have land adaptations such as a waxy cuticle and microscopic pores (stomata) to prevent drying out.

3. have some similarities to algae:  chlorophyll a, b and carotenoids; carbohydrate of choice is starch; wall material is cellulose.

What's all this I hear about an Embryophyte Condition?

Once plants started going Onland there were 2 problems:

1. gametes had to be dispersed by another means than water current.
2. embryos had to be protected against drying out since they were no longer flooded with water.

The Onland plants developed a solution:

1. They would produce their gametes in a protective sterile jacket (dubbed a "gametangium").
2. This gametangium includes both the archegonium (egg) and the antheridium (sperm).  In the archegonium fertilization would take place as would nourishment.

How is this different from algae?

1.  Developing algae are not kept inside the parent while still embryos.  This is why land plants are called embryophytes.  Duh!

Review Alternation of Generation.

Sporophytes and gametophytes are heteromorphic!
In all plants but mosses, the sporophyte is diploid!

Next:  "Plants:  Classification."