Angiosperms, also called flowering plants, have seeds that are enclosed within an ovary (usually a fruit), while gymnosperms have no flowers or fruits, and have unenclosed or “naked” seeds on the surface of scales or leaves. Gymnosperm seeds are often configured as cones. The characteristics that differentiate angiosperms from gymnosperms include flowers, fruits, and endosperm in the seeds.
Hundreds of millions of years ago, gymnosperms were the only kind of plant life on Earth. Between 250 and 200 million years ago, angiosperms started to evolve. Now, angiosperms are more widely distributed and populous, and can be considered the dominant plant life on the planet. Angiosperms comprise a far more diverse range of plants, with a range of 250,000 to 400,000 species. They inhabit every kind of land and aquatic environment except the most extreme habitats. Angiosperms may be dicots or monocots. Examples of Angiosperms and GymnospermsExamples of angiosperms are monocots like lilies, orchids, agaves (known for agave nectar) and grasses; and dicots like roses, peas, sunflowers, oaks and maples. Gymnosperm examples include non-flowering evergreen trees such as pine, spruce and fir.  Gymnosperm species number only in the thousands, with a little more than 1,000 extant species. They are found in desert to semi-desert habitats. Anatomical DifferencesSince gymnosperms and angiosperms are both vascular plants, they have a sporophyte-dominant life-cycle. Tissue formation in angiosperms exceeds the amount and complexity found in gymnosperms. Angiosperms have a triploid vascular tissue, flat leaves in numerous shapes and hardwood stems. Because of the innumerable varieties of the fruit and/or flower-bearing plants, they have variegated colors and shapes of leaves, flowers and fruits. Gymnosperms are haploid, have spiky, needle-like leaves and are softwood. Gymnosperms are "simpler" anatomically because they do not bear flowers or fruit, and although of different species, are usually only tall evergreens with brown cones. More details about the anatomical differences between angiosperms and gymnosperms are explained in the following video: ReproductionReproduction in angiosperms can be unisexual or bisexual. The gametes are spread by wind and by insect and animal pollinators attracted by their flowers. Flowers often have both female and male gametes inside them, and after fertilization, the ovules develop into a fruit. The gametes of gymnosperms are found in cones. Fertilization is described as single; the pollen grains fall and germinate directly on the ovules. Pollen spores are spread by wind alone. UsesAngiosperms provide virtually all plant-based food, as well as most livestock feed. Grains, fruit, legumes, nightshades (including potatoes and tomatoes), gourds, and cabbages are all angiosperms. Other angiosperms like cotton and flax provide paper and textiles. The hardwood of angiosperms is used to make hardwood floors. Gymnosperms from the conifer group like pine, spruce, and fir are commonly used for lumber. Other gymnosperms are processed into other products like soap, varnish, and perfumes. References
Share this comparison: If you read this far, you should follow us: "Angiosperms vs Gymnosperms." Diffen.com. Diffen LLC, n.d. Web. 3 Aug 2022. < > Angiosperms and gymnosperms are the two major groups of vascular seed plants. Angiosperms, which are flowering plants, are the largest and most diverse group within the kingdom Plantae. With around 300,000 species, they represent approximately 80 percent of all the known green plants now living. Gymnosperms are a smaller, more ancient group, and it consists of plants that produce “naked seeds” (seeds that are not protected by a fruit). There are more than 1,000 species of gymnosperms still found on Earth. The key difference between angiosperms and gymnosperms is how their seeds are developed. The seeds of angiosperms develop in the ovaries of flowers and are surrounded by a protective fruit. Flowers can be unisexual (e.g., male flowers and female flowers) or bisexual (the flower has both male and female parts). Gymnosperm seeds are usually formed in unisexual cones, known as strobili, and the plants lack fruits and flowers. Both groups use pollen to facilitate fertilization, though angiosperms have an incredible diversity of pollination strategies that are not found among the gymnosperms. While angiosperms have an enormous variety of body types and forms, ranging from annual herbs to climbing vines to massive trees, gymnosperms are largely woody trees and shrubs. Gnetum is the only gymnosperm genus with climbing vines. As vascular plants, both groups contain xylem and phloem. All but the most ancient angiosperms contain conducting tissues known as vessels, while gymnosperms (with the exception of Gnetum) do not. Many ecological niches are filled only by angiosperms. For example, carnivorous plants, submerged aquatic plants, and parasitic plants (with one possible exception) are all flowering plants. Additionally, the vast majority of plants consumed by humans for food are angiosperms, though the seeds of some gymnosperms, such as ginkgo and pine nuts, are of local importance in some places.
Ida May Fuller paid only $24.50 in payroll taxes over three years before collecting the first ever Social Security check. She would live to 100, receiving nearly $23,000 in benefits. See All Good Facts
angiosperm, also called flowering plant, any of about 300,000 species of flowering plants, the largest and most diverse group within the kingdom Plantae. Angiosperms represent approximately 80 percent of all the known green plants now living. The angiosperms are vascular seed plants in which the ovule (egg) is fertilized and develops into a seed in an enclosed hollow ovary. The ovary itself is usually enclosed in a flower, that part of the angiospermous plant that contains the male or female reproductive organs or both. Fruits are derived from the maturing floral organs of the angiospermous plant and are therefore characteristic of angiosperms. By contrast, in gymnosperms (e.g., conifers and cycads), the other large group of vascular seed plants, the seeds do not develop enclosed within an ovary but are usually borne exposed on the surfaces of reproductive structures, such as cones. Unlike such nonvascular plants as the bryophytes, in which all cells in the plant body participate in every function necessary to support, nourish, and extend the plant body (e.g., nutrition, photosynthesis, and cell division), angiosperms have evolved specialized cells and tissues that carry out these functions and have further evolved specialized vascular tissues (xylem and phloem) that translocate the water and nutrients to all areas of the plant body. The specialization of the plant body, which has evolved as an adaptation to a principally terrestrial habitat, includes extensive root systems that anchor the plant and absorb water and minerals from the soil; a stem that supports the growing plant body; and leaves, which are the principal sites of photosynthesis for most angiospermous plants. Another significant evolutionary advancement over the nonvascular and the more primitive vascular plants is the presence of localized regions for plant growth, called meristems and cambia, which extend the length and width of the plant body, respectively. Except under certain conditions, these regions are the only areas in which mitotic cell division takes place in the plant body, although cell differentiation continues to occur over the life of the plant. The angiosperms dominate Earth’s surface and vegetation in more environments, particularly terrestrial habitats, than any other group of plants. As a result, angiosperms are the most important ultimate source of food for birds and mammals, including humans. In addition, the flowering plants are the most economically important group of green plants, serving as a source of pharmaceuticals, fibre products, timber, ornamentals, and other commercial products. honeysuckle© Juergen Bosse—Photodisc/Getty Images Although the taxonomy of the angiosperms is still incompletely known, the latest classification system incorporates a large body of comparative data derived from studies of DNA sequences. It is known as the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group IV (APG IV) botanical classification system. The angiosperms came to be considered a group at the division level (comparable to the phylum level in animal classification systems) called Anthophyta, though the APG system recognizes only informal groups above the level of order.
No need to romaine calm—it’s the plant quiz you’ve been waiting for! No matter how busy your week has been, there is always thyme in the day to test your knowledge on all things green. Throughout this article the orders or families are given, usually parenthetically, following the vernacular or scientific name of a plant. Following taxonomic conventions, genera and species are italicized. The higher taxa are readily identified by their suffixes: families end in -aceae and orders in -ales.
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Ida May Fuller paid only $24.50 in payroll taxes over three years before collecting the first ever Social Security check. She would live to 100, receiving nearly $23,000 in benefits. See All Good FactsFor a comparison of angiosperms with the other major groups of plants, see plant, bryophyte, fern, lower vascular plant, and gymnosperm. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now |
Which of the following describe angiosperms select all that apply
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