Q. How do the spores of conifers differ from those of mosses and ferns?
Male cones, which are smaller than female cones, produce pollen. Conifer pollen includes the male spore and a protective covering. Conifers produce seeds, mosses and ferns are seedless plants. [Also acceptable: Conifers do not rely on water to unite the sperm and the egg.
Q. Why are conifers taller than ferns?
Conifers are gymnosperms. These developed a system to minimize water loss; the formation of bark. This in addition to their vascular tissues and rigid structural support allow the plant to grow taller.
Q. How are conifers different from other non flowering plants?
Seed plants that flower are called angiosperms, and their seeds grow inside tissue that is part of the plants’ ovaries, more commonly called fruit. Conifers are gymnosperms, and their seeds grow naked, often on the scales of a cone, instead of encased in fruit.
Q. What do conifers have instead of flowers?
Answer: Conifers bear cones instead of flowers.
Q. Is a conifer a flowering plant?
Conifers don’t have showy petals like flowering plants. They belong to the larger gymnosperm division of plants and have both male cones, which produce pollen, and female cones, which contain ovules that develop into seeds. Gymnosperms don’t have their seeds enclosed in a fruit, unlike flowering plants.
Q. Do conifers have mycorrhiza?
In other situations the hyphae of the fungus form visible matting (mycelia) on the roots. Also, the fruiting bodies of many mycorrhizal fungi are mushrooms, so their presence can also indicate that conifers are mycorrhizal.
Q. Do conifers have true leaves?
All plant leaves are not created equal, at least not visibly. Some leaves take unconventional shapes, such as grass blades and conifer needles. Some plants, such as ferns, include types that bear true leaves and others that grow leafless stems.
Q. Do conifers have true roots stems and leaves?
They do have a well-developed vascular system of xylem and phloem and have true roots, stems, and leaves. The vascular tissues are significantly more efficient and effective than the vascular systems of the seedless plants such as the ferns.
Q. Are conifers stems soft?
Most conifers have woody stems called trunks. Their leaves are shaped like needles or scales. A leaf stays green until it is ready to be shed.
Q. How do conifers get nutrients?
Conifers specialize at growing in poor soils that are often sandier and drier than the richer soils found in deciduous forests. Trees get their nutrients from the soil, but not all soil has enough nutrients to support a deciduous tree in its yearly leaf-making endeavors. That’s where conifers surpass them.
Q. What type of leaves do gymnosperms have?
Gymnosperms usually have needles that stay green throughout the year. Examples are pines, cedars, spruces and firs. Some gymnosperms do drop their leaves – ginkgo, dawn redwood, and baldcypress, to name a few.
Q. What Gymnosperm is not a conifer?
Ginkgoes. The only species still in existence today of this group of gymnosperms is the maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba). According to fossils, other species once existed eons ago. The maidenhair tree does exactly produce a seed like conifers or cycads, but an intermediate structure simply called an ovule.
Q. What is the most common Gymnosperm?
Conifers are by far the most abundant extant group of gymnosperms with six to eight families, with a total of 65–70 genera and 600–630 species (696 accepted names). Conifers are woody plants and most are evergreens.
Q. How does the needle like leaf benefit the conifer?
What is the advantage of trees having needle shaped leaves? Since needles don’t shed each fall they can capture sunlight for nearly the entire year. Needles can survive ice and snow. Needles have lower wind resistance than big, flat leaves, so they’re less likely to make the tree fall over during a big storm.
Q. Why do conifers have needle like leaves for Class 4?
Since needles don’t shed each fall they can capture sunlight for nearly the entire year. Needles can survive ice and snow. Needles have lower wind resistance than big, flat leaves, so they’re less likely to make the tree fall over during a big storm.
Q. What two ways are these leaves an adaptive advantage for the conifers?
The leaves are pointed for two reasons: to help snow slide off of them, and also to limit water loss from the leaf itself. Remember, leaves need water for photosynthesis in their cells. These leaves also have a tough waxy material on them to prevent water loss. Why?
Q. What plant has needle shape?
Pines, spruces, firs and cedars are some trees with needle shaped leaves. The leaves have needle shape because of dryness in air to prevent the water loss due to transpiration.
Q. How can you tell the difference between conifers?
Other identification tips for conifers are to look closely at the type of bark and how the tree grows. It can be difficult to differentiate between pine, fir, and spruce trees based solely on the bark. However, noting the type of cones, types of needles, and the bark color are all good for identifying purposes.
