Angiosperm Success: Evolution of Flowering Plants Study Guide

Exam 1 Logistics

In-person exam will be completed during class time on Monday September 28th.

Exam 2 Administration Details

Exam 2 due October 19, 2026, at 9:30 AM CDT for 100 points.

Exam 3 Due Date

Exam 3 due Nov 16, 2026, 9:30 AM CST.

Plant Diversity and Non Land Plants

This material covers the origin of chloroplasts through primary endosymbiosis and the evolutionary relationships between non-land plants and land plants.

• primary endosymbiosis
• horizontal gene transfer
• phylogenetic tree
• alternation of generations
• non-vascular plants
• seedless vascular plants
• seed plants
• cyanobacteria
• chloroplasts

Archaeplastida and Plant Diversity

The classification of Plantae senso lato within the Archaeplastida supergroup and the primary endosymbiosis event.

• Archaeplastida supergroup
• Plantae senso lato
• Primary endosymbiosis event
• Algae within the plant clade
• Endosymbiosis

Plant Diversity, Land Adaptations, and Vascularity

This topic covers the emergence of embryophyta, adaptations for moving from water to land, and the evolutionary trends among non-vascular and vascular plants.

• Closest relatives of land plants
• Coleochaetophytes
• Stoneworts
• Embryophyta
• Non-vascular plants
• Seedless vascular plants
• Seed plants
• Gymnosperms
• Angiosperms
• Protection from desiccation
• Cuticle
• Stomata
• Gametangia
• Thick spore walls
• UV radiation protection
• Vascular tissue
• Mycorrhizae
• Alternation of generations
• Gametophyte reduction
• Non-vascular land plants

Angiosperm Biology and Flower Structure

• Angiosperms
• Gymnosperms
• Pollination
• Double fertilization
• Flower structure
• Sepals
• Petals
• Stamens
• Carpels
• Sporophyll
• Perfect flowers
• Imperfect flowers
• Monoecious
• Dioecious
• Heterosporous

Angiosperm Microgametophyte and Megagametophyte Development

This material covers angiosperm microgametophyte development involving microspores and megagametophyte development involving megaspores within the ovary.

• Angiosperm microgametophyte development
• Pollen sac
• Microspore mother cells
• Meiosis
• Mitosis
• Generative cell
• Tube cell
• Pollen tube
• Angiosperm megagametophyte development
• Ovule
• Megaspore
• Integument
• Megaspores

• Angiosperm Gametophyte Development: Male and Female Pathways

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Double Fertilization in Angiosperms

Double fertilization in angiosperms involves the microgametophyte fertilizing the egg and polar nuclei to form an embryo and endosperm.

• Double fertilization
• Microgametophyte
• Sperm
• Egg
• Polar nuclei
• Embryo
• Endosperm
• Angiosperms
• Cotyledons
• Seed leaves
• Ovary
• Fruit

Angiosperm Success and Plant Life Cycles

Angiosperms achieve success through animal pollination, efficient seed production, fruits, and new conducting cell types in xylem tissue.

• Angiosperm success
• Animal pollination
• Seed production
• Xylem tissue
• Heterosporous plant life cycle
• Megagametophyte
• Microgametophyte
• Sporophyte
• Spores
• Gametes
• Homosporous
• Heterosporous
• Non-vascular moss
• Ostrich fern
• Spruce tree
• Mango tree

• Angiosperm Success: Evolution of Flowering Plants

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Plant Anatomy, Development and Growth

Basics of plant anatomy, development and growth including plant body organization, tissues that compose plant organs, and factors that affect development in plants.

• Vegetative organs
• Primary tissue types
• Primary meristems
• Monocot and dicot roots, stems, and leaves
• Root zones
• Root cap
• Primary growth
• Secondary growth
• Vascular cambium
• Cork cambium
• Shoot system
• Root system
• Ground tissue
• Dermal tissue
• Vascular tissue
• Node
• Internode

Plant Development and Growth Mechanisms

• Apical meristems
• Totipotency
• Vacuoles
• Osmosis
• Turgor pressure
• Cell walls
• Plant morphogenesis
• Embryogenesis
• Apical-basal polarity
• Radial symmetry
• Primary growth
• Secondary growth
• Determinate growth
• Indeterminate growth
• Lateral meristems
• Primary meristems
• Protoderm
• Ground meristem
• Procambium
• Vascular bundles

Plant Secondary Growth and Development

Secondary growth increases the thickness of stems and roots through lateral meristems including cork cambium and vascular cambium.

• secondary growth
• cork cambium
• vascular cambium
• wood
• annual rings
• spring wood
• summer wood
• lateral meristems
• monocots

Plant Phloem Function and Sugar Transport

The movement of sugars and carbohydrates from source areas to sink areas through phloem translocation and the pressure flow model.

• phloem translocation
• source and sink areas
• pressure flow model
• active transport
• carbohydrates
• solute concentration
• pressure potential
• vascular system connection
• transpiration

Essential Elements and Environmental Nutrients

Discussion of elements that matter for earth, including carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, and how nutrients are absorbed from water and soil.

• carbon dioxide
• photosynthesis
• micronutrients
• microdeficiency
• soil solutions
• perennial plant resources
• clay percentage
• nutrient absorption

Essential Elements and Nutrients in the Environment

Discussion regarding soil matter, mycorrhizal relationship, and the osmotic relationship of water from the soil into the source.

• soil matter
• mycorrhizal relationship
• osmotic relationship
• transpiration

Origins of Eukaryotes and Protists

The hypothesized steps in the origin of eukaryotic cells involve endosymbiosis events forming mitochondria and chloroplasts.

• Prokaryotes
• Archaea
• Bacteria
• Eukaryotes
• Endosymbiosis
• Mitochondria
• Chloroplasts
• Primary endosymbiosis
• Secondary endosymbiosis
• Tertiary endosymbiosis
• Cyanobacterium
• Proteobacterium
• Alveolata
• Excavata
• Stramenopila
• Amoebozoans

Supergroups Excavata and Alveolata

This content discusses Supergroup Excavata and Supergroup Alveolata including Euglenoza, Ciliophora, Apicomplexa, and Dinozoa.

• Supergroup Excavata
• Ventral feeding groove
• Phagocytosis
• Trypanosoma
• Human parasites
• Supergroup Alveolata
• Alveoli
• Paramecium
• Apicomplexa
• Apical complex
• Plasmodium

Origins of Eukarya, Protists, and Supergroups

Diversity of life including dinoflagellates, supergroup Stramenopila, Bacillariophyceae, Phaeophyceae, and supergroup Amoebozoa.

• Dinoflagellates
• Red tides
• Zooxanthellae
• Coral bleaching
• Supergroup Stramenopila
• Heterokonts
• Oomycota
• Bacillariophyceae
• Diatoms
• Phaeophyceae
• Brown algae
• Supergroup Amoebozoa
• Pseudopodia

Origins of Eukaryotes and Protist Diversity

This material covers the diversity of life including supergroups, mechanisms of evolution, and calculating allele and genotype frequencies.

• Supergroup Amoebozoa
• Loboseans
• Plasmodial slime molds
• Cellular slime molds
• Alveolata
• Stramenopila
• Excavates
• Synapomorphies
• Polyphyletic groups
• Comparative and controlled experiments
• Mechanisms of evolution
• Allopatric vs sympatric speciation
• Directional, stabilizing, and disruptive selection
• Pre-zygotic and post-zygotic isolating mechanisms
• Phylogenetic trees
• Monophyletic, paraphyletic, and polyphyletic groupings
• Allele and genotype frequencies

Taxonomy, Systematics, and Constructing Phylogenies

Principles of taxonomy, systematics, and cladistics are used to construct phylogenetic trees that show evolutionary relationships among species.

• Taxonomy
• Systematics
• Phylogenetics
• Cladistics
• Phylogenetic tree
• Binomial nomenclature
• Three Domains
• Monophyletic group
• Paraphyletic group
• Polyphyletic group
• Root
• Node
• Sister species
• Extant species
• Extinct species
• Homologous traits
• Ancestral shared trait
• Plesiomorphy
• Derived traits
• Synapomorphies

Monophyletic, Paraphyletic, and Polyphyletic Groups

Modern classification prioritizes monophyletic groups and defines paraphyletic and polyphyletic groups within taxonomy, systematics, and constructing phylogenies.

• Taxonomy
• Systematics
• Phylogenetics
• Cladistics
• Monophyletic group
• Paraphyletic group
• Polyphyletic group
• Clade
• Synapomorphy
• Ancestral trait
• Phylogenetic tree

Mechanisms of Evolution and Population Genetics

Evolution is the change in the genetic composition of populations over time through mechanisms such as mutation, natural selection, non-random mating, gene flow, and genetic drift.

• Microevolution
• Speciation
• Natural selection
• Mutation
• Non-random mating
• Gene flow
• Genetic drift
• Genotype
• Phenotype
• Alleles
• Gene pool
• Sexual selection
• Artificial selection
• Assortative mating
• Inbreeding
• Homologies
• Convergent evolution
• macroevolution

Mechanisms of Evolutionary Change

Evolutionary change occurs through mechanisms including mutation, gene flow, genetic drift, and natural selection.

• Gene flow
• Migration
• Genetic drift
• Allele frequencies
• Population bottlenecks
• Founder effect
• Natural selection
• Mutation
• Genetic variation
• Adaptation

Evolutionary Patterns and Measuring Change

Evolutionary change occurs through mechanisms of natural selection acting on phenotypes and assessing population genetic change by examining allele frequencies and H-W equilibrium.

• Natural selection
• Stabilizing selection
• Directional selection
• Disruptive selection
• Fitness
• Allele frequencies
• Genotype frequencies
• Adaptive radiation
• Phenotypes
• Evolutionary change
• Population genetics
• Speciation

Microevolution and Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium

• microevolution
• mechanisms of evolution
• natural selection
• population genetics
• speciation
• taxonomy
• systematics
• phylogenies
• genotype
• phenotype
• alleles
• gene pool
• allele frequency
• genotype frequency
• evolutionary change
• mutation
• selection
• random mating
• gene flow

Evolution Foundations and Scientific Method

Evolution serves as a core biological concept and organizing principle of life explored through the scientific method and hypothesis testing.

• Evolution
• Scientific method
• Hypothesis testing
• Predictability
• Falsifiability
• Controlled experiments
• Comparative experiments

Evolution Foundations Experimental Design

This content distinguishes between controlled experiments and comparative experiments involving independent and dependent variables.

• Controlled experiments
• Comparative experiments
• Experimental group
• Control group
• Independent variable
• Dependent variable
• Experimental design

Foundations of Biological Evolution

Evolution serves as the underlying organizing principle of life and the change in the genetic composition of populations over time.

• Evolution
• Natural selection
• Speciation
• Common ancestry
• Genetic composition
• Biological lineages
• Reproductive isolation
• Organizing principles of life

Evolution and Speciation Mechanisms

Evolution involves populations changing over time while speciation involves the divergence of biological lineages and the emergence of reproductive isolation.

• Allopatric speciation
• Sympatric speciation
• Pre-zygotic isolating mechanisms
• Post-zygotic isolating mechanisms
• Hybrid zones
• Morphological species concept
• Biological species concept
• Lineage species concept
• Reproductive isolation
• Phylogenetic trees
• Taxonomy
• Systematics

Evolutionary Mechanisms of Speciation

Speciation occurs through barriers to gene flow via allopatric or sympatric mechanisms.

• Allopatric speciation
• Sympatric speciation
• Adaptive radiation
• Polyploidy
• Autopolyploidy
• Allopolyploidy
• Hybridization
• Sexual selection
• Reproductive incompatibility
• Hybrid zones

Evolutionary Speciation and Reproductive Isolation Mechanisms

This content explores reproductive isolation mechanisms including prezygotic and postzygotic factors and the formation of hybrid zones.

• Prezygotic isolating mechanisms
• Postzygotic isolating mechanisms
• Habitat isolation
• Temporal isolation
• Behavioral isolation
• Mechanical isolation
• Gametic isolation
• Low zygote viability
• Low adult viability
• Hybrid infertility
• Hybrid zones

Plant Nutrition and Nutrient Acquisition Strategies

Plants utilize various strategies including parasitic plants, carnivorous plants, and mutualisms to acquire essential elements and nutrients.

• Parasitic Plants
• Hemiparasites
• Holoparasites
• Carnivorous plants
• Mutualisms
• Mycorrhizae
• Mycoheterotrophy
• Common mycorrhizal networks
• Nitrogen fixation
• Legumes and Rhizobia
• Macro vs. Micronutrients
• Decomposition