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Cal Poly Humboldt Natural History Museum • Online Exploration Exhibit

Plant Evolution Webquest

Work through the exhibit at natmus.humboldt.edu/exhibits — open the Exhibits menu and choose A Plant’s History. Type your answers below; they save in this browser as you go.

Algae~1.5 BYA
Mosses~420 MYA
Lycopods~410 MYA
Ferns~400 MYA
Horsetails~375 MYA
Seed plants~300 MYA
Flowering plants~120 MYA
Part 1

What Makes a Plant a Plant?

Select “What Makes a Plant a Plant?” from the exhibit menu and scroll to the timeline.

1 Timeline exploration

a

How long ago was the primary evidence of photosynthesis?

b

Approximately when did conifers first appear on Earth?

c

Approximately when did flowering plants appear on Earth?

2 Characteristics of plants — list the four essential characteristics that define a plant

3 Photosynthesis equation — complete the chemical reaction

Carbon Dioxide+ +Light Energy ⟶ +Oxygen

4 What does the cell wall do for the plant?

5 What is the primary purpose of the cuticle?

Part 2

The Making of a Seed — Cone or Flower?

Click “The Making of a Seed: Cone or Flower?” to access both the gymnosperm and angiosperm exhibits.

A Gymnosperms

Naked seeds — cones and cycads

1 What is a vascular plant?

2 When did gymnosperms first arrive on Earth?

3 List three examples of gymnosperms

4 Most common method of pollination

B Angiosperms

Enclosed seeds — the flowering plants

1 Where do angiosperms keep and protect their seeds?

2 How are these plants pollinated?

3 When did angiosperms appear on Earth?

4 List three examples of angiosperms

5 Angiosperms (or their parts) eaten by humans

Part 3

Cladogram of Plant Evolution

Return to “A Plant’s History” and click “Evolution of Land Plants”. Examine the branching cladogram below.

Cladogram of plant evolution, with four unlabeled bracket groups numbered 1 through 4 above branches for mosses, ferns, cycads, conifers and flowering plants.
Fill in the missing major taxonomic groups for labels 1–4
Part 4

Plant Group Deep Dive

Below the cladogram on the Evolution of Land Plants page, click each link to complete the inquiries.

AngiospermsFlowering plants

What are three ways angiosperms differ from gymnosperms?

1
2
3
GymnospermsCone bearers

What does the term gymnosperm literally mean?

ConifersConiferophyta

What is a conifer? Give a definition and one distinguishing trait.

Lycopods, ferns or horsetailsSeedless vascular

Choose one group

List at least one interesting evolutionary adaptation or fact

Liverworts, hornworts or mossesBryophytes

Choose one group

List at least one interesting evolutionary adaptation or fact

AlgaeAncestral lineage

List at least one interesting fact about algae and its relationship to land plants