Plantae kingdom: what is, characteristics, classification and examples

The Plantae kingdom, also known as the plant kingdom, is one of the 5 existing taxonomic kingdoms that is formed by multicellular organisms, eukaryotes, which, which They perform photosynthesis. These 5 kingdoms of nature are the following:

• The Animal or Animal Kingdom
• THE PLANTAE OR VEGETABLE
• The Fungi Kingdom
• The Monera Kingdom
• The protist kingdom

The plant kingdom includes all land plants, the aquatic and some algae species. It consists of more than 390,000 known species, which makes it the second largest kingdom.

The appearance of plants on Earth took place in the Ordovico, although it is thought that the first algae plants could appear more than one billion years ago. It is a group with long evolutionary historywhich has resulted in a huge diversity of morphologies and adaptations for the survival of these organisms, so essential for life on the planet.

In general, plants have a series of characteristics in common, although they do not always occur in the various speciessince, for a living being to be considered as a plant, its evolutionary lineage is more important than its characteristics.

These are the main characteristics of the plant plant or vegetable:

• They are organisms multicellular and eukaryotes.
• Are primarily sesiles And they live subject to substrate: Because of this, they have developed defense mechanisms such as the production of toxic substances in leaves, flowers or fruits. You may be interested in knowing other animals that do not move, here.
• Are photosynthetic organisms: In this way they use the energy of sunlight and atmospheric carbon dioxide to synthesize nutrients, converting CO2 and water into sugars and oxygen. Do not hesitate to take a look at this other article on photosynthesis: what is, phases and importance to know more about the subject.
• They can be parasitic organisms: Some plants have evolved and developed other ways of nourishing different from photosynthesis. There are species that are parasites and feed on the nutrients of other plants. Discover in the following ecology article see more about parasitism: definition and examples.
• Their plant cells (eukaryotes) have a Special structure: It has a cell wall composed of pectin and cellulose, as well as a large central vacuola.
• Plant cells have Special organelles: They are called chloroplasts and contain a photosynthetic pigment called chlorophyll and where photosynthesis takes place.
• They are the eldest oxygen -producing organisms: They also regulate the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
• They act like trophic chain base: In almost all ecosystems and their ecological activity it is decisive in various chemical cycles. Check what is a trophic chain and examples in this other article that we suggest.
• HE reproduce sexually and asexually: Its reproductive organs generate multicellular embryos. Find out more information about asexual reproduction in plants: what is, characteristics, types and examples.
• They have a life cycle with generational alternation: Two phases alternate. The first is a generation of haploid Gametophyte and the second of diploid sporophite.
• They present a huge Adaptation capacity: To the various environmental conditions of the different existing ecosystems, as in the high temperatures and the remarkable aridity of the deserts or the cold of the poles.

Now that we know the characteristics of the plant kingdom, we will continue with its classification.

Plants can be classified in several ways. One of the forms of Classification of the Plantae Kingdom It is more frequent depending on whether they have flowers or if they lack them.

Plants without flower

Plants without a flower are divided into three groups: talophytes, briophytes and pteridophytes. In this way, within this classification of the plant kingdom we can find:

• Talophytes (algae): simple, autotrophic and non -vascular plants. They have unicellular sexual organs and do not form embryo. According to the habitats in which they grow, specialized forms such as criophytes appear (they inhabit snowy and frost areas), the thermophytes (in hot waters), epiphyses (develop on other plants) or endophytes (grow inside other plants). We leave you this other article about the classification of algae so you can know more.
• Briophyte plants: They are the simplest and most primitive land plants. Typically, they occupy humid and gloomy habitats, although others develop in conditions of extreme aridity or aqueosity. They reproduce sexually; They present a male sexual organ called Anterideido and another feminine called Arquegononio. Briófite plants are characterized by having stems and leaves but lacking roots. Instead, they have structures known as rhizoids attached to the surface by which they absorb water and minerals. Wide this information with this post about Briófitas plant: examples and characteristics.
• Pteridophyte plants: They are mostly terrestrial plants that occupy shade areas and are characterized by lack of seeds and flowers, although the leaves produce spores through which new plants can be generated. The group is composed of four sub-philosids: psilopsida (the oldest vascular plants, with a majority of fossil species), lycopsida (body differentiated in the root, stem and small leaves of a single simple vein), sphenpsida (presents stem with knots and international) and pteropsid (differentiated body in root, stem and megafila leaves). You can learn more about these in this link where you will see information about the pteridophyte plants: what are, types and examples.

If you want to learn more about plants without flowers you can consult this other article.

Flower plants

Also known as plants with seeds, in the kingdom of plants, flower plants are divided into gymnosperms and angiosperms.

• Gymnosperms: They are the group of plants that do not have true flowers or fruits but do produce seeds, which are unprotected, visibly arranged in the leaves or in the stem and form cones or pineapples. They are woody plants, with arboreal appearance that have anemophile pollination (by the wind) and dioicas (of separate sexes); In addition, most are perennial. Here we give you more details about the gymnosperms plants: what are, characteristics and examples.
• Angiosperms: They are plants with flower, fruit and seeds. They are the most abundant and ubiquitous type of vascular plants today. They present the ovules in hollow ovaries, which develop until they give rise to a fruit and, within these, the ovules of the interior grow and give rise to the seeds. Angiosperms differ in two large groups: monocotyledonous and dicotyledons. Cotyledons are food stores necessary for germination of the stems.

Classification of the Plantae Kingdom: Angiosperms

In this part, we better clarify the aforementioned differentiation between monocotyledonous and dicotyledons.

• Monocotyledonous: Monocotyledonous plants are plants whose seeds only have a cotyledon. They have adventitious roots, simple leaves with parallel venation and trimmers (their corolla has three petals or a multiple of three).
• Dicotyledons: Plants whose seeds have two cotyledons. In addition, they have primary roots, leaves with reticulated venation and tetrus or pentameras flowers.

To expand information on angiosperms plants: what are, characteristics and examples, we recommend this other ecology article.

Once we have already seen the classification of the Plantae kingdom, within it we can find various species. Therefore, then we will see some of the examples of the plant kingdom that we can observe.

• Talophytes: Ulva Lactuca, Astendella ludwigii.
• Briophytes: Polytrichum commune, Bryum argenteum.
• Pteridophytes: Lycopodium clavatum and the Águila fern (Pteridium aquilinum). Another example of the plant plant is the horse tail (EQUISETUM ARVENSE), which contains great benefits and properties.
  
• Gymnosperms: The Tejo (Baccata Taxus), the white pine (Pinus albia), the ginkgo (Ginkgo Biloba).
• Angiosperms: Japanese flower cherryPrunus Serrulata) or aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis).

The importance of the plant kingdom lies in the ecological papers important they play.

• They are the Primary oxygen source As a result of its photosynthetic process: these are the key to maintaining the atmospheric levels of this gas. In turn, they control and regulate carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.
• They act, together with other photoautotrophic organisms, such as Base of any food chain In ecosystems: they set organic carbon from inorganic sources and serve as a food and energy source for all heterotrophic organisms of the ecosystem, which are unable to generate their own food and depend on the production of organic matter by photosynthetic organisms.
• Play a role in several ecological cycles: such as nitrogen (since plants regenerate nitrogen in the ground and disperse it) and also in sulfur.
• Are Useful for human beings In several ways: they are a main source of food in agriculture (among the main plants cultivated for consumption are rice, vegetables, fruits …); They can be given industrial use and be used for the manufacture of oils, pigments, paper, textiles, etc.; Many also have medicinal properties and have been used since ancient times.

If you want to know more about the 5 kingdoms of nature, do not hesitate to take a look at this video of Ecology Verde where we explain it to you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gs34sny_p4o

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