sabrawalton
Gymnosperm Sprout
Found on the floor of the pine forests located on the campus of UNC-Wilmington, this little guy is an embryo who's well on its way to developing into a mature conifer tree. With its green tendrils extending out and hoping to take root, this little sprout exhibits a gymnosperm in action.
"Gymnosperm" comes from the composition of the Greek words "gymnos" meaning "naked" and "sperma", meaning "seed". But don't let the name fool you, these "naked seeds" are far from vulnerable.
Thanks to evolution, gymnosperms were perhaps the first type of plants to produce seeds, rather than spores and utilized hard coatings to protect their seeds to ensure their reproductive success. Additionally, gymnosperms broadcast their male gametes in the form of pollen, using wind, instead of only water as a means to "sow their oats". This adaption really favored the success of gymnosperms- in fact, fossil records indicate that relatives of gymnosperms emerged around 380 million years ago, and true gymnosperms (which produced seeds, such as this) appeared about 365 million years ago- and if you take a look around, you'll see that they've been doing pretty well for themselves ever since.
Of the 4 gymnosperm phyla, conifers, like our little buddy here (most likely Pinus palustris) have become the most one of the abundant, hardy and diverse types of plants on the planet.
The adaptations and good biological design of these plants have made them extremely successful over millions of years, and if a little long-leaf pine spout like this can take hold, it may have the potential to shoot upwards to heights of 120 feet, and live up 400-500 years, which in the history of gymnosperms is just a blink of an eye.
Read more about plant evolution:
www.biologyreference.com/Ep-Fl/Evolution-of-Plants.html
Gymnosperm overview:
www.theplantlist.org/browse/G/
Read more about adaptations of the Long Leaf Pine:
www.treesforme.com/longleaf_pine.html
Gymnosperm Sprout
Found on the floor of the pine forests located on the campus of UNC-Wilmington, this little guy is an embryo who's well on its way to developing into a mature conifer tree. With its green tendrils extending out and hoping to take root, this little sprout exhibits a gymnosperm in action.
"Gymnosperm" comes from the composition of the Greek words "gymnos" meaning "naked" and "sperma", meaning "seed". But don't let the name fool you, these "naked seeds" are far from vulnerable.
Thanks to evolution, gymnosperms were perhaps the first type of plants to produce seeds, rather than spores and utilized hard coatings to protect their seeds to ensure their reproductive success. Additionally, gymnosperms broadcast their male gametes in the form of pollen, using wind, instead of only water as a means to "sow their oats". This adaption really favored the success of gymnosperms- in fact, fossil records indicate that relatives of gymnosperms emerged around 380 million years ago, and true gymnosperms (which produced seeds, such as this) appeared about 365 million years ago- and if you take a look around, you'll see that they've been doing pretty well for themselves ever since.
Of the 4 gymnosperm phyla, conifers, like our little buddy here (most likely Pinus palustris) have become the most one of the abundant, hardy and diverse types of plants on the planet.
The adaptations and good biological design of these plants have made them extremely successful over millions of years, and if a little long-leaf pine spout like this can take hold, it may have the potential to shoot upwards to heights of 120 feet, and live up 400-500 years, which in the history of gymnosperms is just a blink of an eye.
Read more about plant evolution:
www.biologyreference.com/Ep-Fl/Evolution-of-Plants.html
Gymnosperm overview:
www.theplantlist.org/browse/G/
Read more about adaptations of the Long Leaf Pine:
www.treesforme.com/longleaf_pine.html