BIOL 111 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Adaptive Radiation, Flowering Plant, Stamen

• School: McGill University
• Department: Biology
• Course: BIOL 111
• Professor: Andrew Hendry , Elena Melania Cristescu , Anna Lesley Hargreaves

Document Summary

Ovules --> seeds female side pollen in male side. Advantages of pollen and seeds- no longer required water to reproduce (protected) plants don"t have to be in wet environments. More varied dispersal of male gametes (via pollen) better dispersal of sexual offspring (seeds) can survive in dry environments. 5 major intervals in fossil record of land plants - Angiosperms: produce ovules, seeds in ovaries, angiosperm= covered seeds, ovaries> fruits, flowers (flowering plants) Angiosperm radiation- adaptive radiation- when one lineage produces an unusually high number of descendant species adapted to many habitats (explosive speciation) Angiosperms- one of great adaptive radiations in the history of life. 800 gymnosperms, 11,000 ferns, 110,000 fungi, 30,000 angiosperms, 400,000 beetles (25% of all animal species are beetles) Angiosperm radiation- associated with three key adaptions: 1. more efficient xylem, 2. flowers, Selection of flowers can more quickly lead to reproductive isolation (reproductive barrier)