GEOG 2500 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Flowering Plant, Dicotyledon, Cotyledon
Document Summary
Plants are more complete organisms than animals, because they photosynthesize and respire. They are the foundation of the trophic hierarchy, primary producers, and they fix the sun"s energy into chemical energy that powers the biosphere. We classify plants according to their size and age. Scientific knowledge such as modern genetics and cell theory are built on the study of plants. Chronosequences assume that the same changes will take place at all sites. We use latin names to classify plants because of the fact that they only have one correct botanical name/species, and latin names are often descriptive. The old system used to have 5 classifications, the new one has 3(animalia, plantae, fungae). In the american west, during peak fire season, we can have dozens of fires per day. There has been a recent increase here due to fire suppression along the coast, climate change, and the availability of highly flammable fuels.
