Plant Kingdom NCERT Solutions provide you with knowledge of plants.

Kingdom Plantae or the plant kingdom encompasses all the plants found worldwide. They are eukaryotic, multicellular organisms. Their cells are distinguished by the presence of a stiff structure known as the cell wall that surrounds the cell membrane. Plants also have a green pigment called chlorophyll, which is necessary for photosynthesis. As a result, they produce their own food and are autotrophic. 

Whittaker classified biological species into five kingdoms, including Kingdom Plantae, in 1963. Because the plant kingdom is such a large group, it is further divided into subgroups. The easiest method to learn about plants is to understand how they are classified within the Kingdom Plantae.  Once you've mastered the fundamentals through the Plant Kingdom NCERT Solutions, it'll be much easier to learn more about each plant in depth later on.

This chapter is critical in board exams, and this post on NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Biology Chapter 3 will assist you in understanding the plant kingdom. You may or may not find new points in the following notes, but we recommend that you concentrate on them and improve the areas you are confused about. 

They're thalloid(a plant, alga, or fungus that lacks complicated organization, particularly identifiable branches, roots, or leaves.) and contain chlorophyll. They are primarily autotrophic water plants. On a side note, green algae have been shown to have a symbiotic relationship with sloths, which are native to the lush tropical rainforests of South and Central America. Sloth fur is scratchy and absorbs water quickly. As a result, it provides a moist, humid environment in which algae can thrive. In exchange, the algae give the sloth additional nutrition and provide cover from predators. Spirogyra is an example of such algae.

The presence or lack of pigments is the primary criterion for classifying algae into the following:

• • Chlorophyll a and b are both found in Chlorophyceae and contribute to the green hue. Blue-green algae are also known as Chlorophyceae.

  • Chlorophyll a and c, as well as fucoxanthin, are found in the Phaeophyceae class. The brown color comes from fucoxanthin. Brown algae are also known as Phaeophyceae.

  • Chlorophyll a and d, as well as phycoerythrin, are present in Rhodophyceae. Phycoerythrin is a red pigment. The Rhodophyceae family is commonly known as red algae.

Bryophytes feature distinct plant parts, such as leaf structures and stems. However, they lack a vascular system for transporting substances throughout the plant. Bryophytes are the amphibians of the plant kingdom because they originate from both terrestrial and aquatic settings. This subcategory includes mosses and Marchantia.

Some have water-carrying tissues, but they are not considered actual vascular tissues due to a lack of lignin. Bryophytes are thought to have evolved from charophytes (often known as charophytes, is a group of freshwater green algae that is sometimes considered a division, but sometimes a superdivision or an unranked clade and are believed to be the first genuine plants.

Pteridophyta is one of the plant kingdom's oldest families. They are substantially older than angiosperms in terms of evolution. They were among the first ‘real’ plants to adapt to life on land.

Pteridophytes have some primary characteristics. They are vascular, seedless plants. The sporophytes (a diploid multicellular stage in the life cycle of a plant or alga) also possess real roots, stalks, and leaves. They use spores to replicate, which are produced in sporangia. They may be homosporous (species with sporophytes that produce only one type of spore) or heterosporous (generation of spores of varied sizes and sexes by terrestrial plant sporophytes).

Pteridophytes have full generational alternation or alternating generations. Their life cycle is similar to that of seed-bearing plants. However, unlike mosses and seed plants, pteridophytes have separate and free-living generations of haploid gametophytes and diploid sporophytes.

Gymnosperms are plants with a distinct plant body, vascular structure, and seed production. The term is derived from Greek, where 'gymno' means 'nude' and 'sperma' means 'seed'. Gymnosperm seeds are bare, i.e., they are not enclosed within fruits. Gymnosperms are prevalent in temperate and boreal forest biomes, thriving in wet and dry environments. This group includes evergreen woody trees: pines, spruces, firs, and ginkgos are some of the most well-known examples of such shrubs and trees.

Unlike angiosperms, gymnosperms do not produce blooms or fruit. They are thought to be the earliest vascular plants on land, around 208–245 million years ago, during the Triassic period. Gymnosperms covered so much land by developing a vascular system capable of delivering water throughout the plant. There are approximately a thousand species of gymnosperms now, divided into four groups: Coniferophyta, Cycadophyta, Ginkgophyta, and Gnetophyta.

Angiosperms are seed-bearing plants that have a distinct plant body. The name comes from the Greek terms ‘angio’, which means ‘enclosed’, and ‘sperma’, which means ‘seed’. Therefore, unlike gymnosperms, angiosperm seeds are enclosed within the fruits. Flowering plants are commonly termed angiosperms, for example, mango trees and pomegranate plants.

Cotyledons are embryonic leaves that grow into seeds. Angiosperms are divided into two types based on the number of cotyledons found in their seeds: monocotyledons (monocots) and dicotyledons (dicots).

With a well-built root system, shoot system, and leaves, the plant body stands out. All angiosperms have the usual vascular bundle with xylem and phloem tissues for water, mineral, and nutrient conduction. They also have flowers and related structures. Male and female gametes mature within these flowers. When these blooms mature after pollination, they produce fruits that contain seeds.

Plants, algae, and fungi have generations that alternate. This is comparable to animal sexual reproduction, which produces both haploid and diploid cells in each generation.

Plants vary between asexual and sexual reproduction, as well as between diploid sporophytes and haploid gametophytes. Therefore, the life cycle of plants is referred to as generational alternation. Plants' ability to reproduce sexually and asexually helps them adapt to various environments.

The plant’s generational cycle is determined by its kind. The gametophyte is the principal plant in bryophytes, while the dominant generation is the haploid. The dominant generation of tracheophytes is diploid, with sporophytes being the major plant.

One of the two generations of plants has a stronger life cycle than the other. The dominant generation’s plants grow larger and survive longer. The non-dominant generation’s plants are tiny and barely discernible. The dominant generations take the form of ferns, trees, and other plants. The sporophyte is the primary generation in vascular plants, while the gametophyte is the dominant generation in nonvascular plants.

1. What is heterospory?

Heterospory is when the same plant bears two types of spores of varying sizes: the smaller microspore and the larger megaspore. The microspore forms the male gametophyte, whereas the megaspore forms the female gametophyte. Male gametes are released from the male gametophyte and reach the female gametophyte, fusing with the egg. The zygote then develops inside the female gametophyte.

The zygote’s development is ensured by the megaspore's retention and germination within the megasporangium. It matures into the sporophyte in the future.

2. What is the difference between algae and moss?

Moss is a tiny, flowerless, green plant that grows in low carpets or spherical cushions in moist settings, with no genuine roots, stems, or leaves. Algae are photosynthetic plants with pigments like chlorophyll but no true roots, stalks, or leaves.

3. What are the concepts covered in Chapter 3 of NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Biology?

NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Biology Chapter 3, the Plant Kingdom, discusses Kingdom Plantae in depth. It explores the phylum under it – algae, bryophytes, pteridophytes, gymnosperms, and angiosperms – in-depth, providing students with significant knowledge on their habitat, lifecycle, etc. It educates them by providing a complete classification of Kingdom Plantae.