Plants of the Arctic and Antarctic
Plants of the Arctic and Antarctic
by Jessica Fries-Gaither
Polar Plants - Issue 12, March 2009
When we think of the word "plants" we typically picture trees, bushes, grasses, and ferns - so-called "vascular plants" because of their full systems of leaves, stems, and roots. However, the plant kingdom also includes mosses, liverworts, and hornworts, simpler plants that lack these water-transporting structures.
A defining characteristic of plants is their ability to produce energy through photosynthesis. Through this process, plants capture the sun's energy and use it to fuel chemical reactions that convert carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and energy-containing carbohydrates (sucrose, glucose, or starch).
Plants may reproduce sexually by flowering and producing seeds, or through spore production. They also reproduce asexually through budding, bulb formation, and other types of vegetative reproduction.
Even though most algae and fungi are no longer classified within the plant kingdom, they are often still included in discussions of plant life. Algae include microscopic, single-celled, and multicellular photosynthetic organisms such as seaweeds and green, red, and brown algae. They lack the structures that characterize vascular and nonvascular plants and are classified in the kingdom Protista.
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