The number of plant species is discovered with increased efficiency every year. Currently, the number stays at about 375,000 with the seeded plants, ferns, fern allies and bryophytes. Of these, 258,650 plants belong to the flowering category while the rest are a part of the bryophytes (16000), which include mosses, hornworts and liverworts. There are about 11000 varieties of ferns and 8000 of algae.
Photosynthesis
Plants carry out photosynthesis, a process through which they utilize carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight to produce sugars while releasing oxygen as a byproduct. The chloroplast cells of the plants play an important in photosynthesis providing the much-needed chlorophyll.
Types of Plants
Algae were initially grouped along with plants. However they are now classified separately as a distinct species. Algae are of different types, such as blue-green algae, red algae and brown algae. One of the common examples of algae includes seaweeds. The land plants, on the contrary, are the dominant species of plants and are known as the embryophytes.
Most of these plants contain vacuoles needed for transporting nutrients and water. These are the most advanced species that have been dominating Earth for about 420 million years. They form the major keystone for sustaining life on Earth. They also help in maintaining a balance in the ecosystem.
The other category under these land plants covers the bryophytes, which include liverworts and mosses. Because of the absence of the vascular system, these plants can grow only up to an inch or so but they have been in abundance even after 500 million years. Another important species of plants include the angiosperms, which are flowering plants, and although they have developed in a short period, these plants have been important specie for development.
Pollination
Plants employ seeds, spores and pores for propagation purposes. Ferns develop using spores for their propagation, as they need a moist and wet environment to grow.
Genetic engineers have been using animals and vectored insects for improvising pollination through genetics.
