Welcome to the world of fungi! We will begin our exploration of this exotic branch on the tree of life, with fungal development & physiology.

Plants are fundamental to human existence. Without them, we would not, and could not, exist. This episode will explore the deep relationship between humans & the vegetable world.

The angiosperms are all those plants equipped with the most revolutionary development in floral reproductive capacity; the flower. The angiosperms and their colorful flowers have radically influenced Earths ecosystems for tens of millions of years.

The gymnosperms are the mighty seed plants that, like the dinosaurs, once dominated the biomes of the planet. Though less dominant today, the gymnosperms retain a global presence, and a heavy influence in regional ecology.

The ferns are an unassuming branch of the Kingdom Plantae; they prefer the shade under the canopy, they unfurl their leaves with the elegance of a violinist, and they quietly dominate the undergrowth of forests around the world.

The bryophytes are an ancient lineage of simple plants, so simple they don't even have true vasculature systems. These small plants have a subtle but influential role in their ecology, and they serve as an evolutionary bridge between the simple algae, and more complex plants.

The green algae the most primitive of all the photosynthetic organisms in the plant lineage. They are the root of the family tree, the origin of the green vegetables, and the living legacy of the plant transition from water to land.

Photosynthesis is a process through which plants capture the energy in sunlight to synthesize sugars, but more fundamentally, its the process by which light energy is converted into chemical energy, which sustains the entire chemical superreaction known as 'life'.

Throughout their evolutionary history, plants have evolved diverse and complex means of reproduction, including spores and pollen grains, cones and flowers, and a wide range of symbiotic animal pollinators.

The plants use a variety of mechanisms to sense the world around them; they can feel and respond to the water content of the soil, the temperature & humidity, and even to the presence of herbivores.