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Plant, (kingdom Plantae), any multicellular eukaryotic life-form characterized by (1) photosynthetic nutrition (a characteristic possessed by all plants except some parasitic plants and underground orchids), in which chemical energy is produced from water, minerals, and carbon dioxide with the aid of pigments and the radiant energy of the Sun, (2) essentially unlimited growth at localized regions, (3) cells that contain cellulose in their walls and are therefore to some extent rigid, (4) the absence of organs of locomotion, resulting in a more or less stationary existence, (5) the absence of nervous systems, and (6) life histories that show an alteration of haploid and diploid generations, with the dominance of one over the other being taxonomically significant.
Plants range in size from diminutive duckweeds only a few millimetres in length to the giant sequoias of California that reach 90 metres (300 feet) or more in height. There are an estimated 390,900 different species of plants known to science, and new species are continually being described, particularly from previously unexplored tropical areas of the world. Plants evolved from aquatic ancestors and have subsequently migrated over the entire surface of Earth, inhabiting tropical, Arctic, desert, and Alpine regions. Some plants have returned to an aquatic habitat in either fresh or salt water.
Plants play a vital role in the maintenance of life on Earth. All energy used by living organisms depends on the complex process of photosynthesis, which is mostly carried out by green plants. Radiant energy from the Sun is transformed into organic chemical energy in the form of sugars through the fundamental series of chemical reactions constituting photosynthesis. In nature all food chains begin with photosynthetic autotrophs (primary producers), including green plants and algae. Primary producers, represented by trees, shrubs, and herbs, are a prolific source of energy in the form of carbohydrates (sugars) stored in the leaves. These carbohydrates, produced in photosynthesis, are broken down in a process called respiration; the smaller units of the sugar molecule and its products fuel numerous metabolic processes. Various parts of the plant (e.g., leaves) are the energy sources that support animal life in different community habitats. A by-product of photosynthesis, oxygen, is essential to animals.
The daily existence of human beings is also directly influenced by plants. Plants furnish food and flavourings; raw materials for industry, such as wood, resins, oils, and rubber; fibres for the manufacture of fabrics and cordage; medicines; insecticides; and fuels. More than half of Earth's population relies on the grasses rice, corn (maize), and wheat as their primary source of food. Apart from their commercial and aesthetic value, plants conserve other natural resources by protecting soils from erosion, by controlling water levels and quality, and by producing a favourable atmosphere.
The following article summarizes the morphological, physiological, and ecological features of plants. The principal focus is on structure and function, physiology, life histories, and ecology, and on how the various plant groups have evolved, dispersed, and become adapted to life on land. The features that define each major plant group and the role they play in the wider ecosystem also are discussed.
Definition of the kingdom
The kingdom Plantae includes organisms that range in size from tiny mosses to giant trees. Despite this enormous variation, all plants are multicellular and eukaryotic (i.e., each cell possesses a membrane-bound nucleus that contains the chromosomes). They generally possess pigments (chlorophylls a and b and carotenoids), which play a central role in converting the energy of sunlight into chemical energy by means of photosynthesis. Most plants, therefore, are independent in their nutritional needs (autotrophic) and store their excess food in the form of macromolecules of starch. The relatively few plants that are not autotrophic have lost pigments and are dependent on other organisms for nutrients. Although plants are nonmotile organisms, some produce motile cells (gametes) propelled by whiplike flagella. Plant cells are surrounded by a more or less rigid cell wall composed of the carbohydrate cellulose, and adjacent cells are interconnected by microscopic strands of cytoplasm called plasmodesmata, which traverse the cell walls. Many plants have the capacity for unlimited growth at localized regions of cell division, called meristems. Plants, unlike animals, can use inorganic forms of the element nitrogen (N), such as nitrate and ammonia—which are made available to plants through the activities of microorganisms or through the industrial production of fertilizers—and the element sulfur (S); thus, they do not require an external source of protein (in which nitrogen is a major constituent) to survive.
The life histories of plants include two phases, or generations, one of which is diploid (the nuclei of the cells contain two sets of chromosomes), whereas the other is haploid (with one set of chromosomes). The diploid generation is known as the sporophyte, which literally means spore-producing plant. The haploid generation, called the gametophyte, produces the sex cells, or gametes. The complete life cycle of a plant thus involves an alternation of generations. The sporophyte and gametophyte generations of plants are structurally quite dissimilar.
The concept of what constitutes a plant has undergone significant change over time. For example, at one time the photosynthetic aquatic organisms commonly referred to as algae were considered members of the plant kingdom. The various major algal groups, such as the green algae, brown algae, and red algae, are now placed in the kingdom Protista because they lack one or more of the features that are characteristic of plants. The organisms known as fungi also were once considered to be plants because they reproduce by spores and possess a cell wall. The fungi, however, uniformly lack chlorophyll, and they are heterotrophic and chemically distinct from the plants; thus, they are placed in a separate kingdom, Fungi.
No definition of the kingdom completely excludes all nonplant organisms or even includes all plants. There are plants, for example, that do not produce their food by photosynthesis but rather are parasitic on other living plants. Some animals possess plantlike characteristics, such as the lack of mobility (e.g., sponges) or the presence of a plantlike growth form (e.g., some corals and bryozoans), but in general such animals lack the other characteristics of plants cited here.
Despite such differences, plants share the following features common to all living things. Their cells undergo complex metabolic reactions that result in the production of chemical energy, nutrients, and new structural components. They respond to internal and external stimuli in a self-preserving manner. They reproduce by passing their genetic information to descendants that resemble them. They have evolved over geological time scales (hundreds of millions of years) by the process of natural selection into a wide array of forms and life-history strategies.
The earliest plants undoubtedly evolved from an aquatic green algal ancestor (as evidenced by similarities in pigmentation, cell-wall chemistry, biochemistry, and method of cell division), and different plant groups have become adapted to terrestrial life to varying degrees. Land plants face severe environmental threats or difficulties, such as desiccation, drastic changes in temperature, support, nutrient availability to each of the cells of the plant, regulation of gas exchange between the plant and the atmosphere, and successful reproduction. Thus, many adaptations to land existence have evolved in the plant kingdom and are reflected among the different major plant groups. An example is the development of a waxy covering (the cuticle) that covers the plant body, preventing excess water loss. Specialized tissues and cells (vascular tissue) enabled early land plants to absorb and transport water and nutrients to distant parts of the body more effectively and, eventually, to develop a more complex body composed of organs called stems, leaves, and roots. The evolution and incorporation of the substance lignin into the cell walls of plants provided strength and support. Details of the life history are often a reflection of a plant's adaptation to a terrestrial mode of life and may characterize a particular group; for example, the most highly evolved plants reproduce by means of seeds, and, in the most advanced of all plants (angiosperms), a reproductive organ called a flower is formed.
Nonvascular plants
Definition of the category
Informally known as bryophytes, nonvascular plants lack specialized vascular tissue (xylem and phloem) for internal water and food conduction and support. They also do not possess true roots, stems, or leaves. Some larger mosses, however, contain a central core of elongated thick-walled cells called hydroids that are involved in water conduction and that have been compared to the xylem elements of other plants. Bryophytes are second in diversity only to the flowering plants (angiosperms) and are generally regarded as composed of three divisions: Bryophtya (the mosses), Marchantiophyta (the liverworts), and Anthocerotophyta (the hornworts).
Because bryophytes generally lack conducting cells and a well-developed cuticle that would limit dehydration, they depend on their immediate surroundings for an adequate supply of moisture. As a result, most bryophytes live in moist or wet shady locations, growing on rocks, trees, and soil. Some, however, have become adapted to totally aquatic habitats; others have become adapted to alternately wet and dry environments by growing during wet periods and becoming dormant during dry intervals. Although bryophytes are widely distributed, occurring in practically all parts of the world, none are found in salt water. Ecologically, some mosses are considered pioneer plants because they can invade bare areas.
Bryophytes are typically land plants but seldom attain a height of more than a few centimetres. They possess the photosynthetic pigment chlorophyll (both a and b forms) and carotenoids in cell organelles called chloroplasts. The life histories of these plants show a well-defined alternation of generations, with the independent and free-living gametophyte as the dominant photosynthetic phase in the life cycle. (This is in contrast to the vascular plants, in which the dominant photosynthetic phase is the sporophyte.) The sporophyte generation develops from, and is almost entirely parasitic on, the gametophyte. The gametophyte produces multicellular sex organs (gametangia). Female gametangia are called archegonia; male gametangia, antheridia. At maturity, archegonia each contain one egg, and antheridia produce many sperm cells. Because the egg is retained and fertilized within the archegonium, the early stages of the developing sporophyte are protected and nourished by the gametophytic tissue. The young undifferentiated sporophyte is called an embryo. Although bryophytes have become adapted to life on land, an apparent vestige of their aquatic ancestry is that the motile (flagellated) sperm depend on water to allow gamete transport and fertilization.
Bryophytes are widely believed to have evolved from complex green algae that invaded land around 500 million years ago. Bryophytes share some traits with green algae, such as motile sperm, similar photosynthetic pigments, and the general absence of vascular tissue. However, bryophytes have multicellular reproductive structures, whereas those of green algae are unicellular, and bryophytes are mostly terrestrial and have complex plant bodies, whereas the green algae are primarily aquatic and have less-complex forms.
Representative members
Division Bryophyta
Moss is a term erroneously applied to many different plants (Spanish moss, a flowering plant; Irish moss, a red alga; pond moss, filamentous algae; and reindeer moss, a lichen). True mosses are classified as the division Bryophyta.
The moss gametophyte possesses leaflike structures (phyllids) that usually are a single cell layer thick, have a costa (midrib), and are spirally arranged on a stemlike axis (caulid). The moss gametophyte is an independent plant and is the familiar, erect "leafy" shoot. Multicellular rhizoids anchor the gametophyte to the substrate. The sporophyte plant develops from the tip of the fertile leafy shoot. After repeated cell divisions, the young sporophyte (embryo) transforms into a mature sporophyte consisting of foot, elongate seta, and capsule. The capsule is often covered by a calyptra, which is the enlarged remains of the archegonium. The capsule is capped by an operculum (lid), which falls off, exposing a ring of teeth (the peristome) that regulates the dispersal of spores.
Division Marchantiophyta
Liverworts, the second major division of nonvascular plants, are found in the same types of habitat as mosses, and species of the two classes are often intermingled on the same site. The curious name liverwort is a relic of the medieval belief in the "doctrine of signatures," which held that the external form of a plant provided a clue to which diseased body organ could be cured by a preparation made from that particular plant. There are two types of liverworts (also called hepatics) based on reproductive features and thallus structure. The more numerous "leafy" liverworts superficially resemble mosses, but most notably differ in having lobed or divided leaves that are without a midrib and are positioned in three rows. Thalloid (thallose) liverworts have a ribbonlike, or strap-shaped, body that grows flat on the ground. They have a high degree of internal structural differentiation into photosynthetic and storage zones. Liverwort gametophytes have unicellular rhizoids. Liverworts have an alternation of generations similar to that of mosses, and, as with mosses, the gametophyte generation is dominant. The sporophytes, however, are not microscopic and are often borne on specialized structures. They sometimes resemble small umbrellas and are called antheridiophores and archegoniophores.
Division Anthocerotophyta
The third division of bryophytes comprises the hornworts, a minor group numbering fewer than 100 species. The gametophyte is a small ribbonlike thallus that resembles a thallose liverwort. The name hornwort is derived from the unique slender, upright sporophytes, which are about 3–4 cm (1.2–1.6 inches) long at maturity and dehisce longitudinally into two valves that twist in response to changing humidity, thereby releasing spores in small numbers over a fairly long period of time.
Vascular plants
Definition of the category
Vascular plants (tracheophytes) differ from the nonvascular bryophytes in that they possess specialized supporting and water-conducting tissue, called xylem, and food-conducting tissue, called phloem. The xylem is composed of nonliving cells (tracheids and vessel elements) that are stiffened by the presence of lignin, a hardening substance that reinforces the cellulose cell wall. The living sieve elements that comprise the phloem are not lignified. Xylem and phloem are collectively called vascular tissue and form a central column (stele) through the plant axis. The ferns, gymnosperms, and flowering plants are all vascular plants. Because they possess vascular tissues, these plants have true stems, leaves, and roots. Before the development of vascular tissues, the only plants of considerable size existed in aquatic environments where support and water conduction were not necessary. A second major difference between the vascular plants and bryophytes is that the larger, more conspicuous generation among vascular plants is the sporophytic phase of the life cycle.
The vegetative body of vascular plants is adapted to terrestrial life in various ways. In addition to vascular tissue, the aerial body is covered with a well-developed waxy layer (cuticle) that decreases water loss. Gases are exchanged through numerous pores (stomata) in the outer cell layer (epidermis). The root system is involved in the uptake from the soil of water and minerals that are used by the root system as well as the stem and leaves. Roots also anchor the plant and store food. The stem conducts water and minerals absorbed by the root system upward to various parts of the stem and leaves; stems also conduct carbohydrates manufactured through the process of photosynthesis from the leaves to various parts of the stem and root system. Leaves are supported by the stem and are oriented in a manner conducive to maximizing the amount of leaf area involved in trapping sunlight for use in photosynthesis.
Modifications of roots, stems, and leaves have enabled species of vascular plants to survive in a variety of habitats encompassing diverse and even extreme environmental conditions. The ability of vascular plants to flourish in so many different habitats is a key factor in their having become the dominant group of terrestrial plants.
The vascular plants are divisible into the nonseed plants (lower vascular plants, or cryptogams) and those that reproduce by seeds (higher vascular plants, or phanerogams). The ferns (Polypodiopsida) are a group of the lower vascular plants; other groups include the whisk ferns (Psilotophyta), club and spike mosses (Lycophyta), and horsetails (Sphenophyta, or Arthrophyta). Collectively, the latter four groups are sometimes referred to as pteridophytes, because each reproduces by spores liberated from dehiscent sporangia (free sporing). Although the lower vascular plants have adapted to terrestrial life, they are similar to bryophytes in that, as an apparent vestige of their aquatic ancestry, all produce motile (flagellated) male gametes (antherozoids, or sperm) and must rely on water for fertilization to take place.
Nonseed plants
Division Lycophyta
This division is represented by four or more living genera, with the principal genera being Lycopodium (club mosses), Selaginella (spike mosses), and Isoetes (quillworts). Extant members of Lycophyta occur in both temperate and tropical regions and represent the survivors of a group of vascular plants that was extremely diverse and numerous. As a group, the lycopods were prominent in the great coal-forming swamp forests of the Carboniferous Period (358.9 million to 298.9 million years ago). Although all living lycopods are small herbaceous plants, some extinct types were large trees. Lycopods are differentiated into stem, root, and leaf (microphylls). Sporangia are positioned on the upper (adaxial) surface of the leaf (sporophyll). Some species form distinct cones or strobili, whereas others do not.
Ferns are a diverse group of plants that are unranked at the division level in some taxonomies. Formerly, the group was designated as division Pteridophtya, but their phylogenetic relationships remain unresolved. Although they have a worldwide distribution, ferns are more common in tropical and subtropical regions. They range in size and complexity from small floating aquatic plants less than 2 cm (0.8 inch) long to tall tree ferns 20 metres (65 feet) high. Tropical tree ferns possess erect columnar trunks and large compound (divided) leaves more than 5 metres (about 16 feet) long. As a group, ferns are either terrestrial or epiphytic (growing upon another plant). Fern stems never become woody (composed of secondary tissue containing lignin), because all tissues of the plant body originate at the stem apex.
Class Polypodiopsida
Ferns of the class Polypodiopsida typically possess a rhizome (horizontal stem) that grows partially underground; the deeply divided fronds (leaves) and the roots grow out of the rhizome. Fronds are characteristically coiled in the bud (fiddleheads) and uncurl in a type of leaf development called circinate vernation. Fern leaves are either whole or variously divided. The leaf types are differentiated into rachis (axis of a compound leaf), pinnae (primary divisions), and pinnules (ultimate segments of a pinna). Fern leaves often have prominent epidermal hairs and large chaffy scales. Venation of fern leaves is usually open dichotomous (forking into two equal parts).
Each frond is a potential sporophyll (spore-bearing leaf) and as such can bear structures that are associated with reproduction. When growth conditions are favourable, a series of brown patches appear on the undersurface of the sporophylls. Each one of the patches (called a sorus) is composed of many sporangia, or spore cases, which are joined by a stalk to the sporophyll. The spore case is flattened, with a layer of sterile, or nonfertile, cells surrounding the spore mother cells. Each spore mother cell divides by reduction division (meiosis) to produce haploid spores, which are shed in a way characteristic to the ferns.
Each fern spore has the potential to grow into a green heart-shaped independent gametophyte plant (prothallus) capable of photosynthesis. In contrast to bryophytes, in which the sporophyte is nutritionally dependent on the gametophyte during its entire existence, the fern sporophyte is dependent on the gametophyte for nutrition only during the early phase of its development; thereafter, the fern sporophyte is free-living. In some ferns the sexes are separate, meaning a gametophyte will bear only male or female sex organs. Other species have gametophytes bearing both sex organs. Features important in the identification of ferns include such aspects of the mature sporophyte plant as differences in the stem, frond, sporophyll, sporangium, and position of the sporangium and the absence or presence, as well as the shape, of the indusium (a membranous outgrowth of the leaf) covering the sporangia.
Class Psilotopsida
Psilotopsida (whisk ferns) is a class represented by two living genera (Psilotum and Tmesipteris) and several species that are restricted to the subtropics. This unusual group of small herbaceous plants is characterized by a leafless and rootless body possessing a stem that exhibits a primitive dichotomous type of branching: it forks into equal halves. The photosynthetic function is assumed by the stem, and the underground rhizome anchors the plant. The vascular tissue is organized into a poorly developed central cylinder in the stem.
The family Ophioglossaceae, comprising four genera and some 80 species, is sometimes placed in the class Psilotopsida, though the taxonomy of the group is contentious.
Class Equisetopsida
Equisetopsida (also called horsetails and scouring rushes) is a class represented by a single living genus (Equisetum). It has a worldwide distribution but occurs in greater variety in the Northern Hemisphere. Like the lycopods, this group was a diverse and prominent group of vascular plants during the Carboniferous Period, when some genera attained great size in the coal-forming swamp forests. Known as sphenophytes, these plants are differentiated into stem, leaf (microphylls), and root. Green aerial stems have longitudinal ridges and furrows extending the length of the internodes, and stems are jointed (articulated). Surface cells are characteristically filled with silica. Branches, when they occur, are borne in whorls at the node, as are the scale leaves. Sporangia are borne in terminal strobili. Equisetopsida had its origin in the Devonian Period (419.2 million to 358.9 million years ago).
Class Marattiopsida
Known as giant ferns, the class Marrattiopsida comprises a single extant family with four genera and some 150 species of large tropical and subtropical ferns with stout erect stems. The leaves (fronds) may be very large, some reaching 4.5 metres (15 feet) or more in length. The Marattiaceae generally are considered to be one of the most primitive families of ferns still living.
Seed plants
Gymnosperms and angiosperms (flowering plants) share with ferns a dominant, independent sporophyte generation; the presence of vascular tissue; differentiation of the plant body into root, stem, and leaf derived from a bipolar embryo (having stem and root-growing apices); and similar photosynthetic pigments. Unlike ferns, however, the seed plants have stems that branch laterally and vascular tissue that is arranged in strands (bundles) around the pith (eustele). Among seed plants, as in ferns, the stem tissues that arise directly from the shoot apex are called primary tissues. Primary tissues contribute to the longitudinal growth of the stem, or primary growth. Secondary growth, resulting in an increase in the width of the axis, is produced by meristematic tissue between the primary xylem and phloem called vascular cambium. This meristem consists of a narrow zone of cells that form new secondary xylem (wood) and secondary phloem (secondary vascular tissues).
Major evolutionary advancements of these plants are demonstrated by the generally more complex plant body and by reproduction via seeds. Seeds represent an important evolutionary innovation within the plant kingdom. Each seed has an embryonic plant (sporophyte), food-storage tissue, and hardened protective covering (seed coat). The seed thus contains and protects the embryonic plant and, as the primary dispersal unit of the seed plants, represents a significant improvement over the spore, with its limited capacity for survival.
In comparing ferns and seed plants and their life histories, certain significant differences are seen. The gametophyte in seed plants has been reduced in size, usually consisting of a few to a dozen cells. Thus, it is no longer itself a plant body, as in the bryophytes and ferns. The gametophyte is not free-living but is embedded in the sporophyte and thus less vulnerable to environmental stress than the gametophytes of bryophytes and ferns. Finally, the spores of seed plants are male and female, as are the sporangia that contain them. The spores are not dispersed as in the bryophytes and ferns but develop into gametophytes within the sporangia. In the most advanced seed plants, the male gametes (sperm) are carried to the egg by a later extension of the pollen grain called the pollen tube. The advantage of this system is that the nonflagellated sperm are no longer dependent on water to reach the egg.
Another terrestrial adaptation of the seed plants not found in ferns is pollen dispersed by wind or animals. Pollen is a unit of genetic material as well as part of the seed-formation process. The dispersal of pollen by wind or animals, in addition to dispersal of seeds, promotes genetic recombination and distribution of the species over a wide geographic area.
The term gymnosperm ("naked seeds") represents four extant divisions of vascular plants whose ovules (seeds) are exposed on the surface of cone scales. The cone-bearing gymnosperms are among the largest and oldest living organisms in the world. They dominated the landscape about 200 million years ago. Today gymnosperms are of great economic value as major sources of lumber products, pulpwood, turpentine, and resins.
Conifer stems are composed of a woody axis containing primitive water- and mineral-conducting cells called tracheids. Tracheids are interconnected by passages called bordered pits. Leaves are often needlelike or scalelike and typically contain canals filled with resin. The leaves of pine are borne in bundles (fascicles), and the number of leaves per fascicle is an important distinguishing feature. Most gymnosperms are evergreen, but some, such as larch and bald cypress, are deciduous (the leaves fall after one growing season). The leaves of many gymnosperms have a thick cuticle and stomata below the leaf surface.
The tree or shrub is the sporophyte generation. In conifers, the male and female sporangia are produced on separate structures called cones or strobili. Individual trees are typically monoecious (male and female cones are borne on the same tree). A cone is a modified shoot with a single axis, on which is borne a spirally arranged series of pollen- or ovule-bearing scales or bracts. The male cone, or microstrobilus, is usually smaller than the female cone (megastrobilus) and is essentially an aggregation of many small structures (microsporophylls) that encase the pollen in microsporangia.
The extant cycads (division Cycadophyta) are a group of ancient seed plants that are survivors of a complex that has existed since the Mesozoic Era (251.9 million to 66 million years ago). They are presently distributed in the tropics and subtropics of both hemispheres. Cycads are palmlike in general appearance, with an unbranched columnar trunk and a crown of large pinnately compound (divided) leaves. The sexes are always separate, resulting in male and female plants (i.e., cycads are dioecious). Most species produce conspicuous cones (strobili) on both male and female plants, and the seeds are very large.
The ginkgophytes (division Ginkgophyta), although abundant, diverse, and widely distributed in the past, are represented now by a sole surviving species, Ginkgo biloba (maidenhair tree). The species was formerly restricted to southeastern China, but it is now likely extinct in the wild. The plant is commonly cultivated worldwide, however, and is particularly resistant to disease and air pollution. The ginkgo is multibranched, with stems that are differentiated into long shoots and dwarf (spur) shoots. A cluster of fan-shaped deciduous leaves with open dichotomous venation occurs at the end of each lateral spur shoot. Sexes are separate, and distinct cones are not produced. Female trees produce plumlike seeds with a fleshy outer layer and are noted for their foul smell when mature.
The gnetophytes (division Gnetophyta) comprise a group of three unusual genera. Ephedra occurs as a shrub in dry regions in tropical and temperate North and South America and in Asia, from the Mediterranean Sea to China. Species of Gnetum occur as woody shrubs, vines, or broad-leaved trees and grow in moist tropical forests of South America, Africa, and Asia. Welwitschia, restricted to extreme deserts (less than 25 mm [1 inch] of rain per year) in a narrow belt about 1,000 km (600 miles) long in southwestern Africa, is an unusual plant composed of an enormous underground stem and a pair of long strap-shaped leaves that lie along the ground. The three genera differ from all other gymnosperms in possessing vessel elements (as compared with tracheids) in the xylem and in specializations in reproductive morphology. The gnetophytes have figured prominently in the theories about gymnospermous origins of the angiosperms.
Approximately 130 million years ago, flowering plants (angiosperms) evolved from gymnosperms, although the identity of the specific gymnospermous ancestral group remains unresolved. The primary distinction between gymnosperms and angiosperms is that angiosperms reproduce by means of flowers. Flowers are modified shoots bearing a series of leaflike modified appendages and containing ovules (immature seeds) surrounded and protected by the female reproductive structure, the carpel or pistil. Along with other features, angiospermy, the enclosed condition of the seed, gave the flowering plants a competitive advantage and enabled them to come to dominate the extant flora. Flowering plants have also fully exploited the use of insects and other animals as agents of pollination (the transfer of pollen from male to female floral structures). In addition, the water-conducting cells and food-conducting tissue are more complex and efficient in flowering plants than in other land plants. Finally, flowering plants possess a specialized type of nutritive tissue in the seed, endosperm. Endosperm is the chief storage tissue in the seeds of grasses; hence, it is the primary source of nutrition in corn (maize), rice, wheat, and other cereals that have been utilized as major food sources by humans and other animals.
Classification of angiosperms
Many of the flowering plants are commonly represented by two basic groups, the monocotyledons and the dicotyledons, distinguished by the number of embryonic seed leaves (cotyledons), number of flower parts, arrangement of vascular tissue in the stem, leaf venation, and manner of leaf attachment to the stem. However, one of the major changes in the understanding of the evolution of the angiosperms was the realization that the basic distinction among flowering plants is not between monocotyledon groups (monocots) and dicotyledon groups (dicots). Rather, plants thought of as being "typical dicots" have evolved from within another group that includes the more-basal dicots and the monocots together. This group of typical dicots is now known as the eudicots, and molecular-based evidence supports their having a single evolutionary lineage (monophyletic). Other angiosperm groups, such as the Magnoliids, do not fit the traditional paradigm of monocot and dicot and are considered to have more-ancient lineages.
The plant body of angiosperms consists of a central axis of two parts, the shoot and the root. Shoots have two kinds of organs, the stem and the leaves, while roots have one type of organ, the root itself. Systems of classification are often based upon the longevity of the portions of plant aboveground. Woody plants are trees and shrubs whose shoots are durable and survive over a period of years. They are further classified into deciduous and evergreen plants. Deciduous plants drop their leaves at the end of every growing season, whereas evergreens keep their leaves for up to several years. Herbaceous plants have soft, flexible aerial portions and commonly die back each year.
Another system of classification, based on the duration of the life history, is particularly applicable to angiosperms of the temperate region. Annuals are plants that complete the entire life history (germinate from seeds, mature, flower, and produce seed) in one growing season. Examples of annuals are corn, wheat, and peas. Biennials complete their life history in two seasons, blooming during the second season. Beets, celery, cabbage, carrots, and turnips are biennials, but their flowers are rarely seen because they are harvested during the first season. Annuals and biennials are both generally herbaceous plants. Perennials are plants that live from year to year. Trees and shrubs are perennials, but some herbaceous plants are also perennials.
A number of modifications of the stem occur in angiosperms, and many of these modifications provide a means for herbs to become dormant and survive for a period of years. Rhizomes are horizontally growing underground stems that serve as organs of asexual reproduction and food storage. Similar to rhizomes, tubers are thickened underground stem portions that primarily serve as food storage (for example, potato). Corms are short upright underground stems surrounded by a few thin scale leaves (as in Crocus and Gladiolus). Bulbs have a greatly reduced stem with thick fleshy scale leaves surrounding it (as in the onion). Runners and stolons are surface stems characteristic of such plants as strawberries; new plants may form on the runner or stolon as it spreads along the ground. Many of the most prolific weeds have runners or stolons by which they propagate asexually.
In herbaceous dicotyledonous stems, the vascular conducting tissue (xylem and phloem) is organized into discrete strands or vascular bundles, each containing both xylem and phloem. The cells between the vascular bundles are thin-walled and often store starch. The peripheral region of cells in the stem is called the cortex; cells of the central portion make up the pith. The outermost cells of the stem compose the epidermis. No bark is formed on the herbaceous stem. In contrast, woody dicot stems develop an outer layer of dead thick-walled cells called cork cells, which together with the underlying phloem compose the bark of the tree. The major portion of the woody stem's diameter is a cylinder of xylem (wood) that originates from a region of cell division called the vascular cambium. The water-conducting cells that make up the xylem are nonliving. The accumulated xylem often forms annual rings composed of two zones: a relatively wide zone of spring wood (made up of large cells, characteristic of rapid growth) and a narrower zone of summer wood (smaller cells). Such rings may be absent in tropical trees that grow all year round. Xylem rays, radiating like spokes of a wagon wheel, are formed in the xylem and connect with the peripheral phloem. Stems of monocotyledons are composed of numerous vascular bundles that are arranged in a seemingly scattered manner within the ground tissue. Monocot vascular bundles lack a vascular cambium, and monocot stems thus do not become woody in a manner similar to dicots.
Leaves and roots
Leaves are the other plant organ that, along with stems, constitutes the shoot of the vascular plant body. Their principal function is to act as the primary site of photosynthesis in the plant. Leaves of dicots possess a network of interconnecting veins and minor veins between the larger veins of the leaf (a pattern called net venation). Leaves of monocots possess major veins that extend parallel to the long axis of the leaf (parallel venation). Leaves are classified on the basis of leaf arrangement and whether they are simple or compound. A leaf may be deeply lobed but still simple; a compound leaf is composed of two or more distinctly separate leaflets.
Structurally, leaves are composed of an outermost layer of cells called the epidermis. Epidermal cells secrete a waxy substance (cutin) that forms a cuticle impermeable to water. The pores (stomata) in the epidermis that allow for gas exchange are formed between specialized epidermal cells called guard cells. Vascular bundles (veins) are embedded in the mesophyll, the tissue that includes all of the cells between the upper and lower epidermis. The cells of the mesophyll contain the photosynthetic pigments.
The root system begins its development from the embryonic root (radicle), which grows out of the seed after the seed has absorbed water. This is the primary root of a new plant. The tip of the root is covered by a mass of loose cells called the root cap. Just beneath the root cap is the region of cell division of the root. Epidermal outgrowths just above the root tip are root hairs that are active in water and mineral absorption. Two types of root systems are commonly distinguished, fibrous roots and taproots. Fibrous root systems are composed of large numbers of roots nearly equal in size; root systems of this type are found, for example, in the grasses. A taproot system is one in which the primary root remains the largest, and a number of smaller secondary roots are formed from it; taproots are found in such plants as carrots and dandelions. Roots that arise other than by branching from the primary roots are called adventitious roots. The prop roots of corn, for example, are adventitious.
As noted above, a primary distinction between the gymnosperms and the angiosperms is that the latter have flowers. Flowers represent modified shoots that have become differentiated for reproduction. The flower bears whorls of floral organs attached to a receptacle, the expanded end of a flower stalk on which the flower parts are borne. Sepals (collectively called the calyx) are modified leaves that encase the developing flower. They are sterile floral parts and may be either green or leaflike or composed of petal-like tissue. Petals (collectively called the corolla) are also sterile floral parts that usually function as visually conspicuous elements serving to attract specific pollinators to the flower. The calyx and the corolla together are referred to as the perianth. Flowers that lack one or both of the above perianth parts are called incomplete. Stamens (collectively called the androecium) are the male parts of the flower. Stamens are composed of saclike anthers (microsporangia) and filaments, which are stalks that support the anthers. Anthers are usually compartmentalized and contain the pollen grains (microgametophytes). The pistil, or female part of the flower, is composed of one or a number of carpels (collectively called the gynoecium) that fuse to form an essentially enclosed chamber. The three regions of the pistil (from the base up) are the ovary, which contains the ovules; the style, a stalked structure atop the ovary that elevates the stigma; and the stigma, a sticky knob whose surface receives the pollen during pollination.
Flowers may contain both male and female parts (a condition called perfect) or parts related to just one sex (imperfect), or they may have no sexual parts (sterile). Female and male flowers may be located on separate plants (dioecious) or on the same plant (monoecious). Flowers can also be borne singly or in aggregations called inflorescences.
Primitive flowers are radially symmetrical (actinomorphic) and are characterized by numerous spirally arranged floral parts. Floral parts are free (unfused) and are borne on an elongated floral axis. Sepals, petals, and stamens are attached below the ovary. Advanced flowers are bilaterally symmetrical and are characterized by a reduction in the number of floral parts. Floral parts are fused (often forming a long floral tube). Sepals, petals, and stamens are attached to the floral tube above the ovary.
Pollination is the transfer of pollen to the stigma of the same or another flower. Agents of pollination encompass a vast and diverse array of animals, including insects, birds, bats, honey possums, and slugs. Flowers exhibit various adaptations to pollinators, such as showy corollas, the production of nectar (a sugary liquid), and even visual cues visible only to insects that can perceive ultraviolet wavelengths of light. Flowers pollinated by wind generally are small and lack petals. The stigma is the pollen receptor site and must be chemically compatible with any pollen that lands on it for the pollen grain to germinate. This ensures that only genetically compatible sperm are transferred to the egg.
Fruits and seeds
In flowering plants, ovules are enclosed and protected in an ovary. As the ovule develops into a seed, the ovary matures into a fruit. The formation of fruits is a characteristic feature of the flowering plants. Fruits are extremely variable. In some fruits, the ovary wall (pericarp) is thick and fleshy; in others, it is thin and dry.
Angiosperms have evolved many adaptations for seed dispersal involving such agents as wind, water, and animals. Adaptations to wind dispersal include wings or plumules attached to the seed or as part of the fruit or simply very minute seeds that are easily windborne. Adaptations to water dispersal are seeds that float or fruits that float and carry the seeds with them. Some seeds are a source of food to animals, which bury the seeds in the ground, where they later germinate. Other plants produce a fleshy fruit that is eaten along with the seeds inside it by animals, which pass the seeds through their digestive tracts unharmed. Another adaptation for animal dispersal is the development of barbed fruits or seeds that stick to the coats or skins of wandering animals. Some plants, such as witch hazels or jewelweed, can project their seeds through the air some distance from the parent plant.
Seeds have many adaptations that enable them to survive long periods of harsh conditions. Seeds can remain viable in a dormant condition for a few days or, in some species, for hundreds of years. (For further information on seeds and fruits, see Reproductive system, plant.)William C. Dickison
Learn More in these related Britannica articles:
protein: Plant proteinsPlant proteins, mostly globulins, have been obtained chiefly from the protein-rich seeds of cereals and legumes. Small amounts of albumins are found in seeds. The best known globulins, insoluble in water, can be extracted from seeds by treatment with 2 to 10 percent…
myth: Animals and plants in mythAnimals and plants have played important roles in the oral traditions and the recorded myths of the peoples of the world, both ancient and modern. This section of the article is concerned with the variety of relationships noted between humans and animals…
Antarctica: Plant lifeThe cold desert climate of Antarctica supports only an impoverished community of cold-tolerant land plants that are capable of surviving lengthy winter periods of total or near-total darkness during which photosynthesis cannot take place. Growth must occur in short summer…
hormone: The hormones of plantsGrowth in plants is regulated by a variety of plant hormones, including auxins, gibberellins, cytokinins, and growth inhibitors, primarily abscisic acid and ethylene.…
human genetic disease: Plants, fungi, and bacteriaDuring the ongoing struggle for survival, organisms have evolved toxic compounds as protection against predators or simply to gain competitive advantage. At the same time, these organisms have evolved mechanisms that make themselves immune to the effects of the toxins that…
More About Plant73 references found in Britannica articles
Assorted References
- cause of genetic damage
- chemoreception and plant chemicals
- comparison with fungi
- Fibonacci numbers
- global warming
- growth and development


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text: Hello again, Donald/gang. On Sun, 2003-01-05 at 15:13, Donald Becker wrote: > On 5 Jan 2003, Randall Jouett wrote: > > On Sat, 2003-01-04 at 11:58, Donald Becker wrote: > > > > > > Not at all! MPI does not handle faults. Most MPI applications just > > > fail when a node fails. A few periodically write checkpoint files, and > > > a subset ;-) of those can be re-run from the last checkpoint. > > > > Checkpoint files? BLAH!!! :^). Admittedly, I'm a total neophyte > > Application-specific checkpoint files are sometimes the only effective > way to handle node crashes. > > > Off the top of my head, why couldn't you just plug in an old > > 10Base-T card to each node. Add a server node that specifically > > The problem isn't just detecting that a node has failed (which is either > trivial or impossible, depending on your criteria), the problems are > - handling a system failure during a multiple-day run. > - handling partially completed work issued to a node > - killing processes/nodes that you are think have failed, lest they > complete their work later. Ah. Ok. I understand now. Thanks for the info. > > BTW, has anyone bothered to calculate all the wasted cycles > > used up by check-point files? :^). > > Checkpointing is very expensive, and most of the time the checkpoint > isn't used. This is why only application-specific checkpoinging makes > sense: the application writer known which information is critical, and > when everything is consistent. Machines that save the entire memory > space have been known to take the better part of an hour to roll out a > large job. An hour? Dang. > > > Although the program completes the rendering, there is still much > > > ugliness when a partially-failed MPI program tries to finish. > > > > Hmmm. Why aren't folks flagging the node as dead and ignoring > > any other output until the node is back up and saying it's > > ready to run. This would have to be verified by the sysadmin, > > of course. > > The issue is the internal structure of the MPI implementation: there is > no way to say "I'm exiting sucessfully even though I know some processes > might be dead." Instead what happens is that the library call waits > around for the dead children to return. I take it that you're talking about a compute node when you're saying all of this, and I'm also reading processes here as "the other nodes." Remember, I'm a neophyte, Donald :^). Anywho, I was thinking that the lib call was written in an asynchronous fashion, with various flags being set on the root node when a compute node completed its computation. Also, the only way the root would continue on with the application is when all nodes sent a response saying that they're done. I also don't see why you couldn't make a few test runs, average out the response time of each node and the overall process (if necessary), and stick this info into a database for a given app on the root node. (Off the top of my head, of course. I'll have to think about this a while.) To me, this seems like you'd be adding a certain level of fault tolerance at the software level. Now, if we set up a response-time window for an individual compute node and the root node thinks that it has fallen out of the window, then it seems to me that the root node could flag the node as having temporary problems, and then it could shift that nodes work over to the first node that has completed its calculations/processing. Should the problematic node straighten itself out and start responding again -- let's say it finished its processing -- then the data is taken from that node verbatim and stored off to disk. That is, if the recovery node didn't finish its work already, of course. You'd also have to tell the original node that straightened itself out "Never mind," of course. (Said with Lilly Tomlin intonations :^) ). > This brings us back to the liveness test for compute nodes. When do we > decide that a node has failed? If it doesn't respond for a second? A > transient Ethernet failure might take up to three seconds to restart > link (typical is 10 msec.) Thirty seconds? If it gets out of its window, you set things up so that the first node to complete its computations takes over its work load. If node acting up straightens itself out, great. Then you just kill the request for node recovery and things should just "keep on trucking." (Wow. That last remark is really showing my age :^)). At this point, I guess you'd also want to increase the size of the window on the node that's acting up, too. Also, if the node doesn't respond in at twice the window size, I guess you could display a message on the console, remove the node from computations, and let the sysadmin take a look at the machine too see if anything is awry with the node or the network. More than likely, hiccups would involved latency, possibly do to fragmentation or the like. God forbid a memory leak :^). If you really wanted to get spiffy, I guess you could work a neural net into the system, having monitor network it traffic and such. A setup like this might be able to warn you if glitches were getting ready to rear their ugly heads. :^) > A machine running a 2.4 kernel before 2.4.17 might take minutes to > respond when recovering from a tempory memory shortage, but run just > > fine later. In the model I just described, I don't think this would be a problem. (Shrug.) I still have to think about all of this, of course. The one thing I really like about a model like this is that it would be asynchronous, and you could get away with simplistic levels of message passing. Just open a socket, read packets, and write packets. BTW, I have read and understood everything you've said, Donald, and I thank you wholeheartedly for the explanation. The way I responded, though, you'd think that I already knew what I was talking about. Witout any doubts -- I don't! :^). I wrote my response this way, though, so that you and others can straighten me out if I'm looking at parallel processing in a bass-ackwards fashion. If not, then maybe the model I descrided is exactly how things work already. If not, then maybe it might be worth looking into further. (Shrug.) Ok. I've been up all night with the flu. I need to try to get some sleep, and answer the rest of the my beowulf e-mails later on tonight, if I'm feeling better. 73 (Best Regards in morse code...ham lingo :^), Randall -- Randall Jouett Amateur Radio: AB5NI


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The Road Ahead for Carbon Nanotube Transistors
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Single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are among the most researched materials in the world. One of the foremost potential applications for CNTs is as the channel for next-generation transistors. While some of the CNT field-effect transistor (CNTFET) research community gave way to the rise of another carbon allotrope—graphene—in the mid-2000s, progress in the CNTFET field did not stop. In fact, in recent years the benefits of CNTFETs in a digital technology have become more evident and accessible; from the recent validation that a sub-10 nm CNT channel outperforms the best silicon competition to demonstrations of CNTFET circuits, including those on flexible and/or transparent substrates, with operating voltages as low as 0.4 V. In this talk, recent advancements in the nanotube transistor field will be reviewed, showing why CNTFETs are worth considering now more than ever. Then, the material- and device-related challenges to realizing a nanotube-driven digital technology will be covered. By discussing the remaining obstacles and presenting recent progress toward addressing them, it is hoped that those in attendance may develop new ideas to contribute to overcoming these hurdles. Important considerations for next generation transistors from other materials will also be reviewed, revealing how different the road ahead is from the past. Overall, this talk should provide a reasonable overview of the CNT transistor field—where it has been, where it may go, and why more people should be along for the ride.
Aaron Franklin received his Ph.D. from Purdue University in 2008 and his B.S.E. degree from Arizona State University in 2004, both in electrical engineering. Since 2009, he has been a Research Staff Member at IBM's T. J. Watson Research Center working in the area of low-dimensional nanoelectronics. His research focuses on the integration of nanomaterials into electronic devices, including high-performance transistors, thin-film transistors, supercapacitors, and photovoltaic cells. His Ph.D. research at Purdue was funded by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Before beginning his graduate studies, Aaron worked as a Component Design Engineer for Intel Corporation.
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Researchers should cite this work as follows:
Birck Nanotechnology Building, Room 2001, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN


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Posted on Sunday, August 25th, 2013 and is filed under International News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
MT NEWS:- Egypt's former president, Hosni Mubarak, left prison Thursday for a military hospital where he'll be under house arrest, state-run media outlet Al-Ahram reported.
A court ordered Mubarak released this week, but Egypt's military issued a decree to place Mubarak under house arrest while he awaits a retrial on charges of inciting violence against protesters during the 2011 uprising, Egyptian media reported.
The 85-year-old Mubarak had been held since shortly after he was removed from power in 2011. He was convicted last year on charges of inciting violence against protesters during the popular uprising that led to his ouster.
He was sentenced to life in prison but appealed, and a retrial was granted early this year. Wednesday, the court ordered Mubarak's release because he has been held past the maximum time he can be detained before being convicted.
His release comes as Egypt's interim military government extended its crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood on Thursday, arresting the group's spokesman, state-run television al-Masriya reported.
Ahmed Arif is the latest key member of the group to be taken into custody.
Muslim Brotherhood's spiritual leader is arrested in Egypt
Earlier in the week, the military arrested Mohamed Badie, the group's spiritual leader, and Safwat Hegazy, a preacher and hardline supporter of the movement. They were among about 100 members of the Muslim Brotherhood taken into custody on Tuesday.
President Mohamed Morsy, who was removed from power by the military amid widespread protest over his rule, has been held since early July.
Egypt has been in turmoil since Morsy's removal from office, with the military battling Muslim Brotherhood members and other Morsy supporters.
Life during chaos: Egyptians talk about coping
Over the past week, about 900 people — security personnel as well as citizens — have been killed. The deaths occurred when the military used force to clear two pro-Morsy sit-in sites in Cairo on Wednesday last week and violence raged after pro-Morsy supporters staged demonstrations Friday.
Mubarak's release is an an "extraordinary development" and a "potent symbol," said Robin Wright, a Middle East analyst with the Woodrow Wilson Center.
But the impact could be muted by the long list of worries Egyptians are already dealing with on the ground — violence, curfews, economic woes.
"It may not play as big there as it does here," she said.
Mubarak ruled Egypt, the most populous Arab country, for three decades under an autocratic system marked by widespread human rights abuses. He was forced from power in 2011 after demonstrators opposing his rule took to the streets as part of the Arab Spring revolutions across Africa and the Middle East.
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We\'re live blogging the U.S. stock market\'s action on Tuesday. You can read a wrap of pre-market actions here and get a compact rundown of the stock market in Market Snapshot.
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- Oldest
- Newest
- 9:45 am
- Little changed
- by Victor Reklaitis
- Add a Comment
Good morning.
It's been mixed action and small moves in the early going today.
The S&P 500 and Dow are both down slightly after opening slightly higher.
Dow -0.1%
Nasdaq basically flat
- 9:49 am
- Catalysts
- by Victor Reklaitis
- Add a Comment
This week isn't that heavy on economic news.
On Monday, China provided weaker-than-expected exports data that weighed on stocks worldwide.
Thursday will bring readings on U.S. retail sales and weekly jobless claims.
A bigger catalyst could come next week, when the Fed has its next meeting. Ukraine news also could surprise markets again.
The markets team looked at what's next for markets in this story.
- 10:05 am
- Urban fares worst
- by Victor Reklaitis
- Add a Comment
Urban Outfitters /quotes/zigman/55244/delayed /quotes/nls/urbn URBN is the biggest loser among S&P 500 names, last down about 5% after its quarterly earnings report late Monday.
The retailer had a 9% slide in same-store sales at its namesake unit last quarter.
Analysts had a downbeat outlook on the firm's current quarter, notes MarketWatch's Movers & Shakers column.
"While management is taking steps to correct the issues at Urban, Q1 is likely to experience 'significant downward pressure' on margins as the brand continues to struggle," says a Sterne Agee note quoted in that column.
Photo credit: Bloomberg
- 10:10 am
- Macy's: 'won the battle'
- by Victor Reklaitis
- Add a Comment
Macy's /quotes/zigman/467976/delayed /quotes/nls/m M is one of the best performers today in the S&P 500, last up 2.3%.
Wells Fargo analysts have boosted their rating for the department-store chain to outperform from market perform.
Macy's has "won the battle of the mid-tier department stores, demonstrating the company has the brands consumers want, has leverage with those brands and is nimble with promotions," write the Wells Fargo analysts, according to our Dow Jones colleagues who write a Market Talk column.
The retailer performed "very well…in what was likely one of the most-challenging holiday seasons," the analysts also say.
- 10:26 am
- Fuel-cell stocks flying again
- by Victor Reklaitis
- Add a Comment
Stocks of fuel-cell companies have been on a roll lately, prompting some bubble talk. But it doesn't look like their run is going to end today at least.
FuelCell Energy /quotes/zigman/67190/delayed /quotes/nls/fcel FCEL was last up 16%, while Plug Power /quotes/zigman/5142101/delayed /quotes/nls/plug PLUG gained 6%.
Fuel-cell company stocks like Plug Power Inc. extended their gravity-defying climb Tuesday, says our Movers & Shakers column by Sue Chang and Ben Eisen.
MarketWatch's Claudia Assis has written about how these stocks keep climbing and the bubble talk.
- 10:33 am
- U.S., China divergence
- by Victor Reklaitis
- Add a Comment
Either U.S. stocks need to pull back, or Chinese equities need to get their act together.
That's the suggestion in a Deutsche Bank note out Tuesday in the wake of Monday's disappointing Chinese economic data that weighed on stocks worldwide.
The strategists at the German bank are basically scratching their heads over how U.S. and Chinese stocks have diverged over the past five years.
Read more here.
- 10:36 am
- Nasdaq strengthens
- by Victor Reklaitis
- Add a Comment
About an hour into today's session, the S&P 500 and Dow remain little changed.
At one point, they were both down about 0.1%, and now they're both up about 0.1%.
The Nasdaq is showing the most life so far, and in the last few minutes, the tech-heavy index has rallied to a new session high. It was last up 0.3%.
- 10:42 am
- Nasdaq drivers
- by Victor Reklaitis
- Add a Comment
The big winners today among Nasdaq stocks include Green Mountain /quotes/zigman/54683/delayed GMCR , last up 4%; Catamaran /quotes/zigman/10864950/delayed /quotes/nls/ctrx CTRX , up 2%; and Starbucks /quotes/zigman/20720/delayed /quotes/nls/sbux SBUX , up 1.8%.
There's also Tesla /quotes/zigman/118681/delayed /quotes/nls/tsla TSLA up 1.8%, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals /quotes/zigman/77392/delayed /quotes/nls/regn REGN up 1.7% and heavyweight Apple /quotes/zigman/68270/delayed /quotes/nls/aapl AAPL up 1.4%.
- 10:59 am
- Stocks strengthen
- by Victor Reklaitis
- Add a Comment
Stocks have strengthened in mid-morning action, with the S&P 500 and Dow joining the Nasdasq in achieving fresh session highs.
If these gains stick, the S&P 500 will have a new record close, topping Friday's record close of 1,878.04.
Overall, the gains are still modest.
Dow +0.2%
Nasdaq +0.4%
- 11:06 am
- Economic reports
- by Anora Mahmudova
- Add a Comment
Among economic reports, job openings, also knows as JOLTS, rose to 3.97 million in January. More openings mean higher demand for workers. This particular report is important because Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen pays close attention to it.
Wholesale inventories rose in January, while wholesale sales fell. Rising inventories, tied in part to weather-related shipping snags, are a rising threat to economic growth.
Earlier, a survey of small businesses released before the market open was not very encouraging, as the gauge on sentiment for February fell by more than expected.
Stocks seem to have found a direction despite conflicting data and they are moving higher.
- 11:08 am
- Apple upgrade
- by Victor Reklaitis
- Add a Comment
Apple's /quotes/zigman/68270/delayed /quotes/nls/aapl AAPL 1.4% advance today, noted earlier in the post about Nasdaq drivers, comes after an upgrade from Pacific Crest analyst Andy Hargreaves.
MarketWatch's Rex Crum writes:
"Hargreaves raised his rating on Apple to outperform from sector perform and set a price target of $635 on the company's stock. In a research note, Hargreaves said he expects iPhone replacement rates to remains stable and the likely introduction later this year of a so-called iPhone 6 should help Apple's stock price increase."
Rex also has been writing about iOS 7.1 and Apple's new effort inside automobiles: CarPlay.
Credit for the CarPlay photo: Apple
- 11:14 am
- More on that Deutsche Bank note
- by Victor Reklaitis
- Add a Comment
As mentioned in our post at 10:33 a.m. Eastern, Deutsche Bank strategists appear to be scratching their heads over the divergence shown by U.S. and Chinese stocks over the past five years.
Perhaps those strategists should read this blog post from a few months ago by Eddy Elfenbein over at Crossing Wall Street: The Economy and the Stock Market Aren't the Same.
- 11:21 am
- J.C. Penney - an American comeback story?
- by Anora Mahmudova
- Add a Comment
Shares in J.C. Penney Co /quotes/zigman/237947/delayed /quotes/nls/jcp JCP jumped nearly 10% after an analyst at Citigroup called it an American comeback story and upgraded the stock to buy from neutral. MarketWatch's Andria Cheng writes the reasoning behind such an upgrade.
- 11:38 am
- Gold gains
- by Anora Mahmudova
- Add a Comment
The stock market is trading higher but in an narrow range. Meanwhile, gold price briefly touched $1,350, but settled 0.3% higher at $1,346. For more on precious metals, read our regular column.
- 11:47 am
- Indexes dip into red
- by Anora Mahmudova
- Add a Comment
The Dow and S&P 500 just turned negative and Nasdaq is heading there as well. It is unclear what triggered the selling.
Dow -0.1%
Nasdaq +0.1%
- 12:00 pm
- MCD: investors are lovin' it
- by Anora Mahmudova
- Add a Comment
After getting scant investor reaction yesterday from February sales data, McDonald's is up strongly today amid a conference presentation by CFO Pete Bensen, write our colleagues at Dow Jones Market Talk column.
During it, he reiterates the company's push to "stabilize" its US operation, which has now logged 4 straight months of falling same-store sales from a year earlier. Beyond focusing on core menu items like the Big Mac, fries and nuggets, Bensen says there will be "improved advertising that better connects with customers and drives incremental visits." But stabilization is also the word for 2 of the world's other biggest economies–Germany and Japan, where MCD is also seeing falling traffic levels. For now, investors are lovin' it; shares rise 3.8% to $98.82.
- 12:15 pm
- Apple upgraded ahead of iPhone 6
- by Sue Chang
- Add a Comment
Apple Inc.'s /quotes/zigman/68270/delayed /quotes/nls/aapl AAPL stock was bumped up to outperform from sector perform with a price target of $635 at Pacific Crest Securities on Tuesday. Analyst Andy Hargreaves wrote:
Ongoing cash production should limit downside in AAPL, while the potential for a higher-priced iPhone 6 could renew growth in F2015 and drive AAPL above $600.
Shares of Apple rose 1.4% as of mid-day Tuesday.
- 12:38 pm
- MarketWatch Radio newscast
- by Anora Mahmudova
- Add a Comment
A long merger fight is over between men's clothiers. J.C. Penney gets a vote of confidence. Adrienne Mitchell reports.
Jos. A. Bank Clotheirs /quotes/zigman/56759/delayed /quotes/nls/josb JOSB up 3.5%,
Men's Wearhouse /quotes/zigman/233713/delayed /quotes/nls/mw MW up 5.5%.
J.C. Penney /quotes/zigman/237947/delayed /quotes/nls/jcp JCP up8.3%
- 12:49 pm
- Boeing under pressure
- by Sue Chang
- Add a Comment
Boeing Co. /quotes/zigman/220026/delayed /quotes/nls/ba BA shares remained under pressure in the wake of a Wall Street Journal report last week that the airplane manufacturer is inspecting several of its Dreamliner airplanes for hairline cracks caused by a manufacturing flaw.
Coincidentally, Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 that went missing en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur was a Boeing 777-200, adding to the bearish sentiment surrounding the name.
Boeing's stock is off less than 0.1% to $126.78, trimming earlier losses.
- 1:08 pm
- Winners and losers of the bull market
- by Anora Mahmudova
- Add a Comment
As the bull market in U.S. stocks enters its sixth year, MarketWatch has taken a look back at how individual stocks in the S&P 500 index performed over the past five years.
Nearly half of the 500 stocks outperformed the index's gains over the past 5 years, writes Tom Bemis.
- 1:20 pm
- '5 reason stocks will fall'
- by Anora Mahmudova
- Add a Comment
As stocks extend losses, we thought we'd point you to another opinion advising to lighten exposure to stocks.
MarketWatch's Irwin Kellner gives five reasons why stocks will fall.
- 2:14 pm
- Plug Power loses steam
- by Anora Mahmudova
- Add a Comment
Fuel-cell supplier Plug Power's strong rally lost steam with the stock down about 25% . Plug Power has risen steeply since announcing last week that it won a contract to work with six distribution centers for Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
Shares plunged after Andrew Left of Citron Research came out and said Plug Power the stock price would be fairly valued at 50 cents.
"It's a casino stock, the lowest form of speculative moonshot," Left said in a note Tuesday.
"There are no profits, no unique technology, and the end of government subsidies looms," he added.
- 2:36 pm
- Stocks at session lows
- by Anora Mahmudova
- Add a Comment
Stocks are at fresh session lows.
SPX /quotes/zigman/3870025/realtime SPX -0.5%
DJIA /quotes/zigman/627449/realtime DJIA -0.4%
COMP /quotes/zigman/12633936/realtime COMP -0.6%
- 3:16 pm
- Energy and Materials lead losses
- by Anora Mahmudova
- Add a Comment
Energy and materials stocks are leading broad-bases losses on the S&P 500
Pioneer Natural Resrouces -3.7%
WPX Energy -2.9%
Anadarko Petroleum -2.7%
- 3:29 pm
- James Bryce: 'Risk levels are high'
- by Anora Mahmudova
- Add a Comment
James Bryce, president of Smart Portfolios, thinks the stock market is ripe for a correction:
At current levels, the S&P 500 is very expensive – no matter what measure you choose, PE, price-to-book, price-to-cashflow.
Technical indicators are high. Markets have a tendency to revert to their mean and eventually will fall towards the 200-moving-day average.
Volatility has been low for a long time letting markets move ever higher – near-30% gain last year was spectacular, mostly thanks to Federal Reserve. But once volatility starts rising, which it has, markets will fall.
That takes to the elevated risk region. The S&P 500 is at a very high risk of experiencing a meaningful correction.
- 3:42 pm
- Fannie, Freddie shares plunge
- by Anora Mahmudova
- Add a Comment
Common shares of federally controlled mortgage buyers Fannie Mae /quotes/zigman/226360/delayed /quotes/nls/fnma FNMA and Freddie Mac /quotes/zigman/226335/delayed /quotes/nls/fmcc FMCC were recently off more than 20% each, hours after U.S. lawmakers released a blueprint on Tuesday for a housing-finance reform proposal.
Both stocks gained more than 1,000% over the past 12 months.
- 3:44 pm
- Market update
- by Anora Mahmudova
- Add a Comment
About 15 minutes before the market close, stocks are on track to end the day with losses.
- 3:51 pm
- Nasdaq down for 4th day
- by Victor Reklaitis
- Add a Comment
The Nasdasq is on pace for its fourth straight down day.
It hasn't endured a four-day losing streak since August.
- 4:00 pm
- Today's drivers
- by Victor Reklaitis
- Add a Comment
As noted in our post at 3:16 p.m. Eastern, energy and materials have led the way lower for the S&P 500.
It could be that traders are "unable to fully shake off worries about a slowdown in China's economy," as our energy column puts it.
Here's some commentary on China on Twitter:
FXI (China), EEM (EM), and RSX (Russia) all led us lower – all trying to bounce on the EU Close right now.
— Dave Lutz (@macrolutzie) March 11, 2014
Beyond China and materials/energy, worries about ongoing Ukraine tensions also have gotten blamed for today's modest selling.
There wasn't a really clear message in today's U.S. economic reports. One strategist quoted in our Market Snapshot column said traders are "confused" after getting conflicting sets of data.
- 4:00 pm
- The close!
- by Victor Reklaitis
- Add a Comment
Dow -0.4%
Nasdaq -0.6%
The S&P 500 and Dow both fell for the second day in a row, while the Nasdaq has now slipped for four straight days — something it hadn't done since August.
- 4:18 pm
- Awaiting catalysts
- by Victor Reklaitis
- Add a Comment
After a record close on Friday (jobs report day), the S&P 500 has dipped the past two days, catching its breath in a way.
There's been a lack of big positive catalysts in the last couple of sessions.
That's left analysts like CMC Markets' Colin Cieszynski to write things like: "…traders continue to digest all the economic numbers that have come out over the last week and await new catalysts."
- 4:23 pm
- That's all, folks
- by Victor Reklaitis
- Add a Comment
VeriFone /quotes/zigman/365296/delayed /quotes/nls/pay PAY is up after hours following its earnings report.
MarketWatch's After Hours column will have details on that shortly, along with info on other late movers.
This live blog is wrapping up. Thanks for checking it out today.
To get your live blog fix, head over to our coverage of Jeff Gundlach's presentation of his markets outlook. We also have been live blogging a Bill Ackman webcast.
Credit for Gundlach photo: Bloomberg


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Housing Market Information Portal
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The electronic editions of CMHC's standardized national suite of publications are now free. Clients can view, print, download or subscribe to future editions of CMHC's popular Housing Market Outlook, Housing Now, and Rental Market series of reports, as well as a number of other statistical reports and tables. Choose a sub-category from the left sidemenu to see the reports in your area of interest. Download or subscribe for free to popular editions of CMHC's statistical reports and data tables such as: Housing Market Outlook, Housing Now and Rental Market Reports.
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Take control of a U.S. naval fleet to wage war against an unknown alien force. Secure the seas before it's too late with real-time strategy. This is your fleet. These are your forces. This is our fate.


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A couple of weeks ago, I found some heirloom carrots at the St. Lawrence Market. These carrots were purple on the outside, orange on the inside and very sweet. I thought that I would make a carrot cake and knew exactly which recipe I would use - one from Baking Illustrated. I like this recipe because the emphasis is on the carrot. I find that I am often a purist. This cake has no walnuts, raisins, pineapple, coconut or any of the usual pairings. It is simply carrots with a hint of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Served with cream cheese frosting, this cake is a winner.
* Note: If you decide to use purple heirloom carrots, as I did, the batter of your carrot cake will be purple. However, once it bakes no one will ever know they are eating purple carrot cake!
Carrot Cake
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1 pound carrots, peeled (6-7 medium carrots)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups safflower, canola or vegetable oil
Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz cream cheese
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1 Tbsp sour cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups confectioner's sugar
1. For the Cake: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position; heat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a 13 by 9 - inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and spray the parchment.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
3. In a food processor fitted with the large shredding disk, shred the carrots (you should have about 3 cups); add the carrots to the bowl with the dry ingredients and set aside. Wipe out the food processor and fit with the metal blade. Process both sugars with the eggs until frothy and throughly combined, about 20 seconds. With the machine running, add the oil through the feed tube in a steady stream. Process until the mixture is light in colour and well emulsified, about 20 seconds longer. Scrape the mixture into a large bowl. Stir in the carrots and the dry ingredients until incorporated and no streaks of flour remain. Pour into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick or a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan from front to back halfway through the baking time. Cool the cake to room temperature in the pan or on a wire rack, about 2 hours.
4. For the Frosting: When the cake is cool, process the cream cheese, butter, sour cream, and vanilla in a clean food processor until combined, about 5 seconds, scraping down the work bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the confectioner's sugar and process until smooth, about 10 seconds.
5. Run a paring knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Invert the cake onto a wire rack, peel off the parchment, then invert it again onto a serving platter. Using an offset spatula, spread the frosting evenly over the surface of the cake. Cut into squares and serve.
From, Baking Illustrated, Edited by Christopher Kimball


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Buy Online @ JDMUltimate.com
Advanced Clutch Technology (ACT) has released new high performance clutch kits and components for later Porsche 911 Pull Type applications.
ACT's new clutch kit for the Porsche 911 feature a Heavy Duty or Xtreme Pressure Plate that incorporates hardened diaphragm fingers for decreased wear, a CNC machined forged cover and provides a 20% to 88% increase in clamp force over the stock unit.
The ACT Street Clutch Kit combines the Heavy Duty or Xtreme Pressure Plate and a Performance Organic Street Disc, a disc that features special performance organic friction materials to withstand increased heat and abuse, steel backed linings for high burst strength and modifications engineered for quicker shifting. The ACT Street Clutch Kit provides a moderate and consistent pedal feel, smooth engagement, significantly improved durability and increases the torque capacity of either 689 or 787 ft. lbs of torque depending on your pressure plate selection.
ACT Race Clutch Kits will hold either 882 or 1008 ft. lbs. of torque depending upon your pressure plate selection. Cerametallic Xtreme Discs are available in a 6 puck unsprung hub design and are very durable while allowing for quick shifting. The Xtreme Discs are for high power engines and recommended for track use only.
ACT clutches deliver the maximum holding power by applying a series of sound engineering advancements to new (not rebuilt) components which maximizes load and reduces flex. The result is maximum torque capacity, long life and clean, fast shifting.
Buy Online @ JdmUltimate


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From the Manufacturer's Label:
Stay active with a cup of Green Tea Muscle Recovery. Our satisfying blend starts with gently stimulating and antioxidant-rich Green Tea and combines it with traditional soothing herbs such as Organic Turmeric Root. So get invigorated, be energized, and stay active with Green Tea Muscle Recovery!


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Small bag with shoulder strap
The new petite Scuderia Ferrari bag is dedicated to Ferrari lovers who love to add a pinch of passion with their accessories.
With its compact and well-proportioned design, this new Scuderia Ferrari bag features an attractive rounded shape. It has a practical external pocket and a main compartment complete with two-way zip. The adjustable shoulder strap is also very practical. The small bag showcases the Ferrari Shield, while the Puma logo appears on the metal zip pulls.
- Removable shoulder strap
- External pocket
- Two-way zip
- Composition: 100% Polyurethane
We offer Standard, Express and Next Day shipping: choose the service that best meets your needs at Checkout.
We also provide free pick up for your returns: you have 15 days from delivery to follow our quick and easy return procedure.


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Toby Keith's Golf Classic Raises Nearly $1 Million
Toby Keith devoted a full weekend to his 11th annual Toby Keith & Friends Golf Classic, and his efforts paid off, literally. The event raised $950,000, benefiting pediatric cancer patients and their families.
The golf classic took place May 16-17, and included a golf tournament with 44 participating teams, dinner, musical event, and silent action. 800 guests attended the event, and top bids included $52,000 for dinner with Keith at the OK Kids Korral, a $37,500 bull elk hunt at Express UU Bar Ranch, $35,000 toward an Arnold Palmer/Jack Nicklaus Memorabilia piece, and a Toby Keith Behind the Scenes Experience for $30,000.
All proceeds from the event benefit the Toby Keith Foundation, whose mission seeks to encourage the health and happiness of pediatric cancer patients, primarily through its work with the OK Kids Korral -- a cost-free, comfortable, and hopeful home for patients and their families seeking treatment at the Children's Hospital at OU Medical Center. Keith likens the state-of-the-art facility to "Ritz Carlton meets Disney World."
The 'Drinks After Work' singer is notably proud about the OK Kids Korral, which opened November 2013. "It was a calling by God for me," the country superstar says. "I've got my foundation, I've raised money, now what am I going to do with it. You need a calling, you know? This place was built with that kind of love."
Keith is staying busy this summer, and may not have much time to hit the greens. He's releasing 'Five Rounds,' which features album releases from 2008-2012, on June 11 and is currently touring on his Shut Up and Hold On Tour, which kicked off May 25.


text: Desperate times breed innovative ideas. That's what happened on the job front in the Los Angeles area when two things happened a few years back: after 40-50 years of traffic gridlock, Los Angeles County residents finally voted to pay for the rail lines through the county. The initiative, called Measure R, required support from two-thirds of the voters. It passed with flying colors.


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When I was a boy, I was always the dirtiest kid on a camping trip. I was the one that searched through the forest for scraps of wood and pinecones to feed the campfire. I then spent the rest of the evening making sure the fire stayed lit.
I was also the one that the smoke gravitated to no matter where I sat. My friend Eric calls this "riding the dragon," and that's the person you want to sit farthest from.
Maybe this is why the family gave me a backyard fire pit for Father's Day. Or, maybe my wife was taking notes every time she noticed me coveting our neighbor's fire pit whenever they have us over for cocktails.
Take a little kindling, throw in some wadded-up newspaper, a few, long burning pieces of wood and set it ablaze. Poke it occasionally with a stick to stir up the hot coals, maybe squirt it with lighter fluid once in a while just for fun, and you've got a great source for making s'mores, lively exchanges and cozy canoodling.
Turn your back for too long, though, get complacent, and the fire dies. Or, worse yet, get one of those boring, chemical-laced, faux wood byproduct logs from the supermarket and pretend it's a real campfire.
There is a marriage between man and flame. And that union needs tending.
My wife and I recently celebrated our anniversary, and she gave me a great gift. Last week we got our passports stamped, visas processed and jumped on a shuttle to the Hollywood Bowl for date night. You wouldn't believe what suburbanites have to do before they're allowed to go "over the hill" for a little entertainment.
With 17,000 of our closest friends, we streamed into the bowl to see Sting accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra. I haven't been to a large venue concert since Bush was in the White House. Bush Sr. Thankfully, my wife keeps me up to speed on what's current in the arts and culture these days. Whenever I tell her "I'm still jiggy with it," she just rolls her eyes and sighs deeply.
The civilized, strictly older than 35 crowd was equipped with Williams-Sonoma picnic baskets, sipping fine wines from plastic cups. They enjoyed their takeout paninis from Patina, bento boxes from Maison Akira and Raspberry Marzipan Tarts from Sweet Lady Jane. When Sting took the stage, rather than rushing to form a mosh pit at his feet, the audience applauded, energetically though politely, and stayed in their seats.
I usually don't like it when people mess with the classics, when they take something from our collective memory that is unchanging, true and delicious, and destroy it by reconstructing it. Gene Wilder will forever be the only Willy Wonka; Madonna had no business driving her Chevy to the levee; and we did not need a fourth Indiana Jones, let alone a third.
Having grown up as a fan of The Police and later the solo Sting, I was skeptical of having "Roxanne," "Every Breath You Take" and "Message in a Bottle" tampered with. But, as I am always trying to remind myself, looking at the world with a different perspective can sometimes yield a brilliant result. Hearing Sting's greatest hits with that orchestra was just that. Brilliant. It was as if these songs were created to be performed this way.
For two hours we rocked and rolled, clapped and cheered as the night grew cool and dark. People actually ceased texting, e-mailing and checking the Lakers score. Instead of lighters, their raised cell phone screens dotted the stands, illuminating the darkness like digital fireflies.
When the concert was over, we joined the rivers of people slowly waddling out of the stands inch by inch. We resembled teams of emperor penguins shuffling to their breeding grounds cradling an egg on our feet. But even these crowds couldn't dampen the night.
Unlike the concerts of my youth, there was only the faintest hint of cannabis in the air; sadly not enough for an accidental contact high. So I knew it was something else that made the night so special. Maybe it was the music, the trip down memory lane or the simple fact that the kids were sleeping safely at Grandma's house. Probably all of that.
But mostly it was taking time out with that someone special to stoke the campfire. As Sting so aptly points out, every little thing she does is magic.
PATRICK CANEDAY can't clap and sing at the same time. He may be reached on Facebook, at http://www.patrickcaneday.com and email@example.com.


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INDEPENDENCE, Kan. — The first production unit of Cessna's newest business jet, the Citation M2, took its maiden flight Aug. 23 out of the company's Independence, Kan., facility.
The M2 was announced in September of 2011 with a design driven by customer and pilot feedback. It is the latest in a succession of new Cessna aircraft to make its initial production flight. Type certification is expected this fall, according to company officials.
"The aircraft performed exceptionally well today," said Cessna production flight test pilot Terry Martindale. "We departed Independence and proceeded to an altitude of 17,500 feet. Through the almost two-hour flight, we completed a large portion of the production test flight procedures. This is the first aircraft equipped with the Garmin G3000 avionics, and the system goes beyond what people might be expecting in terms of familiarity, versatility, situational awareness and ease of use. You can sense that pilots designed the cockpit. Everything is where you need it to be."
The co-pilot on the mission was Cessna engineering test pilot Corey Eckhart.
The Citation M2, which can seat up to six, features two Williams FJ44 engines and a cruising speed of up to 400 ktas (460 mph). The M2 has the range to fly nonstop from Houston, Texas to New York, N.Y., Calgary, Alberta to Chicago, Ill., or San Diego, Calif., to Mexico City, Mexico. The M2 can climb to a flight level of 41,000 feet in 24 minutes, is single pilot certified and has a useful load of 3,809 lbs.
For more information: Cessna.com


text:
About This Document
This document instructs operators to expand capacity for the OceanStor 5300 V3/5500 V3/5600 V3/5800 V3/6800 V3 storage system from the perspectives of capacity expansion process, planning, and implementation.
Intended Audience
This document is intended for:
- Technical support engineers
- Maintenance engineers
Symbol Conventions
The symbols that may be found in this document are defined as follows.
Indicates an imminently hazardous situation which, if not avoided, will result in death or serious injury.
Indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, could result in death or serious injury.
Indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, may result in minor or moderate injury.
Indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, could result in equipment damage, data loss, performance deterioration, or unanticipated results.
NOTICE is used to address practices not related to personal injury.
Calls attention to important information, best practices and tips.
NOTE is used to address information not related to personal injury, equipment damage, and environment deterioration.
Change History
Changes between document issues are cumulative. The latest document issue contains all the changes made in earlier issues.
Issue 14 (2018-12-30)
This is the fourteenth official release.
- Updated Using SmartKit to Expand Controllers.
- Updated Expanding a LUN on an Application Server in AIX.
Issue 13 (2018-08-30)
This is the thirteenth official release.
- Added Mappings Between SAS Ports and Loop IDs.
- Added Procedure for Expanding Controllers.
- Optimized some descriptions.
Issue 12 (2018-05-30)
This is the twelfth official release.
Optimized some descriptions.
Issue 11 (2018-05-15)
This is the eleventh official release.
- Added Performing the Pre-expansion Evaluation.
- Added Expand Disks Using SmartKit.
- Added Expand Disk Enclosures Using SmartKit.
- Added Expand Links Using SmartKit.
- Updated Using SmartKit to Expand Controllers.
Issue 10 (2018-02-05)
This is the tenth official release.
Updated the max number of disk enclosures connected to back-end channels.
Issue 09 (2017-11-30)
This is the ninth official release.
Optimized the description of 8 Gbit/s Fibre Channel interface module as 8 Gbit/s Fibre Channel interface module (4 ports).
Issue 08 (2017-10-30)
This is the eighth official release.
- Optimized the content about capacity used by hot spare space.
- Added the rule that the RAID policy is set to RAID 6 when the capacity tier consists of NL-SAS disks in section Planning Capacity Expansion.
- Added a warning about responsibility ownership and risks of capacity expansion in section Expanding LUN Capacity.
Issue 07 (2017-07-20)
This is the seventh official release.
- Optimized the description in section Performing the Pre-expansion Check.
- Added precautions in section Adding Controllers.
Issue 06 (2017-05-10)
This is the sixth official release. The updates are as follows:
- Added It is recommended that the capacity of added disks is the same as that of disks in the storage layer that requires capacity expansion.
- Added How to expand the capacity of a LUN used in the HyperMetro feature.
- Added Before adding controllers, ask Huawei technical support engineers to apply for a spare controller in advance and bring it to the site. in Making Capacity Expansion Plans.
Issue 05 (2017-03-27)
This is the fifth official release.
Updated the supported maximum number of high-density disk enclosures.
Issue 04 (2016-11-20)
This is the fourth official release.
- Content about the OceanStor 2800 V3 is deleted from OceanStor 2800 V3&5300 V3&5500 V3&5600 V3&5800 V3&6800 V3 Storage System V300R003 Capacity Expansion Guide and the manual is renamed as OceanStor 5300 V3&5500 V3&5600 V3&5800 V3&6800 V3 Storage System V300R003 Capacity Expansion Guide.
- Added hardware deployment in Expanding the System Capacity.
- Added Adding Controllers.
- Optimized Expanding Capacity Using Commands.
Issue 03 (2016-07-25)
This is the third official release.
Optimized some description.
Issue 02 (2016-04-30)
This is the second official release.
Added the description of controller expansion and exceptional rollback of the 2800 V3 storage system.
Issue 01 (2015-12-10)
This is the first official release.