SPECIMEN STUDY

1. FUNARIA

Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Bryophyta
Class: Bryopsida
Family: Funariaceae
Genus: Funaria
1. Funaria is a widely distributed moss. There are about 117 species of
Funaria. It is found in moist habitat such as in the moist wall, tree trunk,
rock, soil etc.
2. The gametophytic plant is dominant, erect and differentiated into rhizoid,
axis, and leaf. It grows up to 1 to 3 cm length.
3. Rhizoids develop from the basal region of the axis. They help in fixation
and absorption of water and minerals.
4. Mosses are bisexual. The same plant bears the female reproductive organ
(archegonia) and male reproductive organ (antheridia).
5. Mosses reproduce in a unique way. The first generation moss, the
gametophyte, produces a sperm and an egg that come together and grow
into the next generation sporophyte. The female branch of the older moss
plants bears the sporophyte that has no chlorophyll and lives on a
gametophyte.
6. The sporophyte dries and releases spores that grow into a new generation
of gametophytes. The sporophyte is the organ for asexual reproduction
and consists of a foot, seta and capsule. The capsule is a beak like
structure found on top of a thin stalk and produces the spores. Mosses
show alternation of generation between gametophytic and sporophytic
generations though the plant has a gametophyte dominant cycle.

2.MARCHANTIA

Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Marchantiophyta
Order: Marchantiales
Family: Marchantiaceae
Genus: Marchantia
1. All species are terrestrial and cosmopolitan in distribution. The
species prefer to grow in moist and shady places like wet open
woodlands, banks of streams, wood rocks .
2. The plant body is gametophytic, thalloid, flat, prostrate, plagiotropic,
2-10 cm. long and dichotomously branched
3. The thalli with gemma cups are found throughout the year. After
falling on a suitable substratum gemmae germinate.
4. Sexual reproductive structures are borne on special Stalked structures
called gametophores or gamctangiophores. The gametophores bearing
archegonia are called archegoniophores and that bearing antheridia are
called antheridiophores

3.SYCON
Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Porifera

Family: Sycettidae

Genus: Sycon

1. It is solitary or colonial marine sponge found attached to the rocks in

shallow waters.
2. It has a vase-shaped cylindrical body measuring about 20-30 mm in
length.
3. Each cylinder opens to the exterior by an osculum.
4. Body surface contains numerous pores called ostia or incurrent
pores.
5. Sycon, like all other sponges, possesses the characteristic
anatomical peculiarity—the canal system. It permeates the
body with water channels.Water reaches to spongocoel through
the gastral ostia and passes out by osculum.
6. The spongocoel is lined by a layer of flattened endodermal cells,
Radial canals are lined by peculiar collar cells, each having a long
whip-like flagellum. These cells are called the choanocytes or collar
cells or gastral cells
4.SPONGILLA
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Porifera
Family: Spongillidae
Genus: Spongilla
1. Abundantly found in ponds, lakes and slow stream growing on
submerged sticks and plants.
2. Colony is profusely branched exhibiting various shades of green
colour due to the presence of zoochlorellae a green alga in the tissues.
3. Body wall consists of very thin dermal membrane provided with
dermal pores of ostia and several oscula.

5. PHYSALIA

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Family: Physaliidae
Genus: Physalia
1. The Portuguese man-of-war is a floating hydrozoan colony
consisting of 4 types of polyps. The pneumatophore functions as
the float, dactylozooids function as tentacles, gastrozooids function
as feeding zooids, and gonozooids produce gametes for
reproduction.
2. The Portuguese man-of-war has two types of stinging cnidocyte
cells used to obtain food with the help of the tentacles. Food
sources usually consist of fish fry and small adult fish as well as
small crustaceans. Sensory cells are numerous and located in the
epidermis of the tentacles and the region around the mouth.
3. Movement of the Portuguese man-of-war is done passively with
the aid of its gas-filled float. The reproduction of the Portuguese
man-of-war is based on the colony of unisexual organisms, with
each individual having specific gonozooids.
4. The name comes from the uppermost polyp, a gas filled bladder, or
pneumatophore, which sits above the water and somewhat looks
like an old warship at full sail.
5. The sting of Physalia physalis causes severe pain, skin lacerations,
convulsions, respiratory distress and in some cases death. The
sting remains potent even after death and the tentacles should
not be touched. Portuguese man of war are carnivorous feeding
mainly on small crustaceans and larval fish .