Pteridophytes

Biol102 Lecture
Content
• Characteristics of seedless vascular plants
• Life cycle of a fern
• Classification of seedless vascular plants
• Vascular system
• Evolution of roots and leaves
Sources of information
• OpenStax Biology 2e Chapter 25
(on Learn 2023)
• Chapter 29- Campbell et al., 202.
A Global Approach, Pearson
etext
Recap- Bryophytes
• Lack of vascular tissue.
• No true roots, stems, or leaves (because no vascular tissue)
• Leaf-like/stem-like parts – photosynthesis.
• Root-like structures called rhizoids – grip substrate (do not
conduct water).
• Live in moist areas, water moves over the whole surface of
the plant body, absorbed directly from the surroundings.
• Water distributed to plant body by diffusion
• Lack of woody tissue, cannot grow tall (1-2 cm), spongy
mats, tight clumps.
• Life cycle: alternation of generations. The gametophyte is
dominant and the sporophyte is small and depends on the
gametophyte.
• Flagellated sperm require water to reach eggs.
Seedless vascular plants
• Bryophytes were prominent types of
vegetation during the first 100
million years
• Earliest fossils of vascular plants date
to 425million years ago
• Vascular tissue allowed these plants
to grow tall
• Seedless vascular plants have
flagellated sperm and
• are usually restricted to moist
environments
Origins of Vascular Plants Sporangia

Early vascular plants:

Dichotomous
• naked stems branching
• vascularized
• dichotomous branching
• no roots or leaves
• no flowers or fruits
• reproduce by spores
• e.g. extinct Rhynia Rhizome
Rhizoides

Diploid sporophytes of Rhynia - Now-extinct phylum Rhyniophyta

Fern
(Pteridophytes)
• Ferns and other seedless
plants were the first plants to
grow tall.
• Lack seeds
• Have well developed vascular
system for conducting water,
minerals and photosynthetic
products
Traits of vascular plants: Xylem and Phloem

Vascular plants have two types of vascular tissue:

• Xylem conducts most of the water and minerals

• Phloem consists of living cells and distributes sugars, amino acids,

and other organic products

• Vascular tissue allowed for increased height, which provided an

evolutionary advantage
Traits of vascular plants: Roots

• Roots are vascularized organs that anchor vascular

plants

• They enable vascular plants to absorb water and

nutrients from the soil

• Roots may have evolved from subterranean stems

(rhizomes)
• The oldest lycophyte fossil had simple roots 400 million
years ago.
Traits of vascular plants: Leaves

• Leaves are vascularized organs that:

• Increase the surface of vascular plants, thereby
capturing more solar energy for photosynthesis

• Leaves are categorized by two types:

• Microphylls with a single vein
• Megaphylls with a branched vascular system

• First “true” leaves in seedless vascular plants

Evolution of leaves
• Leaves are categorised into two
types:
• Microphylls,
• Megaphylls
Ferns (Pteridophytes)
• Vascular tissue: xylem (conduct water and minerals)
• phloem (distribute sugar, amino acids, and other organic products).
• Have stems, roots and leaves.
• Can grow tall.
• Sporophyte generation dominant and independent of gametophyte
• Produce spores rather than seeds – spores released from sori
(sporangia) on the underside of sporophyte fronds
• Hhomosporous but some are heterosporous
Pteridophytes continued…
Special adaptations for water retention…
• Protective, waxy cuticle containing
wax and, to prevent attack by
pathogens

• The surface of fronds possesses

stomata – pores that are able to
open and close. Allow gaseous
exchange while conserving water
• Apical meristems: helps in the
growth and the elongation of root
and shoot
Life Cycles in vascular plants

• In seedless vascular plants

sporophytes are the dominant,
larger generation Sporophyte depends on
gametophyte for nutrients and
water

• Gametophytes are tiny plants

Diploid sporophyte

fertilization meiosis

Haploid gametophyte Spores released

germinate into
Sperm reach eggs by gametophyte
moving through water
 prothallus (vegetative structure of
gametophyte)

archegonium (reproductive structure that

contains the haploid egg)

antheridium (reproductive structure that

contains the haploid sperm)

rhizoids (for anchorage)

gametophyte

17
Sporophylls and spore variation
• Sporophylls are modified leaves
with sporangia
• Sori are clusters of sporangia on sori
sorus
the undersides of sporophylls
• Stobilli cone-like structures sporangia
formed from a group of
sporophylls
Life Cycle of Ferns: Sorus, a cluster of sporangia (~1 mm diam.)
Fern Megaphylls: Sporophylls and Trophophylls

Sporophylls are modified leaves with sporangia

Sori on regular leaves Specialized leaves

Life Cycle of Ferns: Underside of fern sporophyll with sori (clusters of sporangia)
Classification of seedless vascular plants
• There are two clades of seedless
vascular
• plants
• Phylum Lycophyta includes club
mosses, spike mosses, and
quillworts
• Phylum Monilophyta includes
ferns, horsetails, and whisk ferns
and their relatives
Late Carboniferous Landscape (360-286 mya)
– Tropical swamps were dominated by lycophyte trees

Warm climate

Giant club mosses

(40 m!)

Rise and fall of the sea level Dead trees compressed to form coal
• Division: Lycophyta
• The main plant body is the sporophyte
• Consist of a branching rhizome
• Living lycophytes are small herbaceous
plants
• Small leaves – microphylls
• Microphylls bear sporangia (sporophylls)

• Club mosses and spike mosses have

vascular tissues and are not true
mosses
• Heterosporous e.g. Selaginella
• Division:
Sphenophyta strobili
- Horsetails.
- Peaked in Carboniferous
- Grow up to 15 m tall.
- Today only a single genus, Figure 6.1 Equisetum sp. (strobili)

Equisetum.
- Microphylls in whorls at nodes of
sterile stems.
- Homosporous

Figure 6.2 Equisetum sp. (microphylls)

• Division:
Pteridophyta
- Devonian, still alive today,
>20,000 species.
- Herbaceous, tree-like, aquatics
and epiphytes.
- Large leaves - megaphylls.
- Homosporous.
Phylum Monilophyta - Filicales

• Fern leaf: frond

•Development of leaves:

- Fiddlehead

- Leaf uncoils from the bottom to its top

Phylum Monilophyta - Equisetales , Horsetails

1 recent widespread genus - Equistetum (Equisetaceae)

Phylum Monilophyta – Equisetum arvense, field horsetail

Microphylls
in whorls

Jointed, hollow,
rough stems

Vegetative stem

Strobilus on
fertile stem

Nodes

Internodes
Adaptations of Seedless Vascular Plants for Life on Land

1. Long-lived spores (survive

drying out)

2. Waterproof cuticle (waxy layer

on leaves)

3. Vascular tissue

4. Apical meristem for growth

and complex tissues

5. Short-lived small gametophyte

generation, dominant
sporophyte
 Animation: Fern Life Cycle

© 2018 Pearson Education Ltd.

Terminology
• Sporophyte
• Gametophyte
• Meiosis
• Mitosis
• Diploid
• Haploid
• Sori
• Sporangium
• Spores
• Prothallus
• Antheridium
• Archegonia