Embryophytes Flashcards
Archegonium and antheridium
The egg is protected in the specialised structure, archegonium.
The sperm are produced and protected in the antheridium.
Three lineages of bryophytes and characteristics of bryophytes.
Hornworts, liverworts, mosses (liverworts and mosses are always sisters).
- non-vascular, absorb water over body surface
- small plants that inhabit moist environment
- young sporophyte (diploid) depends on gametophyte (haploid) for nutrition and water
Structures of liverworts
- leafy (not actual leaf) or thallose (flat sheets)
- specialised hairs (paraphyses) do not occur amongst archegonia and antheridia
- capsule lacks stomata (pores always open), operculum, peristome and calyptra
- have elators (spring-like structures which assist in spore dispersal) among spores
Structures of mosses
- leafy gametophyte
- rhizoids are multicellular, leaves usually have a costa
- paraphyses (filament-like structures) present amongst archegonia and antheridia
- have capsule (may have stomata), calyptra and operculum, not all have peristome
- conducting tissue: hydroids (move water) and leptoids (move photosynthate)
Structures of hornworts
- thallose gametophyte, rhizoids are unicellular
- cells within thallus have large chloroplast with a pyrenoid (structure associated with chloroplast in algae, that grabs CO2)
- sex organs embedded in thallus
- sporophytes lack a seta; capsule forms tall cylindrical structure with stomata and lacks operculum, peristome and calyptra
- pseudoelators are present amongst the spores
Polysporangiophytes and their features
Includes all land plants except bryophytes.
- have branched sporophytes (bryophytes sporophytes are unbranched), in which each branch is terminated by a sporangium (makes spores)
- have dominant, independent sporophyte generation that all have vasculature (tracheophytes)
- Note: Some extinct ones do not have vasculature.
Three lineages of polysporangiophytes
- protracheophytes: had anatomical feaatures intermediate between those of bryophytes and vascular plants (not tracheophytes)
- paratracheophytes: had anatomical features more advanced than bryophytes, include some living vascular plants
- eutracheophytes - all living vascular plants (also includes the fossil Cooksonia)
Three types of vasculature
- hydroid-like: cells with uniform cell walls, protracheophytes (like moss hydroids that lack wall thickenings and non-lignified)
- S-type: cells have prominent wall thickenings, lignified, paratracheophytes
- G-type: cells have prominent wall thickenings, lignified (most extinct and all extant tracheophytes)
Three types of xylem cell in living eutracheophytes
- tracheids: less specialised than vessel elements
- vessel elements: evolved independently
- vascular tissue: found in vascular cylinders (steles) of roots and stems
Three types of vasculature in living eutracheophytes
- protostele: phloem surrounds a central core of xylem, no leaf gaps (in extinct eutracheophytes and living club mosses)
- siphonostele: central pith surrounded by vasculature (xylem and phloem), leaf gaps can be present (found in most seedless plants e.g. ferns)
- eustele: vascular cylinder comprises a ring of vascular strands around pith, leaf gaps are present (almost all seed plants)
Microphyll and megaphyll
Microphyll is a type of plant leaf with one single unbranched leaf vein (enation theory).
Megaphylls have multiple veins within leaf and leaf gaps above them in stem (telome theory).
Trends in eutracheophytes
- lignin adds rigidity to cells -> upright, taller plants
- tall sporophytes hav advantage of moving spores further by passive wind dispersal
- but have problem in moving water and photosynthates around, and minimising desiccation while gas exchange
Vascular plants are…
- haplo-diplontic with sporic meiosis
- heteromorphic (gamete is morphologically different - smaller and less complex; sporophyte large and more complex). Sporophyte is persistent and independent.
- oogamous: union of mobile male and immobile female (eggs are large, sperm are small)
Lycophytes examples and features
Spike mosses, club mosses and quillworts
- can be homosporic (spores of one kind, not differentiated by sex) or heterosporic (each spore is morphologically different)
- strobilus (contains reproductive structures): collection of sporophylls and associated sporangium on modified leaves (where spores are produced)
Monilophytes
Ferns and their friends
*Note: Leptosporangiate ferns have developed ways to protect sporangia (e.g. sori and indusia) and to enhance spore dispersal.