Seedless Vascular plants Flashcards
What are the characteristics of seedless vascular plants
roots, vasculature, spore reproduction, distinct stems and leaves, stomata, depend on water for reproduction, sporophyte is dominant generation
What is the inversion of generations
Instead of the gametophyte being the dominant generation, it is the sporophyte
What does heterosporous mean
gametes spores appear different in size: microspores and megaspores
What is a microspore
spore structure that ultimately produce a male gamete
- antheridium –> sperm
What is a megaspore
spore structure that ultimately produces female gametes
- archegonium –> egg
What is a homosporous lifecycle
- can produce physically distinct male and female gametophytes or can result in a single gametophyte
What is a microphyll
simple leaf with a single line of vasculature
What is a megaphyll
leaves that have branching vasculature
What is a sporophyll
leaf which bears spores
can produce both gender spores on the same leaf
What is a megasporophyll
female spore on a leaf
What is a microsporophyll
male spore on a leaf
What are the phylums for modern seedless vascular plants
lycopodiophyta
monilophyta
What are the groups of lycopodiophyta
lycopodium, selaginella, isoetes
What are the groups of monilophyta
ferns, equisetum
What are the characteristics of lycopodium
- spirally arranged microphylls
- sporophylls often arranged radially in a strobilus
- homosporous
- only one kind of sporangium which is found within the strobilus
- spores in the strobilus grow into bisexual gametophytes –> contain both archegonium and antheridia
What is a strobilus
spore bearing structure
What are the characteristics of selaginella
- microphylls
- sporophylls arranged in a strobilus
- heterosporous
- male gametophyte is tiny and develops within the wall of the microspore
- at maturity spore wall breaks open and sperm is released
- archegonia is exposed to the exterior at maturity
What are the characteristics of isoetes
- very rare, mainly aquatic
- heterosporous
- no strobilus
- spores are located at the base of the leaves
- megaspore –>accepting sperm
- sporophyte grows from the female gametophyte
What are the characteristics of ferns
- second largest plant group after angiosperms
- leaves are entire of finely divided
- some are epiphytes
- can grow on rocks, bogs, marshes, water or in the forest
- the leaves (fronds) are megaphylls
- stem is a siphonostele
- mostly homosporous except water ferns
leaves expand by circinate vernation
What is epiphytes
grow on side of other plants
What is circinate vernation
ferns unroll when they grow
What is the fern reproduction
- spores are produced in sporangia
What is the sporangia
found on the undersides of the leaves or on the margins of the leaf
What are fertile fronds
sporophyll leaves
