Plant Biology
Introduction to photosynthetic organisms
Fall 2006
Introduction
For the next three labs, we’ll be investigating morphology and life cycles of photosynthetic organisms. We’ll be building a huge character
table, similar to what we did in class, and use it to hypothesize in our last lab about what evolutionary relationships we would expect
molecular data to reveal. Over the next three labs you will be documenting characteristics of each phylum we examine. For selected phyla,
you will also document their life cycle.
For each phylum you will have the opportunity to draw or photograph a representative specimen
 At least one drawing or photo of your own for each phylum, labeled as indicated in this handout.
 If no specimen (live, preserved or slide) is provided in lab, you may use one from the internet – with acknowledgement
8 illustrated life cycle sheets
Algae and Fungi lab
Phylum
Cyanobacteria
Euglenophyta
Life cycle
Specimen
Slide label
Live
*Complete activity 1
below
Euglena
Dinophyta
Slide
Ceratium wm
Bacillariophyta
Slide
Diatoms: fresh water
and marine
None
None
None
Xanthophyta
Chrysophyta
Cryptophyta
Draw: Label
Organism:
Label vegetative cell, heterocyst, spore
Organism: flagella, pellicle, contractile
vacuole, photoreceptor
Organism:
Label cellulose plate, flagella
Atlas
reference
Pg. 14, Fig.
2.9-10
Pg. 16-18
Pg. 24
Pg. 22
Pg. 20
3 different types of diatoms
None
None
None
Pg. 21
1
Prymnesiophyta
Phaeophyta
None
Preserved and dry
specimen
Live and
slide:
Batrachospermum
Rhodophyta
Chlorophyta
Spirogyra
Volvox
Ulva
Zygomycota
Spirogyra -Live
Volvox- Live: USE
DEPRESSION SLIDE
Yes
Ascomycota
Basidiomycota
Lichens
Yes
None
Organism: Label stipe, holdfast, blade
Pg. 39-43
Organism
Pg. 44-46
Organisms –
Spirogyra: Label spiral chloroplasts
Volvox: Label daughter colonies
Pg. 27-38
Organism – Rhizophus: Label stolon,
rhizoids, sporangiphore, sporangium,
zygosporangium, mature hyphae
Slide: Rhizopus zygotes Label zygotes
Rhizopus zygospores
Label zygospores
Slides
Organism: Selected ascomycetes
Aspergillus sec. conidia Conidia
Peziza apothecium
Ascus and ascospores
Organism: Agaricus
Whole organism
Whole organism: Label :pileus, gills,
annulus, stipe
Slide: Coprinus c.s.
Activity 3*
Label basidium, basidiospores, hyphae
Organism: Lichen cross section – lower
fungal layer, algal layer, upper fungal layer,
soredium
Prepared plate
Pg. 52-53
Pg. 54-57
Pg. 59-64
Pg. 64-65
*Activities:
1. Observe cyanobacteria in the water fern, Azolla.
2. Get a slide and put one drop of Chlamydomonas + and one drop of Chlamydomonas – strains. Observe the mating pattern and add
this illustration to your life cycle sheet.
3. Take a section of gills from one of the mushrooms, place in on a microscope slide with a drop of water. See if you can locate basidia
and basidiospores. You may draw these instead of the preserved slide.
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3
Name: ________________________ Date: ____________
Cyanobacteria, Fungi and the Algae
Introduction
For the next three labs, we’ll be investigating morphology and life cycles of photosynthetic organisms.
We’ll be building a huge character table, similar to what we did in class, and use it to hypothesize in
our last lab about what evolutionary relationships we would expect molecular data to reveal. Over the
next three labs you will be documenting characteristics of each phylum we examine. For selected
phyla, you will also document their life cycle. As you view the various specimens, consider what
characteristics might be added to your character matrix.
Cyanobacteria
Make a slide of cyanobacteria from the greenhouse sample. Add a drop of tap water to the slide, then
add a very small smount of sample from the greenhouse sample. Place a cover slip on the slide and
view it under the microscope. Document what you see in the space below. Label vegetative cells and
heterocysts if visible. You will need t view this between 400X to 1000X. Reference Atlas: Pg. 14,
Fig. 2.9-10, Pg. 16-18, BI pg. 44
How would you describe the color?
Magnification used _____________________________
Division Bacillariophyta
Use the prepared slides of diatoms. All living material has been removed from this slide. You are
looking at frustules that are unique to the diatoms. Notice the intricate patterns. Draw three distinctly
different shaped frustules and their detailed patterns. Atlas pg. 20, BI 56
What characteristic is unique to the
diatoms?
Species ______________________________________
Magnification used _____________________________
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Division Dinophyta/Pyrrophyta
Make a wet mount of the live culture of the Dinophyta. You may need to use a drop of protoslo to be
able to view the organisms. Label flagella is visible. Atlas pg. 22, BI pg. 55
What characteristic is unique to the
Dinophyta? If you can observe it
in your specimen, label it.
Species ______________________________________
Magnification used _____________________________
Division Euglenophyta
Make a wet mount of the live culture of the Euglena. You may need to use a drop of protoslo to be
able to view the organisms. Label flagella is visible. Atlas pg. 24, BI – no listing
What characteristic is unique to
Euglena? Draw and label it in your
specimen
Species ______________________________________
Magnification used _____________________________
Division Chlorophyta
1. Make a wet mount of the Spirogyra culture. See if you can find mating strands and label them
accordingly. See pp. 27-38 in Atlas, BI pg. 58.
What is the shape of the
chloroplast in this species?.
Species Spirogyra
Magnification used _____________________________
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2. Make a wet mount of the Volvox culture using a depression slide. This is a colonial alga that
reproduces by releasing daughter colonies. See pp. 27-38 in Atlas, BI pg. 58.
Locate daughter colonies in the
interior of the colony and label
them.
Species Volvox
Magnification used _____________________________
3. Make a wet mount of the Ulva culture. This is a macroscopic, multicellular green alga. It’s common
name is sea lettuce. See if you can determine how many cells thick the alga is. See pp. 27-38 in Atlas,
BI none.
How many cells thick is this alga?
Why might this be adaptive?
Species Ulva
Magnification used _____________________________
Division Rhodophyta
Make a wet mount of the live culture of Batrachospermum. This is a macroscopic red alga. Draw a
representative strand. The size range in this Division is from tiny single cells to meters long algae.
Atlas pg. 44-46, BI pg. 57
What characteristic is unique to the
Rhodophyta?
Species ______________________________________
Magnification used _____________________________
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Division Ascomycota
1. The Ascomycota are classified by their production of asci (pl., single = ascus) and ascospores during
sexual reproduction. Locate the apothecium of the Peziza and draw representative asci and ascospores.
Atlas pg. 54-57, BI pg. 47-48
How many acscospores does a
single ascus produce? Do your
observations agree with the text?
Species ______________________________________
Magnification used _____________________________
2. The Ascomycota can reproduce asexually by budding. Make a wet mount of the yeast and label any
budding cells that you see. BI pg. .47
Species ______________________________________
Magnification used _____________________________
Division Basidiomycota
The Basidiomycota form basidia which produce basidiospores during sexual reproduction. The
basidiospores on the basidium appear a bit like detachable toes on a foot. The are produced on the gills
of the mushroom cap. Make a slide of a single gill and locate basidia that are producing basidiospores.
Draw representative basidia and basidiospores. Atlas pg. 59-64, BI pp 49-53
How many basidiospores does a
basidium produce? Do your
observations agree with the text?
Species ______________________________________
Magnification used _____________________________
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Division Zygomycota
For this Division, locate the life cycle in the Atlas (pp. 52-53). Draw the life cycle leaving room for
illustrations of each stage. Draw the hyphae, mating strands, sporangiophores, and zygospores from the
living samples and insert them in the life cycle and as appropriate. Atlas pp. 52-53, BI pg. 44, 47
Lichens
Lichens are an odd combination of fungi and algae that grow together symbiotically. Even though
they are separate organisms, lichens can reproduce asexually by soredia. Look at the cross section of a
lichen slide. Indicate where the fungal hyphae are, the algae and any soredia that are present. BI pg. 54
Locate the macroscopic specimens of lichens. Lichens have three characteristic growth patterns.
Draw and describe these three patterns from the specimens provided.
Crustose
foliose
fruticose
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Reflecting on this lab
1. Looking at the various phyla of algae, what would you say is the primary information that one
would use to classify the algae into phyla? Do you think, based on morphology, that the algae are a
monophyletic group (they all share a relatively recent common ancestor)?
2. Considering the fungi, what would you say is the primary morphological character used to separate
them into phyla? Give specific examples.
3. Given the characteristics you’ve listed above, how would you classify the lichens? Why? What
evidence supports your classification?
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Bryophytes and seedless vascular plants
Phylum
Hepatophyta
Info
sheet
Yes
Life
cycle
Yes
Specimen
Slide
Slide
Marchantia life cycle set
Anthocerophyta
Bryophyta
Yes
Yes
Live
Yes
Slide
Slide
Moss life cycle set
Psilotophyta
Yes
Lycophyta
Yes
Live
Slide: Psilotum sporangia l.s.
Live
Slide: Lycopodium mature strobilus
l.s.
Live
Sphenophyta
Yes
Pterophyta
Yes
Live
Yes
Live
Live
Slide: fern prothallium mature
Slide: fern prothallium young
sporophyte
Live
Draw: Label
Organism: Marchantia
Antheridial head: meiospores
archegonium
antheridiophore, , archegoniophore
archegonium, mature sporophyte,
gemmae, gemmae cup
None
Organism: Mnium –
Meiospores
protonema
mature female gametophyte, matu
male gametophyte, female
gametophyte with mature sporoph
Organism: Psilotum
Label: sporophyll, synangia, spore
present
Organisms
Lycopodium –mature sporophyte
Label: sporophyll, spores
Selaginella – mature sporophyte:
Label: leaves, stem, rhizoids
Organism Equisetum:
Label:stem, leaf sheath
Organism:
sori on frond
sporangium*
mature gametophyte
Label: archegonia, antheridia
young sporophyte growing from
gametophyte
mature sporophyte
*Activities
1. Remove a sorus from a fern frond and place it on a slide in a drop of water. Draw a single
sporangium. Label spores.
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Name ___________________________________ Date __________________
Bryophytes and Seedless Vascular Plants
Introduction
This week we are focusing on two groups of plants: bryophytes and seedless vascular plants. We’ll
be looking at live specimens, slides, and preserved material.
BRYOPHYTES
Liverworts: Division Hepatophyta
Using the preserved specimens and live organisms, illustrate each stage of the life cycle of
Marchantia and draw in arrows indicating the order of the stages. Label gametophyte, sporophyte,
gemmae, gemmae cups, antheridiophores, archegoniophores, vegetative thallus, Include drawings
of cross sections of an archgonium and an antheridium. Atlas pp. 68-72, BI 7 pts.
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Mosses: Division Bryophyta
Using the preserved specimens of moss, illustrate each stage of the life cycle of a typical moss.
Draw arrows indicating the sequence the stages follow. Label protonema, gametophyte,
sporophyte, archegonial apex, antheridial apex, seta, capsule, and spores. Atlas pp. 72-75, BI.
7 pts.
SEEDLESS VASCULAR PLANTS
Division Psilotophyta
These are the most ancestral of the vascular plants. They exhibit dichotomous branching which is
considered an ancestral trait. We have one specimen to work with, as these are hard to come by.
Draw efficiently so that everyone can take a close look. 2 pts.
Label branches and synangia if present.
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Draw aspects of Psilotum from slides:
Draw the Psilotum sporangia in longitudinal section. Label sporophylls, synangia and spores.
Are there one or two sizes of spores? __________
Atlas pp. 77-79, BI 2 pts.
Division Lycopodophyta
Draw the longitudinal section of the Lycopodium.
Label the thallus, strobili, and spore producing leaves.
Are there one or two sizes of spores present? ____
Draw Selaginella from the ls slide.
Label sporophylls, spores, and stem.
Are there one or two sizes of spores
present? ____
Atlas pp. 80-83, 2 pts. each slide, BI
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Horsetails: Division Equisitophyta/Sphenophyta
Draw the Equisetum sporophyte. Label the strobilus, leaves, and stem.
Atlas pp. 84-86, BI , 3 pts.
Draw a longitudinal section of the Equisetum strobilius.
Label sporophylls, spores, stem. Are there one or two sizes of spores present?______
Atlas pp. 84-86, BI 2 pts.
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Ferns: Division Pterophyta/Pteridophyta
1. Draw the life cycle of a fern from living specimens. Include and label a gametophyte,
sporophyte, sporangium, spores, and rhizome (on the sporophyte). Use arrows to
indicate the life cycle sequence. Atlas pp 87-91, BI. 7 pts.
2. Take a leaflet from the spore-producing fern. Using a slide with a small drop of water
on it, scrape a sporangium into the water. Add a cover slip. What do you see? Draw at
400X. Identify the structures. Atlas BI 3 pts.
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Fill in this table with characteristics that separate the divisions we have studied today. Attach a
table defining your characters and character states. 10 pts.
Character number
Division
Division Hepatophyta
Division Bryophyta
Division Psilotophyta
Division
Lycopodophyta
Division Sphenophyta
Division Pteroophyta
Reflecting on this lab
What did you know about seedless vascular plants before this class? What have you learned today
about seedless vascular plants and the evolution of land plants? What experiences led to this
realization? 3 pts.
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Gymnosperm and angiosperm lab
Phylum
Coniferophyta
Info
sheet
Yes
Life
cycle
Yes
Specimen
Draw: Label
Slide: Pinus: leaf x.s.
Pine needle c.s. Label: vascula
resin canals
Male cone, Label: microspores
Female cone, Label: ovule, me
ovuliferous scale
Pine pollen
Female strobilus: ovulate cone
Slide: Pinus: male and female cones
l.s.
Live
Slide: Pinus: megaspore mother cell
OR ovulate cone mother cell
Cycadophyta
Gnetophyta
Ginkgophyta
Anthophyta
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Slide: Pinus embryo median l.s.
Pine embryo
Plastic block
Reproductive developmental s
Mature sporophyte if available
None
Leaf and fruit
Flower:
Label: petal, sepal, receptacle,
stamen, anther, filament, stigm
Anther c.s.: early prophase
Anther second division
Anther tetrads; Label tetrad
Stigma with germinating polle
Label: pollen grains, stigma, p
Ovule with megasporocyte
Label: ovule, megasporocyte
Mature embryo sac
Label: polar nuclei, antipodals
synergids
Young embryo; Label embryo,
Live
Slide: Lilium anthers first division
Slide: Lilium anthers 2nd division
Slide: Lilium anthers tetrads
Slide: Lilium stigma & style (pollen
tubes)
Slide: Lilium ovule with
megasporocyte
Slide: Lilium ovary: mature embryo
sac OR Lilium ovule: 4th division
Slide: Lilium developing embryo
This week we focus on two of the most successful groups of plants on earth. They all produce
seeds, and the angiosperms produce flowers and fruit in addition to seeds. First we’ll take a brief
look at the Cycadophyta and Gnetophyta. Then we’ll focus on typical life cycles of the pine tree and
the lily as representatives of Coniferophyta and Magnoliophyta.
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Name ____________________________________
Systematics of Gymnosperms and Angiosperms
2. Find an example of a gnetophyte and paste the image here with
proper citations. 5 pts.
1. Draw a picture of Zamia, a cycad. 5 pts.
What are the unique characteristics and adaptations of the
Gnetophyta?
What are the unique characteristics and adaptations of the
Cycadophyta?
Where are they commonly found? What are the connections
between their native habitat and their morphology?
Where are they commonly found? What are the connections
between their native habitat and their morphology?
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3. Draw the life cycle of a pine tree, illustrating the cycle with your own drawings. Indicate where meiosis, mitosis, and fertilization are
occurring. Indicate which stages are 1N and which are 2N. 9 pts.
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4. Draw a cross-section of a pine leaf. Indicate the vascular tissue, stomata and resin ducts. How are these similar to C3 and C4 leaves?
How are they different? 2 pts.
5. What are the unique characteristics of the gymnosperms that separate them from more ancestral and more derived plants? 2 pts.
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6. Draw the life cycle of a lily plant, illustrating the cycle with your own drawings. Indicate where meiosis, mitosis, and fertilization are
occurring. Indicate which stages are 1N and which are 2N. 9 pts.
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7. Using a microscope slide add a drop of sucrose solution and then some pollen from the Begonias. Draw an image of the germinating
pollen grain every 20 minutes to document its germination and growth, until the pollen tube is 2 cm long.
Fill in this table with characteristics that separate the divisions we have studied today. Attach a table defining your characters and character
states. 8 pts.
Character number
Division
Division Cycadophyta
Division Gentophyta
Division Coniferophyta
Division Magnoliophyta
Questions for thought: 2 pts. ea.
1. What are the characteristics that help to separate all the algae into phyla? Are these characteristics useful for separating all the other
photosynthetic organisms? Why or why not?
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2. What characteristics are useful for developing a phylogeny of all other photosynthetic organisms? How do they help you determine
the order of evolution?
3. Consider the life cycles of organisms we have studied. What trends do you see in the size of the gametophyte and the size of the
sporophyte? What trends do you see in the length of time within the life cycle that the organism is or has a gametophyte stage? A
sporophyte stage?
4. What evolutionary pressures do you think led to development of the variety of photosynthetic organisms that we have now? Use
specific examples for at least 6 of the phyla.
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