Biol. 302- Botany spring 2007
Velma Matthew; TA – Kathy Boothby
Lab 6. Bryophytes and Seedless Vascular Plants
Part 1: Bryophytes
Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Hepatophyta - (Liverworts)
1. Observe live specimens of Marchantia
a. Draw and label, thalloid, antheridial head, antheridiophore, archegonial head,
archegoniophore, and gemma cup (or as many of those structures as are present on the
specimens).
2. Look at prepared slides of Marchantia.
 Antheridiophore - on 10x Draw and label sterile layer and sporangenous tissue.
 Archegoniophore
o On 4x Draw and label, archegonial head, archegoniophore.
o On 10x Draw and label, individual archegonia, sterile layer and egg,
 Sporophyte – on 10x draw and label placenta, foot, seta, and capsule.
c. What is the purpose of gemma cups?_____________________________.
d. Is the thalloid haploid or diploid? ____________.
e. Does meiosis or mitosis create the sperm nuclei? ____________.
f. Is the sporophyte haploid or diploid? _____________.
g. Is the sporophyte an independent or dependant organism? ______________.
Explain.
Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Anthocerophyta - (Hornworts)
3. Look at prepared slide of Anthoceros.
 Sporocarp
o On 4x draw and label, sporophyte, foot, thalloid, central strand, and tetrads of
spores.
o On 10x observe and draw the tetrads of spores.
Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Bryophyta – (Mosses)
4. Observe the live specimens of different mosses.
 Draw and label, gametophyte, the whole sporophyte, seta, and sporangium.
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5. Look at prepared slides of Mnium.

Capsule – on 4x Draw and label, sporangium (the capsule), operculum, and
sporogenous tissue.

Gametophyte – on 4x Draw and label the gametophyte.

Antheridia – on 4x Draw and label antheridial head, an individual antheridia, and
paraphyses (see picture in text).

Archegonia – on 10x Draw and label archegonial head, an individual archegonia sterile
layer, neck, and egg.
a. What is the sexual condition (uni- or bi-) of the moss you observed?____________________.
b. How do the sperm cells get from the antheridial heads to the archegonial
heads?______________________________________________________________________.
c. Note the calyptra, the remnants of the old archegonium. What is the ploidy level of this
structure? _________________.
Part II: Seedless Vascular Plants (The Ferns and their Allies)
6. Define the following terms.
a. Microphyll:
b. Megaphyll:
c. Strobilus:
d. Homosporous:
e. Heterosporous:
f. Microspore:
g. Megaspore:
h. Microsporophyll
i. Megasporophyll
j. Microsporangium
k. Megasporangium
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Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Lycopodiophyta
Genera: Lycopodium, Selaginella
7. Look at & draw preserved specimens of Lycopodium.
 Label: aerial stem, microphylls (leaves), strobilus, rhizome, & adventitious roots (draw
in rhizome and roots from the picture in text).
8.
Look at prepared slides of Lycopodium.
 Stem cross section
o On 10x draw and label: epidermis, stoma, & protostele.
o On 40x draw the protostele & label the xylem & phloem.

Strobilus long section
o On 4x draw the upper portion of strobilus. Include up to 5 sporangia on one
side.
o Label the sporangium, sporophyll, & spores.
a. Is Lycopodium homosporous or heterosporous? ________________.
b. Does this mean that the spores are unisexual or bisexual? ________________.
9. Look at & draw live specimens of Selaginella.
10. Look at prepared slides of Selaginella.
 Strobilus: on 4x draw and label: microsporangium, microspores, ligule, microsporophyll,
megasporangium, megaspores, & megasporophyll.
 Sporeling: on 4x draw & label: megaspore wall, root, stem, & first leaves
a. Is Selaginella homosporous or heterosporous? ________________.
b. Does this mean that the spores are unisexual or bisexual? ________________.
Phylum: Pteridophyta (the ferns)
Genera: Adiantum (Maidenhair fern) and Dryopteris (wood fern)
11. Draw the following living specimens of ferns in class. Label with genus and common name.
 On the Dryopteris species draw & label the Megaphyll, frond, sori and rachis.
a. Is the frond once pinnate, bipinnate, or tripinnate?__________
 On the Adiantum species label frond & rachis.
b. Is the frond once pinnate, bipinnate, tripinnate, or more?__________
12. The sporangia of some fern species may be protected by special outgrowths of the leaf called
indusia (singular indusium). Use a dissection microscope to look at prepared slide of Fern
Indusium sec.
 On 10x draw & label: leaf, sporangia, & indusium.
a. Do the sori of the Adiantum species contain indusia? _______________.
b. Do the sori of the Dryopteris species contain indusia? _______________.
c. Do the sori of the Nephrolepis species contain indusia? _______________.
Genus: Polypodium
13. Look at prepared slides of Polypodium and at the preserved macrospecimen. (next page)
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Draw the macrospecimen and label frond, sori if present, and rachis. How many levels of
pinnate is the frond?_______________
Sporangia:
o On 10x draw & label: dehiscing sporangium, annulus, & spores.
Prothallium
o On 4x draw & label: prothallus & rhizoids.
o On 10x draw and label: antheridium & archegonia.
Sporophyte
o On 4x draw & Label: prothallium, rhizoids, root, stem, & leaf.
Phylum:Pteridophyta: (The Whisk Ferns) formerly in phylum Psilotophyta
Genus: Psilotum
14. Look at & draw the living specimen of Psilotum.
 Label: aerial stem, sporangia, prophylls (scale-like outgrowths), & the rhizome (draw the
rhizome from the picture in the text)
a. What is the nuclear condition of the stem tissue? _______________.
15. Look at prepared slides of Psilotum.
 Aerial stem cross section
o On 4x draw and label: epidermis, stoma, cortex, & protostele.
o On 10x draw the protostele & label the xylem & phloem.

Sporangium length section
o On 4x draw & label mature sporangium, scale-like outgrowth, & spores.
b. What is the nuclear condition of the spores? ________________.
c. Is Psilotum homosporous or heterosporous? ________________.
d. Does this mean that the spores are unisexual or bisexual? ________________.
Phylum: Pterophyta:
Genus: Equisetum (Horsetails) formerly Sphenophyta
16. Look at & draw preserved specimens of Equisetum
 Label: node, internode, leaves, strobilus, rhizome, & adventitious roots. Draw in
rhizome and roots from the picture in the text.
17.
Look at prepared slides of Equisetum.
 Stem cross section: on 10x draw & label: epidermis, cortex, & vascular strand.

Strobilus length section: on 4x draw the upper portion of strobilus. Include up to 8
sporangia on one side. Label: sporangiophore, sporangium, & spores.
a. Is Equisetum homosporous or heterosporous? __________________.
b. Does this mean that the spores are unisexual or bisexual? ________________.
18. With a partner look at the Equisetum elators set up at the front of the lab. Have your partner
breath on the slide with the elators while you are looking through the microscope. Draw and label
elators and spores.
a. How does humidity affect the elators? What is the purpose of the elators?
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