Charales are the closest
relatives to the land plants
Typical liverwort growth pattern-- note the
dichotomous branching pattern.
CSUBIOWEB - IMAGES BY STEVEN J. WOLF
Marchantia - Archegoniophores- these umbrellashaped structures have archegonia (vessels)
containing eggs on the underside of the “cap”.
CSUBIOWEB - IMAGES BY STEVEN J. WOLF
Marchantia antheridiophores - these mushroom
shaped structures have antheridia (sperm producing
vessels) on their upper surface.
Hymenophyton flabellatum
Liverworts are
non-vascular
plants
Bazzania adnexa
Symphyogyna
hymenophyllum
Marchantia foliacea
Marchantia berteroana
Marchantia sp.
Gemmae Cups
www2.una.edu/pdavis/bryophytes.htm
Pores on the upper surface
allow for gas exchange.
www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/webb/Bot2
01/Marchantia
www.ksu.edu/organismic/bryophytes.htm
acstaff.bloomu.edu/chamuris/222/images.html
Qiu, Y, Y. Cho, J.C. Cox and J.D. Palmer. 1998. The gain of
three mitochondrial introns identifies liverworts as the earliest
land plants. Nature 394: 671-674.
3 introns + for
mosses,hornworts,ferns &
seed plants
3 introns - in
liverworts and
green algae
B
A
Two Hypotheses: Some evidence (e.g. Qiu et al. 1998 and no stomates)
points to the liverworts as the earliest land plants (A); other evidence (e.g.,
sperm structure) points to the hornworts as the earliest land plants (B).
4. Liverworts are the
first land plants.
3. Land plants came
from freshwater algae.
5. Tracheophytes
shared ancestors with a
number of other nonvascular plant groups.
2. Land plants are monophyletic.
1. Green plants are monophyletic.
From Kendrick & Crane 1997, Nature
All Green Plants
All Land Plants
All Vascular Plants
Gametophyte
(1n)
2 types of
gametes
Sperm
Egg
Spore inside
oogonium
germinates to
form new
gametophyte
Fertiliztion,
Zygote (2n)
formation, and
meiosis makes 4
spores (1n)
Fern Life
Cycle
Sporophyte
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Mature
Gametophyte
Fern Life
Cycle
Sporophyte
Spores
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Gametophyte
Gametes
There is a clear trend from a dominant gametophyte to a dominant
sporophyte. Why?
Coleochaete
Chara
Liverwort
Hornwort
Moss
QuickTime™ and a
GIF decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Lycopod
Fern
Psilotum
Horsetail
Cycad
From Kendrick & Crane 1997, Nature