Nonvascular Plants and
Seedless Vascular Plants
BSC 2011L
Plants
 Domain

Eukarya
Kingdom Plantae
 “Bryophytes” - nonvascular
 Phylum Hepatophyta
 Phylum Anthocerotophyta
 Phylum Bryophyta
 “Vascular Seedless Plants”
 Phylum Lycopodophyta
 Phylum Monilophyta
 Phylum Monilophyta
 Phylum Monilophyta
seedless plants
Liverworts
Hornworts
Moss
Club Moss
Wisk fern
Horsetails
Ferns
Alternation of Generations
 Sporophyte

Generation
Produces haploid spores by meiosis
 Gametophyte

Generation
Produces gametes by mitosis
Nonvascular Seedless Plants
 Mosses,
liverworts, and
hornworts
 Gametophyte generation is
dominant


Produces eggs in
archegonia
Produces flagellated sperm
in antheridia
 Rely
on water source for
reproduction
Notice the gemmae cups
In this liverwort
Nonvascular Seedless Plants
Moss Life Cycle
 Before





you leave the lab:
Do you understand the
alternation of
generations?
What is the sporophyte
generation? The
gametophyte generation?
In the gametophyte
generation, what is the
archegonia? What is the
antheridia?
Which generation is
dominant in nonvascular
plants?
Did you look at the
seedless plant examples
on the lab benches?
 Microscope

Slides:
Moss (Mnium)
 Antheridia
 Archeagonia
Vascular Seedless Plants
 Whisk
ferns, club mosses,
horsetails, and ferns
 Sporophyte generation is
dominant
 Adaptations for living on
land


Vascular tissue
Windblown spores
Vascular Seedless Plants
Fern Life Cycle
What is a Thallus?
 Body
of a lower plant that has no recognizable
shoot, root, or leaf regions
 Fern
prothallus - gametophyte
Young sporophyte emerging from prothallus
Vascular Seedless Plants
Cross Section of Frond Leaflet
 Sporophyte
Generation
 Look at Figure 16.15
 The sorus contains the sporangium where the
spores are produced
 Before
lab:





you leave the
What does it mean to
have vascular tissue?
Did you look at the
seedless vascular plant
examples on the lab
bench?
Is the sporophyte or
gametophyte generation
dominant in these
plants?
What are microphylls?
Can you identify the
fern prothallus under
the microscope?
 Microscope


slides:
Fern prothallus
Fern sori

do you see the spores?