Chapter 19 -- SEEDLESS VASCULAR PLANTS

 

Major themes:      Upon development of true vascular tissue, plants became anatomically complex, developing true roots, stems, and leaves. The gametophyte became much reduced in size, and the sporophyte became more visible and longer lived, dominating the life cycle.  Sperm of seedless vascular plants still require water in order to swim to the egg.  Their sporangia may be clustered in cones called strobili.

 

I.    Evolution of vascular plants (seedless and seed producing):

      A.  To prevent desiccation: 

            1.      Evolved spores with thick, protective walls & developed a cuticle      

                  The cuticle is waterproof and consists of cutin + waxes

 

            2.      stomata for – _______________________________________

 

      B.  Other early adaptations: 

            1.      conducting systems (xylem & phloem) -- transport _____________

            2.      Incorporation of lignin in cell walls of supporting & water-_________

            3.      true roots, stems, & leaves

            4.      reduction of gametophyte stage; _____________ dominates

            5.      seeds (= embryonic sporophyte) -- seed-producing plants only

 

      C.  Direct ancestor -- perhaps a multicellular green alga       =                                 

Oldest known fossil --

Cooksonia (~ ___________ yr. ago)

 

      D.      Became numerous and diverse by the Devonian period

            (_____________________ million years ago).

 

      E.  9 divisions (~ _______________ species )

 

II.    General features of seedless vascular plants:

      A.  All of the above, except they are seedless

      B.      flagellated sperm -- must have _________________________

      C.      Sporophyte is __________________________________;

            Sporophyte is often __________________

D.      Sporophyte and gametophyte are nutritionally independent of each other.  The gametophyte is often short lived.  Gametophytes are photosynthetic in ferns and horsetails, but in club mosses and whisk ferns they are saprophytic.

      E.      archegonium ---> 1 egg; antheridium --> several sperm

            Life cycle resembles that of ___________________________

 

III.   Plant body organization (all vascular plants):

A.  Early sporophyte was dichotomously branched (evenly forked)  --  lacked leaves & roots.  Instead they had:_____________________________________________

 

      B.  Later, organ systems evolved:     

            1.      root system -- __________________________________________________

            2.      shoot system --stems & leaves (photosynthesis, conduction of water _______

 

      C.  Three tissue systems (continuous -- occur in all organs):

            1.      dermal = outer, protective covering

            2.      vascular = conductive tissue (______________); embedded in ground tissue

            3.      ground tissue (mesophyll, cortex, etc.)

 

      D.      Primary & secondary growth:

1.      primary -- occurs near tips of roots & stems; initiated by apical meristems; involved in the extension of the plant body; primary plant body.  Occurs in all ______________________

 

2.      secondary -- thickens stems & roots; produced by lateral       meristems (such as the vascular cambium); secondary plant body.  Occurs in woody plants,

such as __________________________ & ancient seedless vascular plants.

 

      E.      Conducting cells:

1.      tracheid (xylem) = elongate tracheary element with tapering ends; the first water-conducting cells; the only type in most plants except __________; lignified walls

 

2.      vessel (xylem) = the more specialized water-conducting cell of angiosperms; not present in ________________________________________________

 

            3.      sieve element (phloem) -- soft walled;

 

F.   Stele = arrangement of vascular tissues (plus pith, if present) in the central cylinder of the stem & root of the primary body

            1.      protostele -- ________________ type: solid strand of vascular tissue                                (no _____); found in roots of most plants (except some monocots)

 

                  Examples:     Found in stems of Psilotum & Lycopodium

 

2.      siphonostele -- has a pith (ground tissue) in the center & surrounded by

      ________________________________________________________       

Stem may have leaf gaps -- placec where vascular strand is missing from the siphonostele; associated with leaf traces -- vascular tissue that enters leaves

 

                  Examples:  Typically found in ferns & woody dicot stems.

 

            3.      eustele -- has discrete _______________________________________

 

Examples:   Typically found in horsetails and ferns and in the stems of some angiosperms (herbaceous dicots & monocots).

 

IV.  Origin of roots and leaves:

      Note -- the stem evolved first as the axis of the plant.

A.  Roots are fairly simple & primitive in structure;evolved from       underground stems (rhizomes) & retained a protostele

 

      B.      Leaves = primary lateral appendages of the stem

            1.      Arise as protuberances (or primordia) from the apical meristem

            2.      Two major kinds:

                  a.      microphylls -- relatively small; contain a ______ strand of vascular tissue

                        Associated with stems having protosteles; found in lycophytes

 

Their leaf traces are not associated with leaf gaps.  Probably evolved as outgrowths of the main axis of the plant.

 

b.   megaphylls -- larger; have a complex system of veins

                        Associated with stems having siphonosteles or eusteles;

found in most plants.

 

Their leaf traces are associated with leaf gaps. 

 

V.      Reproduction in vascular plants

Recall they are all oogamous and have the alternation of heteromorphic

generations life cycle.

A.  Early vascular plants are homosporous -- produce only one kind of spore ---> typically produce _________________l gametophytes

 

            Examples:      psilophytes, horsetails, some lycophytes, & most ferns

            Gametophytes develop outside the spore wall.

 

B.  More advanced vascular plants are heterosporous – produce 2 types of spores (in 2 kinds of sporangia):

            microspores (from ______________) -- produce male gametophytes   

            megaspores (from megasporangia) -- produce female gametophytes

            Gametophytes develop within the spore wall.

 

            Examples:  Selaginella, some ferns, all gymnosperms and angiosperms

 

      C.      Sporangia may be single or aggregated into a cone (= strobilus)

 

VI.  3 extinct phyla of seedless vascular plants

      A.      Flourished during Devonian; extinct by 360 million yr ago

      B.      General characteristics:

            1. No leaves & no roots; homosporous.     

            2.      Dichotomously branched 

 

      C.      Phylum Rhyniophyta -- the earliest known vascular plants

            (~ 420 million years ago)

                  e.g., Cooksonia & Rhynia  

 

      D.      Phylum Zosterophyllophyta

            Probably the ancestors to the lycophytes.

 

      E.      Phylum Trimerophyta

Larger plants as compared with plants in the previous 2 divisions and probably were the ancestors to _____________________________________________

 

VII. 4 extant phyla of seedless vascular plants:

      A.      Phylum Psilotophyta  (only 2 genera)

            1.      Psilotum (whisk fern) -- occurs in FL, LA, TX, AZ, Hawaii,

                  & Puerto Rico

            The only living vascular plant that lacks both ________________!

a.   Has dichotomously branched stem with small outgrowths; underground rhizome with rhizoids; sporangia borne on the ends of short, lateral branches; stem has a __________________________

                  b.      Has bisexual, subterranean gametophytes

 

            2.      Tmesipteris -- epiphyte; occurs in the South Pacific; has leaflike appendages

 

      B.      Phylum Lycopodophyta (club mosses)

1.   3 orders (3 _____________)  of living species;  all are herbaceous, & sporophyte has microphylls, stems, and roots

            2.      Lycopodiaceae -- club mosses (e.g., Lycopodium); evergreen

a.   sporophyte has branching rhizome from which aerial branches & adventitious roots emerge; stem & roots have protosteles

                  b.      microphylls are __________ arranged

c.   homosporous, & sporangia are borne on fertile microphylls called sporophylls.  In many species, sporophylls are grouped into ___________

 

            3.      Selaginellaceae -- Selaginella (the only living genus)

                  a.      Leaves occur in 2 ranks

 

                  b.      heterosporous; both kinds of spores occur in the same strobilus

                  c.      Has a ligule (_________ growth) near base of upper surface of                                                 each microphyll & each sporophyll

                  d.      stem and root have ______________________

 

            4.      Isoetaceae --  Isoetes (the only living genus)

 

      C.      Phylum Equisetophyta -- horsetails or scouring rushes

            (e.g., Equisetum -- the only living genus).

            1.      appeared during Devonian.  During the late Devonian and                                                      Carboniferous periods, __________________________________

2.      Equisetum sporophyte is herbaceous.  Occurs in moist places, along streams, along edges of woods:

a.      conspicuously ________ stems, small scalelike leaves, rough texture       

b.   leaves are whorled at nodes, & branches (if present) occur laterally at the nodes, alternating with leaves

                  c.      internodes are ribbed and contain siliceous deposits.                                                              Adventitious roots arise at the nodes of the rhizome.

                  d.      perennial; _________________;

                        spores ----> sporangia ----> sporangiophore ----> strobilus

 

                  e.      gametophyte is the size of a pinhead, is green & freeliving,                   

 

D.      Phylum Pteridophyta -- ferns (~ 12,000 species; largest group of vascular plants other than flowering plants).

            1.      abundant since Carboniferous period (360 million yr ago)

2.      tropical & also temperate in distribution.  Greatest diversity in tropics (~ one-third of these are epiphytes). 

 

            3.      sporophyte has megaphylls, stems, adventitious roots, rhizomes;                                     sporangia are borne on fertile leaves or a fertile segment. 

            4.      most are homosporous; 2 groups of water ferns are heterosporous

            5.      important morphological features:

                  a.      frond =

                  b.      fiddlehead =

                  c.      prothallus =

 

6.      Order Ophioglossales (eusporangiate) -- grape ferns and adder's tongues.   (e.g., Botrychium & Ophioglossum).

 

 

            7.      Order Pteridales -- most ferns belong to this order. 

                  Leptosporangiate.  Homosporous.

Rhizome bears new sets of fronds each year; often these are compound & have leaflets called ______________

 

Sporangia -- on lower surface of fronds, on specially modified leaves, or on separate stalks;  often occur in clusters called sori (singular = sorus)         Sorus may or may not be covered by indusium;

                        indusium is _____________________

 

                  prothallus = gametophyte; bisexual, flat, membranous, green, heart shaped

 

            8.      Order Marsileales & Salviniales -- water ferns

                  Marsilea --  rhizome grows in mud, leaves often float

                  Salvinia (duckweed) --  entire plant floats & is tiny

                  Azolla  --  also tiny and entire plant floats