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Chapter 28: Seedless Vascular Plants

I. Chapter Overview

1. Seedless vascular plants share with the bryophytes:
   1. 
      
   2. 
      
2. The dominant phase of the life cycle is -
   
3. Seedless Vascular plants include:
   1. 
      
   2. 
      
   3. 
      
   4. 
      

II. Introduction

1. What advantage does lignin give to the vascular plants?
   
2. What role does the cuticle and stomata play in the adaptation of the vascular plants to the land environment?
   

III. Features of the Seedless Vascular Plants

1. Evaluate the 12 features on page 680-681. What features of the life cycle pattern of ferns are similar to that of the mosses? What is different?

IV. The Generalized Life Cycle of Seedless Vascular Plants

1. Draw and label the structures of the life cycle of a fern and include or indicate the place or occurrence of the following: First and last cell of both the sporophyte and gametophyte phases; meiosis; mitosis, the ploidy of each structure; and fertilization.
   
2. The Sporophyte
   
   1. What is meant by the dominant phase of the life cycle?
      

      Question: Does this phase of the life cycle go through sexual reproduction? Is it the result of sexual or asexual reproduction?
      

3. The Gametophyte
   
   1. Is the gametophyte independent of the sporophyte?
      
   2. What is its role in the life cycle?
      

   Question: Does this phase of the life cycle go through sexual reproduction?
   

V. Organization of Reproductive Structures

1. What phase of the life cycle of the ferns produces the antheridia and archegonia?
   
2. Strobilus, define -
   
   1. What phase of the life cycle is it part of?
      
   2. Are the spores produced via mitosis or meiosis?
      

VI. Organization of Vascular Tissue

1. What is vascular tissue?
   
   1. What is its function?
      
2. Microphylls and Megaphylls
   
   1. Do these describe the features of the gametophyte or sporophyte?
      

VII. The Diversity of Seedless Vascular Plants

1. Characteristic used to segregate the four divisions are:
   1. 
      
   2. 
      
   3. 
      
   4. 
      
   5. 
      
2. Division Psilotophyta: Whisk Ferns
   1. An example -
      
      1. Is it homosporous or heterosporous?
         
3. Division Lycopodophyta: Club Mosses
   1. Are these true mosses?
      
   2. Examples -
      
   3. Draw the life cycle of Selaginella
      
      1. Include the following structures: strobilus, microsporophylls, microsporangia, microspore mother cells, microspores, megasporaphyll, megasporangia, megaspore mother cells, megaspores.
         
         1. Is this plant homosporous or heterosporous?
            
         2. What meiosis pattern is its life cycle?
            
         3. Is it iso- aniso- or oogamous?
            
4. Division Equisetophyta: Horsetails
   
   1. Examples -
      
   2. Is it homosporous or heterosporous?
      
5. Division Pteridophyta: Ferns
   1. Examples -
      
   2. Draw the life cycle of a "Fern" and include the following terms in addition to that used in IV A above: Fronds, sorus, indusium, annulus and lip cells.
      

Question: Are the Pteridophytes homosporous or heterosporous? Iso- aniso- or oogamous? Is water required for fertilization? What phase of the life cycle undergoes sexual reproduction?

VIII. The Ecology of Seedless Vascular Plants

1. Why can some ferns become so "weedy"?

IX. The Economic Importance of Seedless Vascular Plants

1. What economic value do the ferns have?
   

X. The Origin and History of the Seedless Vascular Plants.

1. NOTE: This topic will be covered in more detail in Botany 120.