Slides for Seedless Plants Unit for BIO II

1. Seedless Plants
• Eukaryotic
• Photosynthetic
• Adapted to land:
– Waxy cuticle: prevents water loss
– Vascular tissue: transports water and nutrients
• Reproduction still requires water (no seeds)

2. Alternation of Generations
• Sporophyte: Diploid
– Produces haploid spores through
meiosis
• Gametophyte: haploid
– Produces sperm and egg
(from spores) through mitosis
• Sperm and egg join in fertilization
creating new sporophyte
• Length of time sporophyte verses
gametophyte
varies by plant
– Can be equal

3. Nonvascular Plants
• Mosses (Bryophyta) and liverworts
• Observe prepared slides of gametophyte and
sporophyte
• Also view live moss specimen
• No liverwort specimens
• Separate male and female gametophytes
– Male antheridia produces sperm
– Female archegonia produces egg

5. Seedless Vascular Plants
• Club mosses, wisk ferns, horsetails, ferns
• Sporophyte dominant
• Adapted to living on land
– Vascular tissue
– Windblown spores
• Just fern (Pterophyta) examples today
– Very diverse group
– Look at preserved slides and specimens

6. Fern Life Cycle

7. Fern terms
• Prothallus: gametophyte, small
and heart shaped
• Sporangia: spore producing
structure
• Sorus: cluster of sporangia
– Typically on bottom of leaf
• Fronds: fern leaves
– Leaves are megaphylls with vascular
tissue