EXPERIMENT 2: Seedless Vascular Plants (Fern Allies and Ferns)

OBJECTIVE

To identify the characteristics of fern.

To study the structure and reproduction of seedless vascular plants.

MATERIALS

Prepared slide of living or preserved

-spike mosses (Selaginella sp.)
-ferns (Dryopetris sp.)

Compound microscope

PROCEDURE
1. Compound microscope is set up on the table.
2. Prepared slide of Sellaginella sp. is examined and recorded.
3. This procedure is repeated for another slide of Dryopteris sp. and Fern Antheridia and
Archegonia

POST-LAB QUESTIONS
1. What function do you think the root-like rhizoids at the base of the plant perform?
The function of rhizoids is to help organisms absorb nutrients, minerals and water.
2. Explain why water must be present for the bryophytes to complete the sexual portion
of their life cycle.
The male sex cell (sperm), antherozoids of bryophytes are motile and require a
medium to swim in to reach the female sex organ (egg), archegonia for fertilisation. It
is because sperm have flagella, which are whip-like tails that allow them to swim. In
order to swim, they need water. Hence water is essential as it becomes the medium for
the antherozoids to swim.

Sporophyte
It is an independent plant with diploid
chromosome number.
In algae, the sporophyte is confined to
zygote. In bryophytes, the sporophyte is a
complex structure but is dependent on
gametophyte.
In pteridophytes, gymnosperms and
angiosperms the sporophyte is dominant.

Gametophyte
It is an independent plant with haploid
chromosome number.
In algae those and bryophytes the
gametophyte is dominant.

In pteridophytes, gymnosperms and

angiosperms, the gametophytes are very
much reduced.
In lower groups of plants, sporophyte
In lower group of plants, gametophyte
reproduces by spores spores that give rise to
reproduces vegetatively, asexually and
gametophyte.
sexually. Vegetative and asexual reproduction
produces gametophytes whereas sexual
reproduction produces zygote, which
represents the sporophyte.
In higher plants sporophyte performs
In higher plants, the gametophyte represents
vegetative and sexual reproduction.
the gametes only which fuse to form
sporophyte.
3. Describe the difference between a sporophyte and gametophyte.

4. Young fern sporophyte (attached to the gametophyte) will grow up to mature

sporophyte. What will happen to the gametophyte?
When the young sporophyte attached to the gametophyte parent and receives
nourishment from it and become a mature sporophyte it will become independent
plant, while the gametophyte dies.

5. Where is the location of antheridium on fern gametophyte? How does the sperm from
the antheridium fuses with the egg at archaegonium?
The gametophyte is the generation that grows from a fern spore.

DISCUSSIONS
The genus Selaginella is classified as seedless vascular plants in the division Lycophyta,
which includes the numerous plants commonly known as club mosses and spike mosses.
Similar to their close relatives, Selaginella plants develop strobili, spike-like reproductive
organs that form on fertile branches. At the tips of the branches are found strobili. The
microphylls in the strobilus are called sporophylls. Each sporophyll has a sporangium in its
axil. The sporangium consists of a stalk and a sterile jacket of cells. Inside the sterile jacket
are one or more sporocytes which ultimately divide by meiosis to produce spores. The spores
are called megaspores because of their large size. This makes the sporangium a
megasporangium and the sporophyll a megasporophyll. These nearly-microscopic spores are
called microspores. This makes their sporangium a microsporangium and the sporophyll a
microsporophyll. Since, Selaginella has both microspores and megaspores, the plant is called
heterosporous. When the sporangia of a Selaginella strobilus reach maturity, they split open
and release the spores they contain into the air. The megaspores give rise to female
gametophytes known as megagametophytes and the microspores develop into male
microgametophytes. The microgametophytes produce sperm equipped with flagella that
enable them to swim to the eggs generated by a megagametophyte through water, either in
the form of dew or rain, in order to achieve fertilization. The Selaginella sperm must swim
through the water-film up the rhizoids and into the cracked megaspore wall to reach the
megagametophyte inside. The syngamy of egg and sperm results in a zygote. This will
develops into an embryo and ultimately an adult sporophyte.

Dryopteris commonly called wood fern or male fern that belongs to phylum
Pterophyta. The life cycle of ferns show alternation of generations where it involves
alternation between haploid gametophyte and diploid sporophyte phases. In its sporophyte
stage a typical fern has an underground stem known as rhizomes, true roots and true leaves
known as fronds. The rhizome or stem, roots and leaves are considered true because they
have special water-carrying tissues. As each young frond first comes out from the ground, it
is tightly coiled and known as fiddlehead. As fiddleheads grow, open out to form fronds. The
frond is in compound form and is divided into smaller leaflets and consists of two parts, a
blade and petiole. The blade is the broad, flat, photosynthetic surface of the frond and
contains the chloroplast. It also contains vascular tissue that brings water and minerals from

roots. On most ferns, a blade does not attach directly to a stem. Instead, a stalk or petiole
attaches the blade to the stem. The picture show the spore production of ferns normally
occurs on the underside of the leaves. Sporangia located in the underside of leaves occur in
clusters known as sori (singular=sorus). A sorus is group of spore-containing structures
clustered on the underside of fern leaf. The sporogenous cells or spore mother cells in the
sporangia undergo meiosis to form haploid spores. Then the sporangia break open, it will
release the spores. The spores then germinate and undergo mitosis to develop into mature
gametophyte.

The gametophyte generation begins with spores that have a tiny, green, normally
heart-shaped structure. The fern gametophyte is called prothallus. It does not have vascular
tissue and has tiny, hair-like absorptive rhizoids to attach it to the ground. These
gametophytes have both sexes present, which are antheridia and archegonia. Antheridium is
the male part of seedless plants, like algae and fungi, and the archegonium is the female part.
An archegonium is a multicellular structure or organ of the gametophyte phase of certain
plants producing and containing the ovum or female gamete. The archegonium has a long
neck and a swollen base. Archegonia are typically located on the surface of the plant thallus,
although in the hornworts they are embedded. The function of surrounding the gamete is
assumed in large part by diploid cells of the megasporangium inside the ovule. An
antheridium is a haploid structure or organ producing and containing male gametes called
antherozoids or sperm. An antheridium typically consists of sterile cells and spermatogenous
tissue. The sterile cells may form a central support structure or surround the spermatogenous
tissue as a protective jacket. The fertilization occurs when the flagelatted sperm cells swim to
the neck of an archegonium through a thin film of water on the ground under the prothallus.
Once it is occurs, a diploid zygote undergo mitosis to form multicellular embryo. The embryo
grows out from the archegonium of the gametophyte. The sporophyte embryo attached and
depends on the gametophyte until it matures. As the embryo matures, the prothallus dry up
and dies, and the sporophyte become free-living.

CONCLUSION
Seedless vascular plants consist of fern that divides into a few phyla includes the Selaginella
sp. and Dryopteris sp. This species have their own characteristics that help in their life cycle.
Moreover, it has gametophyte and sporophyte generation in their reproduction cycle.

REFERENCES
Claxton, N. S., Neaves, S.H., and Davidson M.W.. (n.d). Selaginella Strobilus. Retrieved
from http://www.olympusconfocal.com/gallery/plants/selaginellastrobilus.html
Koning, Ross E. 1994. Selaginella. Plant Physiology Information Website. Retrieved from
http://plantphys.info/plant_biology/selaginella.shtml
Richardson. 2013. BIO 1407 Study Guide. Retrieved from
https://www.studyblue.com/notes/note/n/bio-1407-study-guide-2013-14richardson/deck/8700364

RESULTS
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Lycopodiophyta
Class: Isoetopsida
Order: Selaginellales
Family: Selaginellaceae
Genus: Selaginella
Magnification:

Selaginella strobilus

Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Pteridophyta
Class: Polypodiopsida
Order: Dryopteridales
Family: Dryopteridaceae
Genus: Dryopteris sp.
Magnification:

Dryopteris sp.

Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Pteridophyta
Class: Polypodiopsida
Order: Dryopteridales
Family: Dryopteridaceae
Genus: Dryopteris sp.
Magnification:

Fern Antheridia and Archegonia