CHAPTER 21

Vascular Plants
Without Seeds
GROUP 3
Concepts

What logical hypotheses

can be proposed about
the early embryophytes?

Interpolation

Hypothesis

- postulates that a small

sporophyte came into existence
when a zygote germinated
mitotically instead of meiotically.
Concepts

What logical hypotheses

can be proposed about
the early embryophytes?

Transformation

Theory

- postulates that after the dibiontic life

cycle originated, both gametophyte and
sporophyte became larger, more
complex, and vascularized, in a life cycle
with an alternation of isomorphic
generations.
EARLY VASCULAR
PLANTS
RHYNIOPHYTES
-The earliest known vascular
plants
XYLEM STRUCTURE OF EARLY
VASCULAR PLANTS
Early vascular plants had two types of xylem organization

1) Endarch Protostele
XYLEM STRUCTURE OF EARLY
VASCULAR PLANTS
Early vascular plants had two types of xylem organization

2) Exarch Protostele
EARLY VASCULAR
PLANTS
ZOSTEROPHYLLOPHYTES
- Another group of early
vascular plants
Rhyniophytes

Zosterophyllophytes

EARLY VASCULAR PLANTS

The
Microphyll
Line of
Evolution:
Lycophytes
 Learning Goals
• Differentiate lycophytes from other linages of seedless vascular plants
• Explain the evolution of Microphylles from Sterilized Sporangia
• Contrast Homospory vs. Heterospory

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 Lycophytes, also known as the 'fern allies', are a clade of vascular
plants similar to ferns but have unique leaves called microphylls. They
are primitive plants and lack seeds, wood, fruit and flowers.

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Lycophytes have an extensive fossil record and form large
forests that were metamorphosed into coal depostis.
Lepidodendron, Drepanophycus
also known as “scale genus of extinct
tree”, is an extinct plants of the
prehistoric tree which Division
was one of the most Lycopodiophyta of
abundant trees of the Early to Late
Devonian age
Carboniferous period.

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Currently, the entire division contains only 5 genera.
Lycopodium Selaginella Phylloglossum

Lycopodium Cernum

Selaginella Moellendorffie Phylloglossum Drummundili

Isoetes Stylites

Lycopodium Obscurum

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv Lycopodium Sporophyll Isoetes Lacustris Habenaria Stylites

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Small leaf structures that have single vein of vascular tissue. Microphyll evolved
from sterilized sporangia.
Sporangia
Are the cluster at the bases of microphylls. A cluster of organized sporangia is called
strobilus (cone).

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Sporangia – contains spores (n) which develop into
gametophytes via mitosis
Lycopodium Sporangia

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Heterospory – modification of plant cycle where there are two
size of spores. Each size of spores develops into a different
gametophyte
Selaginella are heterosporous MEGASPORES
(megagameotphyte)
Archegonia with eggs

MICROSPORES
(microgametophyte)
Antheridium containing
sperm
SPORES

SPORANGIUM

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In Heterosporous life cycle, each type of spore develops into its own
gametophyte.

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The Megaphyll Line of Evolution
Euphyllophytes
Trimerophytes
• Proposed in 1968, this division of plants
comprises of extinct plants;
Trimerophyton, Psilophyton, and Pertica

• OVERTOPPING

• PSEUDOMONOPODIAL BRANCHING
Euphylls
1. Leaves on gametophytes of nonvascular
plants
2. Enations of zosterophyllophytes and
lycophytes
3. Megaphylls (Leaves that evolve from
branch systems and are present in a
ferns, seed plants and equisetophytes)

• TELOME THEORY
Monilophytes
• Megaphyllous plants are united by three
synapomorphies:
1. Their roots have exarch xylem
2. They have megaphylls
3. They have a 30-kilobase inversion in the
large single copy region of their plastid
DNA
Equisetophytes
• Have been classified as division
Arthrophyta

• They consist of extinct plants and

horsetail and scouring rushes

• EQUISTEM

• MONOPODIAL GROWTH
FERNS
 MONILPHYTES VS
PTERIDOPHYTES

CLASSIFICATION OF FERNS:

• Monilophytes - leptosporangiate ferns

• Pteridophytes - ferns and other vascular plants

• Ferns are part of the division Pteridophyta.

• Vascular plants

• Can be found in almost any habitat

• Moist, shady forests and lakesides

• Other genera:

• Epiphytes (Polypodium)

• Vines (Lygodium)
 CLASSIFICATIONS:
• Perennial and herbaceous
• Consists of a single axis bearing true roots and
megaphyllous leaves
STEM
• Vascular system: endarch siphonostele
• Leaf trace: diverging from the siphonostele at
each node
• Leaf gap: small parenchymatous segment of the
vascular cylinder
LEAVES
• Leathery or delicate
• Upper palisade parenchyma; Lower spongy
mesophyll
• Small to several meters in length
• ALWAYS compound with rachis and leaflets
• Leaf primordia have distinct apical cell, curving
inwards as it grows into a young leaf. (fiddlehead)
• Contain considerable amount of vascular tissue
• Veins branch dichotomously
LEAVES
• Photosynthesis and sporophylls
• Sori: underside; clusters of sporangia where
meiosis occurs
 • heart-shaped photosynthetic
gametophyte
• Unicellular rhizoids on lower
surface
• no vascular tissue or epidermis
• Bears both antheridia and
archegonia
ANTHERIDIUM
• Develop early
• Releases motile sperms when
environment is moist
• Swims to the archegonia to
fertilize egg
ARCHEGONIA
• Develop late; close to
gametophyte apex
 EUSPORANGIUM
• Several surface cells undergo
periclinal division;
multilayered plate cells
• Outer cells develop into
sporangium wall
• Inner cells proliferate into
sporogenous tissue
• Large sporangium with
many spores
LEPTOSPORANGIUM
• Single surface cells divides
periclinally, forming an small
outward protrusion
• Undergoes more divisions;
small set of sporogenous
cells and thin covering sterile
cells
• Few spore are produced
PSILOTUM AND TMESIPTERIS
PSILOTUM
• Simplest of all living vascular plants
• Highly derived, highly simplified ferns
• Small plants with prostate rhizomes and upright
stems
• Epidermis, cortex, simple vascular cylinder with no
pith (protostele)
• Xylem is of annularly or helically thickened
tracheids
PSILOTUM
• Unique among living vascular plants; lost capacity
to make roots and leaves
• Short, branched gametophytes is covered with
rhizoids.
• Gametophytes have no chlorophyll and have a
symbiotic relationship with fungi for obtaining
minerals
• Gametophytes contain vascular tissue; central mass
of tracheids surrounded by phloem and endodermis
 “VASCULAR CRYPTOGRAMS”

• The term MERELY INDICATES that these plants

have a vascular tissue and a hidden(crypto)
reproduction due to their lack of seeds.

• Both features are symplesiomorphies

• NOT A CLASSIFICATION
CHAPTER 20 & 21

SHORT QUIZ
 1.)
Cells that
conduct water A. HYDROIDS
and dissolved B. PHLOEM
minerals in C. XYLEM
D. LEPTOIDS
nonvascular
plants
 2.) A. PROTONEMA
Sperms are B. RHIZOIDS
produced in: C. ANTHERIDIA
D. ARCHEGONIA
 3. )
A group of
small thalloid
plants that A. LIVERWORTS
B. BRYOPHYTES
grow on moist C. PLANTAE
soil hidden by D. HORNWORTS
grasses and
other herbs
 4. )
What is the
female A. ARCHEGONIA
B. ANTERIDIOPHORE
gametophyte of C. THALLUS
liverwort?
 5. )
What is the
covering that A. OPERCULUM
develop from B. FOOT

the wall of C. CALYPTRA

archegonium?
 6.)
In an
______________,
protoxylem is
located in the A. ENDARCH PROTOSTELE
B. EXARCH PROTOSTELE
center and C. PROTOSTELE
metaxylem D. NONE OF THE ABOVE

differentiates on
the outer edge of
the xylem mass.
 A. A classification of vascular
plants

7.) B. A term that refers to the

What is the presence of vascular
“vascular tissues and seeds

cryptogram”? C. A term that refers to the

presence of vascular tissues
and a hidden reproduction
 8.)
The division of
plants which
comprise of A. MEGAPHYLLS
B. TRIMEROPHYTES
extinct plants; C. MONILOPHYTES
Trimerophyton D. EQUISETOPHYTES
, Psilophyton,
and Pertica
 9. )
The
________________,
postulates that a
small sporophyte A. transformation theory
came B. interpolation hypothesis
C. translational theory
into existence D. extrapolation theory
when a zygote
germinated
mitotically instead
of meiotically
 10. )
All extant
plants (and all
known fossil A. TRUE
plants) have a B. FALSE

dibiontic life
cycle.
 1.) A
2.) C
3.) D
4.) A
ANSWERS 5.) C
6.) A
7.) C
8.) B
9.) B
10.) A