Topic:

Characteristics , classification and life cycle of Pteridophytes

Submitted to:
Dr. Asma Ashfaq
Submitted by:
Rimza Yasin
Roll No.:
BOTN51F20R026
Pteridophytes
The word 'pteridophytes' is derived from
the 'pteron' which is a Greek word that means
feather and 'python' which means plants.
 Difference between Bryophytes and
Pteridophytes
 Bryophytes are plants with a
leafy or thalloid body.
Pteridophytes are made up of
roots, stems, and leaves.
 Pteridophytes have a good
vascular system, but
Bryophytes have not.

 Bryophytes have stalked Antheridium, whereas Pteridophytes

have sessile Antheridium.
 Gametophytes are dominant in bryophytes. The sporophyte is
dominant in pteridophytes.
 Pteridophyta Characteristics
 Pteridophytes are considered as the first plants to be evolved
on land:
It is speculated that life began in the oceans, and through
millions of years of evolution, life slowly adapted on to dry
land. And among the first of the plants to truly live on land
were the Pteridophytes.
 They are cryptogams, seedless and vascular:
Pteridophytes are seedless, and they reproduce through
spores. They contain vascular tissues but lack xylem vessels
and phloem companion cells.
  Theplant body has true roots, stem and leaves
 Spores develop in sporangia:(Reproduction)
“The sporangium is the structures in which spores are
formed.”
Homosporous:
one type of spore and sporangia is produced
spores small
Heterosporous:
two kinds of spores and sporangia are produced
one large (megasporangia produce female megaspore)
small (microsporangia produce male microspore)
Leaf structure:
Microphyllous:
“Simple leaf with single vein, and no leaf gap such
arrangement known as a microphyll.” Clubmosses,
quillworts, and spikemosses
Megaphyllous:
“True ferns, horsetails, and whisk ferns larger, more
complex branching leaves with complex series of vein and
prominent leaf gap is known as megaphylls.”
 Sporangia are produced in groups on sporophylls:
Leaves that bear the sporangia are termed as sporophylls. 
Strobili:
“When sporophylls aggregated into compact cone”
(selaginella equisetum)
Uniformly distributed (pteris)
 Sex organs are multicellular:
The male sex organs are called antheridia, while the female
sex organs are called archegonia.
Classification
four main classes
Psilopsida
 They are the most primitive.
 The stem is photosynthetic and
dichotomously branched.
 Rhizoids are present.
 Leaves are mostly absent.
 The sporophyte is homosporous
synangium.
 Psilotum and Tmesipteris.
Lycopsida
 They are commonly known as
club moss.
 Well-differentiated plant body
with adventitious root, stem,
rhizophores and leaves.
 The sporophyte is homosporous
or heterosporous
 Selaginella, Lycopodium.
Sphenopsida
 Commonly known as horsetail.
 Well-differentiated plant body
with roots arising from nodes of
the underground rhizome, stem
and scaly leaves.
 Homosporous sporangia are
borne on strobili.
 Equisetum.
Pteropsida
 Commonly known as a fern.
 Well-differentiated plant body
with roots, stem and leaves.
 The sporophyte is homosporous
or heterosporous.
 Antherozoids are multiflagellate.
 Pteris, Marsilea, Adiantum
Life Cycle of Pteridophytes
“There is an alternation of generation in the lifespan of
Pteridophytes. This is known as metagenesis.”
 Just like in the seed-bearing plants and mosses there is a
diploid generation alternating with a haploid generation.
 The diploid generation is the sporophyte that produces the
spores.
 The haploid generation is the gametophyte that produces the
gametes.
 Both the sporophyte and gametophyte are independent and
free living.  
Sporophyte
Generation
 Dominant and longer phase
 The plant produces spores which are carried away by the wind
to far off places.
 The spores are produced by spore mother cells through
meiosis.
 Most plants are homosporous some are heterosporous.
 Microspores produce male antheridia and megaspores produce
female archegonia.
 Under favourable conditions, these spores germinate into
small independent gametophytes called prothallus.
 
Gametophyte
Generation
 The prothallus (gametophyte) can grow only in a moist and
cool shady place. Their growth is restricted to only a few
places.
 Gametophytes are multicellular and photosynthetic.
 They bear male and female sex organs.
 The male sex organ is called antheridia and the female sex
organ is called archegonia. 
 The sperm in antheridia fuses with the egg in archegonia
resulting in the formation of a zygote.
 The zygote later develops into a multicellular sporophyte.
 
Heterosporous life cycle:
Homosporous life cycle: