Lecture 06

Seedless Vascular Plants and Intro to Seed Plants (Gymnosperm)

I. Seedless vascular plants. Vascular plants also referred to as Tracheophytes, literally “tracheid
plants”. Tracheids are the first water transport cells to evolve.
A. Characteristics of early seedless vascular plants:
1. Sporophyte large, typically independent and dichotomously branched, with multiple
terminal sporangia.
2. Sporophyte more prominent than gametophyte, but latter is still free living.
3. Stem has a cuticle with stomata.
4. Had stems, but lacked leaves and roots. Vascular tissue, i.e., tissue that transport
water and minerals and food, present in stem:
a. Xylem: Water and mineral transport tissue. Tracheid cells transported water and
minerals. Cell wall of tracheids with lignin, providing support, allowing plants to
become taller.
b. Phloem: Food transport tissue. Sieve element cells transported food.
c. Stem functioned in photosynthesis before evolution of leaves. Stem may still
function in photosynthesis most evolved plants, even when leaves present if they
are herbaceous.
5. Later derived traits:
a. Root with xylem and phloem evolved later, ~416-370 MYA. Roots also function
in anchoring plants to soil.
b. Leaves evolved and took over primary role of photosynthesis. Provided
increase surface area for photosynthesis.
c. Leaves evolved twice:
i. Microphylls: Leaves typically small, with a single vascular strand and no leaf
gap. Origin ~380 MYA
ii. Megaphylls: Leaves with branched vascular strands (veins) throughout leaf
surface and associated with leaf gaps. Origin ~360 MYA
B. Phyla of seedless vascular plants covered:
1. Lycopodiophyta (lycophytes): Club Mosses, Spike Mosses and Quillworts.
2. Moniliophyta (moniliophytes): Ferns, Horsetails and Whisk Ferns.
3. Classification of the two phyla based on molecular characteristics and not based on
visible characteristics!
4. Fern used as representative life cycle for seedless vascular plants.
a. Key points of life cycle:
i. Meiosis occurs in sporangium to produce haploid spores. Spores germinate to
give rise to bisexual gametophyte, i.e., both antheridia and archegonia borne
on same gametophyte, on its lower surface, on soil.
ii. Gametophyte attached to substrate with rhizoids. Sperms must swim to egg
in archegonia to fertilize eggs and form zygote.
iii. Embryo development in archegonium, but as sporophyte develops, it
 eventually destroys gametophyte when sporophyte’s growth becomes too
large to be contained in archegonium. Mature sporophyte independent of
gametophyte.
iv. Sporophyte has leaves that are megaphylls that are borne from a rhizome, a
horizontal, underground stem. Roots also originate from rhizome.
Megaphylls of ferns are also sporophylls, i.e. spore bearing leaves. Some
sporophylls of seedless vascular plants aggregate to form a strobilus, i.e.,
cone.
• Most seedless vascular plants have microphylls.
5. Comparison of moss and fern life cycle:
a. Swimming sperms requires water for sexual reproduction in both ferns and
mosses. Not practical in terrestrial environment.
b. Vascular tissue present in ferns, but not in mosses. Ferns more adapted in this
respect. Also roots and leaves present.
c. Vascular plants grow larger than nonvascular plants because of lignin in
tracheid cells of xylem gives support to sporophyte.
d. Roots evolved to better obtain water and nutrients from soil.
e. First seedless vascular plants that evolved did not have roots and leaves.
6. Homospory vs heterospory
a. Homospory: One morphological spore that produces a bisexual
gametophyte. True of most ferns and other seedless vascular plants.
b. Heterospory: Two morphological spores, large megaspore that produces
female gametophyte and small spores that produce a single antheridium
with ferns. Each spore produced in different sporangia.
i. Megasporangia contains megasporocyte (2n) that undergoes meiosis
to produce megaspores (1n) that develops into female gametophyte. 4
megaspores/megasporangium.
ii. Microsporangia contains microsporocyte (2n) that undergoes meiosis
to produce microspores that develops into male gametophyte. Small,
many microspores/microsporangium.
iii.Selaginella used as an example of seedless vascular plant that is
heterosporous.
7. During Carboniferous, large tree species of seedless vascular plants
evolved .
a. The species during this period, due to incomplete decomposition of plants in
anerobic conditions eventually gave rise to the coal fossil fuels that we now
have today in North America and Europe.
III. The seed
A. Characteristics common to all seed plants.
1. Gametophytes microscopic, reduced and retained by parent sporophyte during
development.
2. Heterosporous!
3. Ovule: Female reproductive structure in seed plants containing:
a. Integument: Outermost layer that is derived from the parent sporophyte.
 b. Megasporangium: Layer inside integument.
c. Megasporocyte (2n): Diploid cell that undergoes meiosis to produce 4
megaspores. Three of megaspores will be aborted. Germinates to produce
female gametophyte
d. Female gametophyte (= megagametophyte): Center of the ovule and is
derived from the megaspore and includes archegonia and egg.
4. Pollen grain: Male reproductive structure produced in microsporangium and
containing the male gametophyte and its sperm cells.
a. Microsporangium: Structure contains microspocyte (2n) that undergoes
meiosis to form microspores.
b. Microspore develops into pollen grain after several mitotic divisions.
5. In order for fertilization to take place, pollination, the transfer of the pollen
grain to the ovule must occur first.
a. In gymnosperms, pollination typically occurs by wind.
b. Pollen grain gains access to ovule through micropyle, an opening in
integument.
c. Pollen tube: Tubular growth produced from pollen grain grows to the egg,
through which the sperm cells are able to gain access to egg and
fertilization will occur
i. Sperms are naked nuclei that are taken directly to the egg through the
pollen tube. Flagellated sperm mostly absent since standing water is no
longer required for the sperm to swim to egg.
ii. In gymnosperms, wind is the mechanism by which pollen is transported
to ovules.
6. A seed can be defined as an embryo that is surrounded by a food supply that is
protected by the seed coat (originally the integument of the developing ovule). B.
Advantages of the seed vs spore:
1. Seed has a food supply that will allow it to be dormant, protected by two
protective layers that allow it to withstand drought and cold temperatures.
Have various mechanisms for dispersal over long distances.
2. The spore is the dispersal-reproductive unit in nonvascular and seedless
vascular plants. Have the ability to withstand harsh environmental conditions
as above, but not to extreme conditions as seed. No special mechanism for
dispersal, other than wind.
3. Seed plants evolved while seedless, vascular plants were dominant, but were
unable to displace them until advantageous characteristics of seed were
selected for by environment.
a. When seedless, vascular plants were dominant, during the Paleozoic era,
much of terrestrial environment had standing water. Thus, the requirement of
water for sexual reproduction was not a disadvantage for seedless,
vascular plants as dominant plants during this era.
b. During the Mesozoic era, about 248 MYA, movement of continents
changed environmental conditions. Oceans receded, land became warmer
and dryer and less standing water, conditions became more favorable for
 seed plants than seedless, vascular plants. Change due to Plate Tectonic
Theory.
c. Mass extinctions occurred, e.g., amphibians and seedless, vascular plants
replaced by reptiles, gymnosperm and seed plants.

Terms to know (most will be used in answering the questions):

Vascular plants (Tracheophytes)- plants that have water transport cells

Seedless vascular plants
Vascular tissue
Xylem - water and mineral transport tissue
Tracheids - water and mineral transport cells, first waters transport cells evolved
Phloem - food transport tissue
Sieve elements - food transport cells transport mostly sugar and also other proteins and other
solutes
Stem
Roots
Leaves
Stomata (sing.=stoma)
Microphyll
Megaphyll
Sporophyll
Strobilus
Homosporous - one type of spore, gives rise to bisexual gametophyte ( antheridium and
archeogonium on same gametophyte)
Fern sporangium -
Sorus
Rhizome - underground stem
Fiddlehead - young developing leaf of fern
Heterosporous
Seed
Integument (Seed coat)
Ovule
Pollen grain
Pollen tube
Pollination
Sperm nuclei
Microsporangium
Microspore
Megasporangium
Megaspore
Plate tectonic
Continental drift

Questions
1. What are the characteristics of the early seedless vascular plants such as
Cooksonia?

- About 6.5 cm tall with many terminal sporangia

- Xylem and pholem present
- Cuticle present, prevents gas exchange and evaporation
- Rhizome: underground stem present, took place of stem in evolved
plants
- Photosynthesis occurred in stem that has chlorophyll within.
2. What organs were not present in the early seedless vascular plants?
- Lacked leaves and roots

3. Compare the life cycles of mosses and ferns. How do the two differ, with respect to
advances that occurred in the adaptation to the terrestrial environment? What is a
characteristic common to both groups that is still a poor adaptation to the terrestrial
environment?
Similarities:
● water still required for sperms to swim to egg in ferns
●

4. Most seedless, vascular plants have leaves called microphylls. What is the
characteristic of a microphyll? Ferns have megaphylls. What is the characteristic of a
megaphyll and how does it differ from a microphyll?
- Leaves evolved twice
- Microphylls: small leaves, wit a single strand of vascular tissue (=vein), present in
only some vascular plants
- Originated as sporangia without vascular tissue; eventually sporangia grew
into vascular tissue and become micropyll
- Present in lycophytes and pterophytes
- Megaphylls: larger leaves with branched vascular tissues
- Present in seed plants and some seedless vascular plants
- Webbing occurred around branches, branches became branches of leaves
- Overtopping (dominant stem)

5. How does the development of leaves in ferns differ from that of other plants with
leaves?

6. What are sporophylls? Give examples of sporophylls, with respect to the location of
sporangia.
- Fern leaf is the sporphyll on which sporaniga are borne on underside of leaves

7. What are the functions of stomata?

- Opens during gas exchange between plants and surroundings

8. Ferns are said to be homosporous. What does that mean? How does this differ
from plants that are heterosporous?
- Homosporous: one type of spore, gives rise to bisexual gametophyte

9. There is a trend that the gametophyte becomes more reduced as plants evolved. What
advantage does this give to the plant in adapting to the terrestrial environment?

10. Describe/define what the structure we call a seed is?

- defined as a reproductvie structure consisting of an embryo enclosed in its food
supply and protected with a seed coat (=integument) and retained by the parent
sporophyte.

11. What further adaptations to the terrestrial environment do seed plants have that were not
present in mosses and ferns?
- Roots evolved (416-370 mya)
- Rhizoids able to absorb water and minerals, anchored plants
- The leafs was the last plant organ to evolve
- Improved water and mineral uptake and transport
- Xylem and pholem tissues are continuous from root stem nad leaves
- Also improved photosynthesis by increasing surface area to absorb light energy
- Allowed plants to grow taller
- Trancheid cells that transport water and minerals, lignin on cell walls gave it
strength to grow upright
12. The further adaptations to the terrestrial environment with the evolution of the seed
would not have been that meaningful if change in the environmental conditions that gave
the seed plants a selective advantage had not occurred. What environmental changes
occurred that eventually made it possible for seed plants to become dominant?
-
- Land was wet and swampy, no advantage to seed plants but became dryer and warmer
overtime due to the plate tectonic theory.