Chapter Two: Seedless Vascular Plants

The vascular plants (or tracheophytes) are characterized by their efficient conducting tissues
(xylem and phloem) for transport of materials through the body; specialized stems, leaves, and
roots; cuticles and stomata; but seedless vascular plants do not produce seeds. They are among
the oldest of land plants.

Bryophytes may have been successful at the transition from an aquatic habitat to land, but they
are still dependent on water for reproduction, and absorb moisture and nutrients through the
gametophyte surface. The lack of roots for absorbing water and minerals from the soil, as well as
a lack of reinforced conducting cells, limits bryophytes to small sizes. Although they may
survive in reasonably dry conditions, they cannot reproduce and expand their habitat range in the
absence of water. Vascular plants, on the other hand, can achieve enormous heights, thus
competing successfully for light. Photosynthetic organs become leaves, and pipe-like cells or
vascular tissues transport water, minerals, and fixed carbon throughout the organism.

The development of an extensive network of roots represented a significant new feature of

vascular plants. Thin rhizoids attached bryophytes to the substrate, but these rather flimsy
filaments did not provide a strong anchor for the plant; neither did they absorb substantial
amounts of water and nutrients. In contrast, roots, with their prominent vascular tissue system,
transfer water and minerals from the soil to the rest of the plant. The extensive network of roots
that penetrates deep into the soil to reach sources of water also stabilizes trees by acting as a
ballast or anchor. The majority of roots establish a symbiotic relationship with fungi, forming
mycorrhizae, which benefit the plant by greatly increasing the surface area for absorption of
water and soil minerals and nutrients.

The appearance of true leaves in vascular plants improved their photosynthetic efficiency. The
existence of two types of morphology suggests that leaves evolved independently in several
groups of plants. The first type of leaf is the microphyll (micro = small, -phyll = leaf), or “little
leaf,” which is small and has a simple vascular system with a single unbranched vein that runs
through the center of the leaf.

1
Microphylls may have originated from the flattening of lateral branches, or from sporangia that
lost their reproductive capabilities.
Microphylls are present in the club mosses, horsetails, and whisk ferns and probably preceded
the development of megaphylls (mega = large, -phyll = leaf), or “big leaves,” which are larger
leaves with a pattern of branching veins.
Megaphylls most likely appeared independently several times during the course of evolution.
Their complex networks of veins suggest that several branches may have combined into a
flattened organ, with the gaps between the branches being filled with photosynthetic tissue.
Megaphylls are typical leaves of ferns, gymnosperms, and angiosperms.

In addition to photosynthesis, leaves play another role in the life of the plants. Pine cones, mature
fronds of ferns, and flowers are all sporophylls—leaves that were modified structurally to bear
sporangia. Some Strobili are cone-like structures that contain sporangia.

The main characteristic features of the seedless vascular plants are:

1. They have complex vascular tissue such as the xylem and the phloem.
2. No seed formation occurs in these types of plants.
3. They reproduce through spores.
2
 4. They possess stem, leaves and roots in some of them
5. The cell walls of these plants are made from cellulose and pectin.
6. The seedless vascular plant shows alternation of generation in their life cycle.
7. Reduced gametophyte (less than 1 cm)

Classification of Seedless Vascular Plants

The seedless vascular plants can be divided into four divisions:
1. Division Pterophyta (ferns)
Pterophyta derived from Greek words, pteris or pterid “fern”+ phyton “plants”.
Ferns are the largest group of seedless plants living today, and they display great diversity in
form and habitat. Ferns are most abundant in warm, moist, tropical regions but they are also
found in dry, rocky places. They are considered as the first true plants that evolved after club
mosses. Ferns have large coiled leaves known as fronds that stand vertically and drive in shady
forests. however, certain ferns are adapted to dry environment, such as desert.
Most ferns have buried underground horizontal stems called rhizomes (that has aerial, pinnately
compound leaves) from which adventitious roots grow to absorb water and nutrients from the
soil, or they may grow above ground.
The typical fern leaf has sporangia-containing sori along its underside, but some species have
separate fertile and sterile leaves.

Most ferns are homosporous and germinate heart-shaped, bisexual gametophytes, called
prothalli. Many ferns have prothalli that are photosynthetic. Archegonia appear as small, raised
bumps on the underside of the prothallus’s notched end; a single egg is produced with each
archegonium. Antheridia are also found on the underside of the prothallus, but they are scattered
among the many hair-like rhizoids towards the gametophyte’s apex end.
Antheridia are distinguished by the cluster of sperm nuclei they contain. Sperm swim through
moist soils to the archegonia, and upon fertilization, a new sporophyte develops.

3
 2. Lycophytes (The Club Mosses)
Club mosses are not actually mosses but they resemble over-sized mosses with an elongated
cone at its apex and a fleshy underground and horizontal stem called rhizome that sends up
upright aerial stems. They are the earliest group of seedless vascular plants.
Their life cycle is similar to ferns. Lycophytes follow the pattern of alternation of generations,
except that the sporophyte is the major stage of the life cycle. The gametophytes do not depend
on the sporophyte for nutrients. In club mosses, the sporophyte gives rise to small leaves, termed
microphylls (sporophylls), each have a single vein composed of xylem and phloem arranged in
strobili, cone-like structures (club shaped) bearing sporangia that give the class its name.
Lycophytes can be homosporous or heterosporous.

4
 3. Division Sphenophyta: (The Horsetails):
Horsetails (also formerly known as arthrophyta) grow in wet marshy places
The sphenophytes reached their maximum abundance approximately 300 million years ago, but
today are all extinct except for the single genus, Equisetum. Some of the fossil forms were tree-
like, reaching heights of nearly 15 meters.
The stem of a horsetail is characterized by the presence of joints or nodes, hence the old name
Arthrophyta (arthro- = “joint”; -phyta = “plant”).
Equisetum (the single extant genus) has two sporophyte types: both fertile and sterile shoots
Each shoot is comprised of sections joined at nodes. Sterile shoots have whorls of long, narrow
leaves at each node, whereas fertile shoots lack leaves and chlorophyll. However, fertile shoots
terminate with a sporangia-containing structure called a strobilus. They have similar life cycles
to ferns.

5
 4. Division Silophyta: (Whisk Ferns):
Greek Psilos = bare, referring to the lack of the usual plant organs, such as leaves.

Whisk ferns are so named because their stems exhibit a dichotomous branching pattern
resembling a whisk broom. While the sporophyte possesses true stems, it has no roots or leaves.
Both a horizontal, underground rhizome as well as a vertical aerial stem may be present. In the
absence of leaves, aerial stems are the main organs of photosynthesis. The stems bear small,
lobed sporangia in which spores are produced. After dispersal, a spore germinates into a non-
photosynthetic, underground, prothallus that receives nutrients from a symbiotic relationship
with fungi.

6
Reproduction in Seedless Vascular Plants
Like the nonvascular plants, the seedless vascular plants rely on water for reproduction because
gametophyte generation lacks vascular tissues for conduction and gametes must travel through
water for fertilization.
The archegonia and antheridia develop on the lower surfaces of the gametophytes. In most
species of seedless vascular plants, both eggs and sperm are produced by the same individual. In
some species, however, eggs and sperm are produced by separate gametophytes
Unlike nonvascular plants, seedless vascular plants have dominant sporophytes that are much
larger than their gametophytes and are structurally more complex than that of the moss. The fern
sporophyte has vascular tissue and well-differentiated roots, stems, and leaves. The gametophyte,
however, lacks vascular tissue.
On the other hand, the gametophytes of ferns are tiny, green, heart-shaped plants that are less
than 1 cm (0.5 in.) across. The sporophytes produce spores in sporangia. In horsetails and club
mosses, sporangia develop in cones. In ferns, clusters of sporangia form on the lower surfaces of
fronds, as shown in Figure below.
A cluster of sporangia on a fern frond is called a sorus. The word sorus comes from the Greek
word soros, meaning “a heap.”
7
Sori on a fern frond. Sori appear as small bumps on the underside of a fern frond. Each sorus
consists of about 20–30 sporangia.

8
As shown in the above diagram, each generation can give to the other. From the figure, you can
see that the diploid sporophyte has a structure called a sporangium (plural, sporangia) that
undergoes meiosis to form haploid spores. A spore develops into a haploid gametophyte. The
gametophyte has male or female reproductive organs called antheridium (plural, anderidia) that
undergo mitosis to form haploid gametes (sperm or eggs). Fertilization of gametes produces a
diploid zygote. The zygote grows and develops into a mature sporophyte, and the cycle repeats.

Importance of Seedless Vascular Plants:

• Help form soil and prevent soil erosion
• Popular house plants
• Some are edible
• Shampoos, dietary supplements, skin-care products
• Remains of ancient seedless vascular plants formed coal

The End

9
Key features of Club Mosses, Ferns, horsetail and Whisk Ferns

Club Mosses ferns Horstails Whisk Ferns

- Earliest group Most diversy & Jointed stem whisk broom-shaped branches
abundant, sporangia-
- Microphylls containing sori along
(sporophylls) its underside sterile and fertile
arranged in strobili shoots terminating
in their sporophyte strobilus

10
11