Bryophytes Pteridophytes

 Bryophytes Pteridophytes

  Introduction: In this chapter, Bryophytes Pteridophytes we will discuss in detail. Bryophytes - Bryon means moss, phyton means plant, and Pteridophytes - Pteris means fern, phyton means plant. Stem, leaves, and roots are not present in bryophytes. Instead of roots rhizoids occurs in bryophytes. Pteridophytes contains true stem, leaves, and roots. Pteridophytes are seedless and cryptogamic vascular plants.

Characteristic features of Bryophytes:

• Bryophytes are non vascular plants.
• They are small.
• They have haploid gametophyte.
• They are found in damp and shady areas.
• They grow during the rainy season.
• The maximum height of moss is 60 cm.
• Rhizoids are found.
• Roots are not present.
• Fragmentation, adventitious branches, tubers are helped in vegetative reproduction.
• Sex organs are jacketed.
• Antheridium is male and the female organ is the archegonium.
• Antheridia are rounded and Archegonia are flask-shaped.
• Antheridium is generally motile and Archegonium is non-motile.
• Water is required for male gamete.
• The cuticle is not present on the plant body.
• Mechanical tissue is also absent.
• Sporogonium is dependent on gametophyte.
• The alternation of generation is heteromorphic.

Terrestrial Amphibians:

• Bryophytes are known as terrestrial amphibians.
• Water is required for existence.
• Water is required for the swimming of male gametes.
• Water also protects from transpiration.

Types of Bryophytes: Hepaticopsida, Anthoceropsida, and Bryopsida.

A) Hepaticopsida: They are found in damp soil, trees, ground, and woods, The thallus is flattened, rhizoids are unicellular, parasitic sporogonium, and multicellular scales are present. Examples: Riccia, Sphaerocarpos, Marchantia, Pellia, etc.

 Marchantia - It is small approximately in length is 2-10 cm.

• Photosynthetic filaments are present.
• Smooth walled and tuberculate rhizoids are present.
• Fragmentation, regeneration, and gemmae help in vegetative reproduction.
• Gemmae are biscuit-shaped structures and are borne inside the gemma cups.
• Marchantia having gametophores.
• The Gametophore of the female is archegoniophore and the gametophore of the male is antheridiophore.
• Antheridiophore having eight lobed receptacle.
• Archegoniophore having nine rays receptacle.
• Archegonium having perigynium and a tubular neck.
• The zygote is formed by fertilization.
• Foot, seta, and capsule have parts of Sporogonium.

Marchantia

B) Bryopsida: They have radial symmetry, oblique septa, and branched filament. Sporangium contains columella, assimilatory tissue, and peristome. Examples: Funaria, Sphagnum, Polytrichum, etc.

Funaria - It is small approximately 3-5 cm in height.

• Plant show radial symmetry.
• Rhizoids are multicellular with oblique septa.
• The leaves have midrib.
• Lateral and extraaxillary branching is found.
• The epidermis of the Stem is a single layer.
• Stem and Leaves are gametophytic.
• Vegetative reproduction occurs through Fragmentation.
• The male receptacle contains antheridia and is knobbed.
• The female receptacle contains archegonia and paraphyses.
• Antheridium contains sperm mother cells.
• Archegonium contains a canal cell and a large egg.
• Sporogonium has a foot, curved seta, and asymmetrical capsule.
• The capsule contains nonphotosynthetic columella.
• Filamentous protonema stage is present.

Funaria

See Also: Diversity Living World

Biological Classification

Algae Rhodophyta Phaeophyta Chlorophyta

Economic Importance of Bryophytes: 

• Bryophytes help in the prevention of soil erosion.
• They help in the formation of soil.
• Sphagnum moss is used as a retention of water.
• Peat is used as fuel and manure also.
• Mosses are used as animal food.

PTERIDOPHYTES:

• They are found in shady areas and cool places.
• They are seedless plants.
• Vascular tissues are present.
• Approximately 13000 species are found.
• The plant is differentiated into Leaves, stem, and roots.
• Leaves may be macrophyllous and microphyllous.
• True vessels are absent in Xylem.
• Sieve tube and companion cells are absent in Phloem.
• Spores can be homosporous and heterosporous.
• Heterosporous having microspores and megaspores.
• The gametophyte is independent.
• Antheridia is male and Archegonia is a female sex organ.
• Sperm require water to reach the archegonia.
• Examples: Equisetum, Selaginella, Dryopteris, etc.

Pteridophytes

Economic Importance of Pteridophytes:

• Pteridophytes contain a food source eat by some tribals.
• They have the capability to bind the soil and prevent erosion.
• Also, use for cleaning and polishing metals.
• Azolla shows a symbiotic association.
• Dryopteris show medicinal properties.
• Ferns show the ornamental property.

Classes of Pteridophyta:

1. Psilopsida: 

• Rhizoids are present.
• Aerial stems are photosynthetic.
• Sporangia develop either axially or terminally.
• Cooksonia and Rhynia are primitive forms.

2. Lycopsida:

• The plant is differentiated into stem, leaves, and roots.
• Microphyllous leaves are present.
• A branch is dichotomous.
• Examples: Selaginella, Lycopodium, etc.

3. Sphenopsida:

• A jointed stem is present.
• Multiflagellate spermatozoids are present.
• Example: Equisetum

Selaginella

• Some species form brown balls during the dry season.
• When water is available it turns in green color.
• Leaves are microphyllous.
• Adventitious roots are present.
• Tubers, fragmentation, and bulbils for vegetative reproduction.
• A plant having microspore and megaspore.
• Microsporangia produce haploid microspores.
• Megasporangia produce haploid megaspores.
• Male gametophyte consists prothallial cell and antheridia.
• Female gametophyte consists of endosperm, marginal rhizoids.
• The structure of archegonium is flask-shaped.
• The diploid zygote is formed by fertilization.

Life-cycle-selaginella

Equisetum

• The plant is differentiated into leaves, root, and stem.
• Rhizome and aerial branches are two components of the stem.
• Aerial branches perform the photosynthesis process.
• The xylem contains xylem vessels.
• In arvense species brown aerial branch is fertile.

Fern

• Fern is found in temperate and humid tropics areas.
• It is a seedless plant.
• The plant is differentiated into Leaves, stem, and roots.
• Its maximum height is 20 m.
• It bears adventitious roots.
• It has large leaves called Fronds.
• Leaves can be simple, unipinnate, bipinnate, or tripinnate.
• Open furcate venation is found in the leaves.
• Sporophylls are present.
• Bulbils, rhizome, and adventitious buds help in vegetative reproduction.
• Prothallus having sex organs.
• The Male sex organ is antheridia.
• The Female sex organ is archegonia.
• Sperms are multiflagellate.

Life-cycle-Dryopteris

Conclusion: The plant body of bryophyte is gametophyte and the plant body of pteridophyte is the sporophyte. Pteridophyte contains Vascular tissues.

In this chapter, Bryophytes Pteridophytes above the information is completed in detail with images.

See Also: Protista Protozoan Plasmodium