Name ___________________________
Morgan-Carter Lab #14 – PLANT DIVERSITY I:
BRYOPHYTES AND SEEDLESS VASCULAR PLANTS
Ex. 14.1 – Bryophytes (Nonvascular Plants)
Lab Study A. Bryophyta: Mosses
Refer to the Plant Life Cycles in the Introduction and Figure 14.2, the generalized diagram of the plant life
cycle.
1. Are the spores produced by the moss sporophyte formed by meiosis or mitosis?
Are they haploid or diploid?
2. Do the spores belong to the gametophyte or sporophyte generation?
3. Are the gametes haploid or diploid? Are they produced by meiosis or mitosis?
4. Is the dominant generation for the mosses the gametophyte or the sporophyte?
Lab Study B. Hepatophyta: Liverworts
1. Is the plant you observed the gametophyte or sporophyte?
2. Are the gemmae responsible for asexual or sexual reproduction?
3. Why are these plants, like most bryophytes, restricted to moist habitats?
Why are these plants always small?
Ex. 14.2 – Seedless Vascular Plants
Lab Study A. Lycophyta: Club Mosses
1. How can you distinguish microspores from megaspores in the strobilus of Selaginella?
2. Identify the strobilus, microsporangium, microspores, megasporangium, and megaspores and label
Figure 14.8a and b.
3. Sketch the overall structure of a club moss below and label structures where appropriate.
4. Review Figure 14.8 of Selaginella and highlight the structures that are haploid and part of the
gametophyte generation.
5. Are microspores and megaspores produced by mitosis or meiosis?
6. Will megaspores divide to form the female gametophyte or the sporophyte?
Lab Study B. Monilophyta: Ferns, Horsetails and Whisk Ferns
1. Are there any leaves on the whisk fern? On the horsetail?
2. Are sporangia present on the whisk fern? On the horsetails? On the ferns?
3. Are the sporangia haploid or diploid?
4. Once dispersed, will these spores produce the gametophyte or sporophyte generation?
Lab Study C. Fern Life Cycle
1. Are the spores produced by the fern sporophyte formed by meiosis or mitosis?
2. Do the spores belong to the gametophyte or the sporophyte generation?
3. Are the gametes produced by mitosis or meiosis?
4. Are the archegonia and antheridia haploid or diploid?
Reviewing Your Knowledge
For each of the listed features below, describe its contribution, if any, to the success of land plants.
gametangium
cuticle
rhizoid
motile sperm
vascular tissue
gemma
What is the major difference between the alternation of generations in the life cycles of bryophytes and
seedless vascular plants?
Complete the table below:
STRUCTURE
antheridium
archegonium
spore
gamete
rhizome
gemma
sporangium
strobilus
sorus
FUNCTION
SPOROPHYTE OR
GAMETOPHYTE?
EXAMPLE