Laboratory Report 3 : Bryophytes and Ferns

Introduction
Bryophyte is a traditional name used to refer to all embryophytes (land plants) that do not have
true vascular tissue and are therefore called 'non-vascular plants'. Some bryophytes do have
specialized tissues for the transport of water; however since these do not contain lignin, they are
not considered to be true vascular tissue. Currently bryophytes are thought not to be a natural or
monophyletic group; however the name is convenient and remains in use as a collective term for
mosses, hornworts, and liverworts. Bryophytes produce enclosed reproductive structures
(gametangia and sporangia), but they produce neither flowers nor seeds, reproducing via spores.
A broad consensus among systematists has recently emerged that bryophytes as a whole are not a
natural group (paraphyletic), although each of the three extant (living) groups is monophyletic.
The three lineages are Marchantiophyta (liverworts), Bryophyta (mosses) and Anthocerotophyta
(hornworts). Like all land plants (embryophytes), bryophytes show 'alternation of generations'. A
haploid gametophyte, each of whose cells contains a fixed number of unpaired chromosomes,
gives rise to a diploid sporophyte, each of whose cells contains twice the number of paired
chromosomes. Gametophytes produce sperm and eggs which fuse and grow into sporophytes.
Sporophytes produce spores which grow into gametophytes.
On the other hand, a fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the
botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem that make
them vascular plants). They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants. Ferns
reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. Like all other vascular plants, they have
a life cycle referred to as alternation of generations, characterized by alternating diploid
sporophytic and haploid gametophytic phases. The diploid sporophyte has 2n paired
chromosomes, where n varies from species to species. The haploid gametophyte has n unpaired
chromosomes which is half the number of the sporophyte. The gametophyte of ferns is a freeliving organism, whereas the gametophyte of the gymnosperms and angiosperms is dependent on
the sporophyte.
Procedure
1. The live specimens were observed using dissecting microscope.
2. The prepared slides were observed using light microscope under the suitable magnification.

Discussion
During this lab activity, two groups of plants have been examined which are bryophytes and
ferns. For bryophyte, we have examined mosses, liverworts and hornworts.
Firstly, I have examined the live specimen of liverworts which is Marchantia . Marchantia
belongs to the class, Hepaticae. It grows well in shaded and moist areas, such as greenhouses, the
banks of streams. It rapidly colonizes burnt ground after fires. From my observation, I found that
Marchantia do not have true leaves like most organisms we consider plants but it have green
leaf-like structure called thallus. In addition, Marchantia do not have roots, they have rhizoids
which are root-like structures that lack xylem and phloem. Absorption of water and nutrient from
the soil is carried out by these unicellular rhizoids which are also used for attachment of the
thallus to the surface of the soil. Besides that, Marchantia do not have flowers instead they have
archegoniophores and antheridiophores (female and male sex organs). They are unisexual or also
called as dioicious since the male and female sex organs forming on different plants. The male
and female plants can be easily identified by their gametangia which are very distinct
structurally. Antheridiophores look like an umbrella while the female achegoniophores have
finger-like projections.
Next, I have observed the live specimen of hornworts which is Anthoceros. Anthoceros is
a genus of hornworts in the class Anthocerotea. All the species of Anthoceros grow on moist
clayey soil and on wet rocks in very moist, shady places, usually in dense patches. A few species
of Anthoceros occur on decaying wood. Hornworts are similar to the thallose form of liverwort,
but instead of the normal liverwort type of sporophyte, they have a hornlike structure. The thallus
structure of hornworts is simple, much simpler than Marchantia. The sporophyte of Anthoceros
includes the capsule and seta while the gametophyte is the leafy plant. Anthoceros reproduces
both by sexual and asexual means. Asexual reproduction usually takes place by tubers which are
able to withstand unfavourable conditions. Other means of asexual reproduction include
fragmentation, gemmae formation, persistent growing apices and apospory. Sexual reproduction
occurs through development of embedded antheridia and archegonia. The thallus of anthoceros
can be monoecious or dioecious.
The most familiar Bryophytes are mosses. True mosses are usually divided into two large
groupings that are Acrocarps and Pleurocarps. During the lab, I have observed the live specimen
of Polytricum sp. Polytrichum is an acrocarpous moss and Acrocarps have capsules at the tips of
their branches. In moss the dominant generation is the leafy haploid (n) form called the
gametophyte. The gametophytes are either male or female. The male gametophyte produces
sperm from structures called the antheridia. This male gametophyte is haploid (n) and is
produced by mitosis. The female gametophyte produces an egg from structures called the
archegonia. This female gametophyte is also haploid (n) and produced by mitosis. Both the male
antheridia and the female archegonia are located on short stems. The sex organs, located at the
apical end of stem or branches, and are protected by a leafy structure called paraphyses. The

gametophyte of mosses develops in two stages. The first stage is the development of protonema
from spore. Protonema is a green algal-like and appears as branching filaments of cell.
Protonema produces bud and will develop into young mosses plants (leaflike). When observing
under the microscope, protonema appears as an elongate, thread-like structure. The structure also
has perpendicular crosswalls, short cells and irregular branching. The moss protonema that I
have observed was just developing into chloronema because the cell is still short and the
crosswall is perpendicular. In addition, mosses can also reproduce asexually by fragmentation or
by growing little vegetative buds called gemma, which can break off and grow into a new plant.
Lastly, I have observed another group of plant different from bryophyte that is fern. From
my observation, the structure of fern consists of rhizome, the part of a fern from which the fronds
(leaves) and roots grow. Fronds are the leaves of a fern, consisting out of 2 parts: the stipe and
the lamina. The part between the rhizome and the first leaflet is called stipe, it is analogous to the
petiole of a leaf. The lamina is the blade of the fern, it is usually green and responsible for the
photosynthesis. The lamina consists of a midrib (rachis) and of pinnae. A pinnae is the first
division of the front, this can be further divided into pinnules. An easy way to recognize a fern is
the rolled up state of the young leaves (fiddleheads or croziers), a condition better known as
circinate vernation. Ferns do not have flowers. They reproduce through spores, which are
produced in sporangia. In true ferns these are situated in groups, called sori. These are usually
located on the underside of the fronds. Sometimes the sori are protected by flaps or disk
structures called indusia, or covered by the rolled over edge of the pinnae.
Unlike the other vascular plants, the flowering plants and conifers, where the adult plant
grows immediately from the seed, ferns reproduce from spores and an intermediate plant stage
called a gametophyte. If the spore finds suitable conditions, it will grow into a tiny heart-shaped
plantlet called a prothallus or gametophyte. The prothallus is the fern gametophyte. It is a green,
photosynthetic structure that is one cell thick, usually heart or kidney shaped. It is very difficult
to find in the bush as it is so tiny. It doesnt have roots, stems or leaves but it does have rhizoids
that anchor it to the soil and help with absorption. The underside of the prothallus is where the
gametes are produced from the male and female sex organs. The prothallus has both male and
female sex organs.
In this regard, the spore behaves quite like the seed of a higher plant, except that what
grows from the seed is the full adult plant, but what grows from the spore is the gametophyte.
The gametophyte is not the full fern, but a plant with only half the genetic material of the adult
fern, rather like a sperm cell or an egg cell. The gametophyte is the intermediate stage from spore
to adult fern. If the gametophyte finds itself in a suitably moist place, fertilisation takes place,
and it is transformed into a complete adult plant. It becomes whats called a sporophyte. Given
the right conditions, this tiny sporophyte will continue to grow into a full adult fern, where it can
produce spores of its own, to repeat the life cycle. In some ferns the rachis produces a vegetative
bud or gemmae, these ferns are called proliferous. When this bud falls on the ground a new plant
develops. Sometimes however the new plant will already start to grow while still being attached

to the rachis. Through the weight of this small plant, the frond will bend towards the ground.
When it makes contact with the soil, the small new fern can start to root.
Conclusion
As conclusion, I can say that in Bryophyte, the main plant body is a gametophyte and haploid.
The true roots, leaves and vascular tissue are absent. Sporophyte is capsular and totally
dependant on gametophyte. While in fern, the main plant body is a sporophyte and diploid. The
true roots, leaves and vascular tissue are present. Sporophyte is differentiated to root, stem and
leaves and is initially dependent on gametophyte.