Laboratory Investigation #15
Bryophytes, Ferns and Seedless Plants
Description of the Lab
This lab focuses on the differences and similarities in nonvascular and seedless
vascular plants. The vegetative and reproductive structures will be seen, and the life
cycles of these plants discussed. The differences and similarities is homosporous and
Outline of Investigation
1. Bryophytes: Morphology and Life Cycle
A. Complete moss specimen with gametophyte and sporophyte, dissecting
2. Seedless Vascular Plants: Morphology and Life Cycles
A. Fern sporophyte with sporangia specimen
3. Lycopodiophytes
A. Club moss (Lycopodium) specimen
Laboratory Materials and Equipment for Student Use
Materials and Equipment
Per
Student
Per Pair of
Students
Per Lab
Group
Per
Room
Microscopes
1
15
Dissecting microscopes
1
15
Live Material
Moss (Mnium or Polytrichum) with
sporophyte
1
15
Preparation of laboratory Materials and Reagents
The living material must be collected in advance or ordered from a vender in time to
arrive for the lab.
1 day prior to the lab
1. Put dissecting microscopes out for student use.
Liverwort (Marchantia)
1
15
Fern sporophyte with sporangia
1
15
Horsetail (Equisetum) with strobili
1
15
Club moss (Lycopodium)
1
15
Prepared Slides
Moss (Mnium) male gametophyte, ls,
1
15
Moss (Polytrichum) capsule, ls
1
15
Swordfern (Polystichum) leaf, cs
1
15
Fern prothallus
1
15
Club moss (Lycopodium) strobilus, ls
1
15
Spike moss (Selaginella) strobilus, ls
1
15
Questions for Lab #15 Bryophytes, Ferns, and Seedless Plants
Use the knowledge you acquired in this lab exercise, along with information from your
textbook, to answer the following questions.
1. What are the main elements of the alternation of generations?
Plants spend part of their lives in a multicellular gametophyte stage, which gives
2. What is the ploidy of the sporophyte and what is the ploidy of the gametophyte?
3. Which generation dominates the life cycle of bryophytes? And that of vascular
plants?
4. What are gametes and where are they produced?
5. What is fertilization?
Fusion of an egg and sperm
8. Name the three phyla of bryophytes
Bryophyta: mosses
10. What are the main differences between homosporous and heterosporous life cycles?
Homosporous plants produce only one type of spore which produces gametophytes
How are bryophyte sporophytes different from those of vascular plants?
They lack specialized vascular tissues to conduct nutrients and water through the
plant. Therefore they are restricted in size. They do not form seeds but reproduce by
spores.
→ What is the main advantage of heterospory over homospory?