Banks, J. 2018. lycophyte: a tracheophyte subdivision of the Kingdom Plantae; the oldest extant (living) vascular plant division at around 410 million years old sporangia: enclosures in which spores are formed Ferns and Other Seedless Vascular Plants Water is required for fertilization of seedless vascular plants; most favor a moist environment. families Carboniferous periods are now extinct, but they now exist within the Earth as coal. Plant Sci Lett 15:305311, Gregory TR (2001) The bigger the C-value, the larger the cell: genome size and red blood cell size in vertebrates. monilophyte Any member of a clade of vascular plants (sometimes called Monilophyta) based on molecular genetic analysis, comprising the whisk ferns, horsetails, ferns, and their allies such as adders' tongues (Ophioglossaceae), moonworts, and grape ferns. Woudenberg S, Renema J, Tomescu AMF, De Rybel B, Weijers D. Plant Physiol. Augstein, F., & Carlsbecker, A. Fernsthe most common seedless vascular plantsare monilophytes. Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative, Over 10 million scientific documents at your fingertips, Not logged in Historically both lycophytes and monilophytes were grouped together as pteridophytes (ferns and fern allies) on the basis of being spore-bearing ("seed-free"). families They dominated the landscape of the Carboniferous, growing into tall trees and forming large swamp forests. Ann Bot-London 92:259264, Obermayer M, Leitch IJ, Hanson L, Bennett MD (2002) Nuclear DNA C-values in 30 species double the familial representation in Pteridophytes. Their leaves are reduced and non-photosynthetic. Google Scholar, Moran RC (2008) Diversity, biogeography, and floristics. Ann Bot-London 95:255260, Greilhuber J, Borsch T, Mller K, Worberg A, Porembski S, Barthlott W (2006) Smallest angiosperm genomes found in Lentibulariaceae, with chromosomes of bacterial size. The names and ranks used for this group vary considerably. There are two types of sporangia, called microsporangia and megasporangia; the sporophylls associated with them are termed microsporophylls and megasporophylls. lycophyte, (class Lycopodiopsida), class of spore-bearing vascular plants comprising more than 1,200 extant species. The two branches that result may be equal in length or may be of different lengths. They are both ancient groups of plants that once dominated the forests in many parts of the world. They are one of the oldest lineages of extant (living) vascular plants; the group contains extinct plants that have been dated from the Silurian (ca. Confusing common names. [19], Some extinct orders of lycophytes fall into the same group as the extant orders. Today, seedless vascular plants are represented by monilophytes and lycophytes. Renzaglia KS, Duff RJT, Nickrent DL, Garbary DJ. [Source], Sigel, Erin M., Eric Schuettpelz, Kathleen M. Pryer, and Joshua P. Der. 2012 Apr;109(5):851-71. doi: 10.1093/aob/mcs017. Brandes A, Heslop-Harrison JS, Kamm A, Kubis S, Doudrick RL, Schmidt T (1997) Comparative analysis of the chromosomal and genomic organization of Ty1-copia-like retrotransposons in pteridophytes, gymnosperms and angiosperms. The processes of sexual reproduction of Isoetes are very similar to those of Selaginella, except that the sperm are multiflagellate and many more spores are formed per sporangium. Nat Rev Mol Cell Bio 8:655665, DeMaggio AE, Wetmore RH, Hannaford JE, Stetler DA, Raghavan V (1971) Ferns as a model system for studying polyploidy and gene dosage effects. Am J Bot 74:953966, Jovtchev G, Barow M, Meister A, Schubert I (2007) Impact of environmental and endogenous factors on endopolyploidization in angiosperms. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material. Development of the female gametophyte, or megagametophyte, also may begin while the megaspore is still within the megasporangium. Am J Bot 68:881896, Kurth E, Gifford EM (1985) Ontogenetic changes in DNA content in roots of the water fern Azolla filiculoides. 2022 Jul 19;13(7):1280. doi: 10.3390/genes13071280. Fill the form to request your free trial. National Library of Medicine Ultimately the sporophyte becomes physiologically independent of the gametophyte, and the latter dies. We use/store this info to ensure you have proper access and that your account is secure. in 3b, See list of 17 1b. American Fern Journal, 109(3), 248-266. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. Across the five orders covered, 1Cx-values averaged 4.2pg in the Lycopodiales, 18.1pg for the Equisetales, 5.06pg for a single representative of the Ophioglossales, 14.3pg for the Osmundales, and 7.06pg for the Polypodiales. Russ J Genet 37:10681073. The site is secure. Species in the genus Leclercqia had fully vascularized microphylls. Just as with bryophytes and spermatophytes (seed plants), the life cycle of pteridophytes involves alternation of generations. They have terrestrial or subterranean gametophytes that vary in size and shape depending on the genera. 2023 Mar 15;150(6):dev201209. The lycophytes, when broadly circumscribed, are a group of vascular plants that include the clubmosses. Notably, none of the lycophytes are true mosses, which are nonvascular plants. https://www.britannica.com/plant/lycophyte, University of California, Berkeley: Museum of Paleontology - Introduction to the Lycophyta. Careers. Lycophytes -first plants to have true leaves, roots, & stems -true vascular system -sporophyte is dominate generation Rhyniophytes Earliest land plants with true vascular tissue Selaginella -heterosporous (megaspores & microspores) -rizophore (gave rise to roots) -ligules Monilophytes -ferns -heterosporous (some are homo.) Meiosis is a cell division process that produces haploid cellswhich contain one complete set of chromosomesfrom a diploid cellwhich contains two complete sets of chromosomes. Bookshelf The spores are haploid, and are dispersed by structures called sori, clustered on the underside of the leaves. These final stages in development usually occur on the soil after the megaspore with the enclosed female gametophyte is shed from the megasporangium. Furthermore, the life cycles of seedless vascular plants are dominated by diploid spore-producing sporophytes, rather than gametophytes. Others, such as Sawdonia ornata, had flap-like extensions on the stems ("enations"), but without any vascular tissue. Please enter your Institution or Company email below to check. How was apical growth regulated in the ancestral land plant? [7], However both Infradivision and Moniliformopses are also invalid names under the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature. PMC A JoVE representative will be in touch with you shortly. If you do not wish to begin your trial now, you can log back into JoVE at any time to begin. Strobili. Frontiers in Plant Science 4. This classification is based on the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group I (PPG I) system, published in 2016. The consensus classification produced by the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification in 2016 (PPGI) places all extant (living) lycophytes in the class Lycopodiopsida. The newly-formed zygote grows into a sporophyte that emerges from the gametophyte, growing by mitosis into the next generation sporophyte. Evolution 8:103118, Wagner WH (1955) Cytotaxonomic observations on North American ferns. Caryologia 52:123132, Manton I (1950) Problems of cytology and evolution in the Pteridophyta. certainly among the stem groups (Fig. Lycopodium dendroideum, a modern member of the Lycopodiales, Isoetes melanospora, a modern member of the Isoetales, Restoration of Pleuromeia, an extinct Isoetales genus from the Early Triassic. The extinct zosterophylls have at most only flap-like extensions of the stem ("enations") rather than leaves, whereas extant lycophyte species have microphylls, leaves that have only a single vascular trace (vein), rather than the much more complex megaphylls of other vascular plants. Todays club mosses are diminutive, evergreen plants consisting of a stem (which may be branched) and microphylls (leaves with a single unbranched vein). Generally, a gametophyte of this type remains subterranean, and five or more years are required before it becomes sexually mature. . In Selaginella, usually only four large megaspores are produced in a megasporangium. Therefore, the following results usually combine data for both the lycophytes and . Their gametophytes are microscopic and undergo most of their development while still within the spore wall (endosporic development). Accessibility in 17b, See list of 5 Your access has now expired. Epub 2012 Feb 22. Baniaga, A. E., & Barker, M. S. (2019). families Gametophytes are bisexual; i.e., the sperm-producing antheridia and the egg-producing archegonia occur on the same plant. It has characteristics both of the non-lycophyte rhyniophytes terminal rather than lateral sporangia and of the zosterophylls kidney-shaped sporangia opening along the distal margin. [1] In 2004, Crane et al. - 91.234.33.200. They have since been out-competed by angiosperms and gymnosperms as the dominant plants but are still an important component of the plant community in many forests. Like animals, seedless vascular plants (and other plants) alternate between meiosis and fertilization during reproduction. This site needs JavaScript to work properly. Three lycophyte orders are recognized: the club mosses (Lycopodiales), the quillworts and their allies (Isoetales), and the spike mosses (Selaginellales). often covered by a protective flap of tissue called an, is a structure that is sensitive to moisture and is. Their other common characteristics include vascular plant apomorphies (e.g., vascular tissue) and land plant plesiomorphies (e.g., spore dispersal and the absence of seeds). 2022 Aug 29;190(1):85-99. doi: 10.1093/plphys/kiac304. in 7b, See list of 11 Copy this link, or click below to email it to a friend. Some sources use the names "Lycopodiophyta" or the shorter "Lycophyta" to include zosterophylls as well as extant lycophytes and their closest extinct relatives,[7] while others use these names to exclude zosterophylls. In the mid-18th-century the great Swedish botanist Linnaeus grouped clubmosses and spikemosses with true mosses. Please enjoy a free 2-hour trial. Older browsers that do not support HTML5 and the H.264 video codec will still use a Flash-based video player. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the Google Scholar, Bennert W, Lubienski M, Krner S, Steinberg M (2005) Triploidy in Equisetum subgenus Hippochaete (Equisetaceae, Pteridophyta). Therefore, pteridophytes do not form a clade but constitute a paraphyletic grade. of large Lycophyte and Monilophyte trees around 3-4 million years ago eventually formed the original deposition of many of the major coal deposits around the world. Monilophytes include ferns, horsetails, and whisk ferns and their relatives. [6] By comparison "lycopod" or lycophyte (club moss) means wolf-plant. Plenum Press, New York, pp 199214, Wang W, Tanurdzic M, Luo M et al (2005) Construction of a bacterial artificial chromosome library from the spikemoss Selaginella moellendorffii: a new resource for plant comparative genomics. [2] Smith et al. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. We would like to extend our sincere appreciation to Paul Kron and Ilia Leitch for insightful and constructive feedback on our manuscript. Please subscribe or login to access full text content. The remains of Lepidodendron and other extinct lycophytes form most of the great coal beds of the world. Caryologia 20:257264, Bainard JD, Newmaster SG (2010) Endopolyploidy in bryophytes: widespread in mosses and absent in liverworts. The embryo, or young sporophyte, consists of a shoot, a root, and a food-absorbing outgrowth called a haustorial foot. Your current browser may not support copying via this button. Frangedakis E, Saint-Marcoux D, Moody LA, Rabbinowitsch E, Langdale JA. Am J Bot 52:204209, Pellicer J, Fay MF, Leitch IJ (2010) The largest eukaryotic genome of them all? Chen S, Wang T, Shu J, Xiang Q, Yang T, Zhang X, Yan Y. The scientific names and the informal English names used for this group of plants are ambiguous. Environ Exp Bot 60:404411, Kamierczak A (2003) Induction of cell division and cell expansion at the beginning of gibberellin A3-induced precocious antheridia formation in Anemia phyllitidis gametophytes. in 19b, See list of 3 Like seed plants, seedless vascular plants have life cycles dominated by sporophytes. The extinct genus Asteroxylon represents a transition between these two groups: it has a vascular trace leaving the central protostele, but this extends only to the base of the enation. New England At the gametophyte stage - which is typically very small and found on or just below the soil surface - haploid gametes are formed by mitosis. Ferns and lycophytes by Patrick Brownsey. Genome 50:351356, Loureiro J, Rodriguez E, Doleel J, Santos C (2006) Comparison of four nuclear isolation buffers for plant DNA flow cytometry. "Pteridophyta" is thus no longer a widely accepted taxon, but the term pteridophyte remains in common parlance, as do pteridology and pteridologist as a science and its practitioner, respectively. Please follow the link in the email to activate your free trial account. Lycophytes have proto-steles. The link was not copied. In the classical concept of a microphyll, the leaf vein emerges from the protostele without . The single extant genus Equisetum is the survivor of a large group of plants, which produced large trees, shrubs, and vines in the swamp forests in the Carboniferous. The Go Botany project is supported The gametophytes are smaller and less structurally complex than the sporophytes, but they can photosynthesize and do not depend on the sporophyte for nourishment or protection. Preslia 81:261280, Ekrt L, Holubov TP, Suda J (2010) Species boundaries and frequency of hybridization in the Dryopteris carthusiana (Dryopteridaceae) complex: a taxonomic puzzle resolved using genome size data. Bot J Linn Soc 90:209216, Nagl W (1978) Endopolyploidy and polyteny in differentiation and evolution. CAS PubMed Conservation and divergence of small RNA pathways and microRNAs in land plants. and transmitted securely. Biol Plantarum 36:351357, Doleel J, Greilhuber J, Lucretti S et al (1998) Plant genome size estimation by flow cytometry: inter-laboratory comparison. . This classification is based on the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group I (PPG I) system, published in 2016. in 2a, See list of 2 [1][2], Of the pteridophytes, ferns account for nearly 90% of the extant diversity. Their leaves are called fronds because of apical growth; young leaves are coiled into fiddleheads (Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\)). Funding for this research was provided through National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) scholarships to JDB and LDB (NSERC PGSD) and grants to SGN, as well as from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation to SGN. Plant Cell Environ. Share. in 5b, See list of 15 Cytologia 44:651659, Tan MK, Thompson JA (1990) Variation in genome size in Pteridium. The sori themselves contain many sporangia. In the lycophytes, as in other vascular plants, there is an alternation of generations between a small, sex-cell-producing phase (gametophyte) and a conspicuous, spore-producing phase (sporophyte). Clipboard, Search History, and several other advanced features are temporarily unavailable. The living genera are all small herbaceous plants, some erect and others low creepers. families The root systems is always adventitious. The gametophytes do not depend on the sporophyte for nutrients. The lycophytes, when broadly circumscribed, are a group of vascular plants that include the clubmosses. Bot J Linn Soc 164:1015, Polito VS (1980) DNA microspectrophotometry of shoot apical meristem cell populations in Ceratopteris thalictroides (Filicales). [1] Plants with microphyll leaves occur early in the fossil record, and few such plants exist today. Updates? https://doi.org/10.1007/s10577-011-9228-1, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10577-011-9228-1. Some zosterophylls, such as the Devonian Zosterophyllum myretonianum, had smooth stems (axes). On the underside of its mature fronds, sori (singular, sorus) form as small clusters where sporangia develop. For example, what most people recognize as a fern is the large, independent fern sporophyte. [14] Silica collects in the epidermal cells, contributing to the stiffness of horsetail plants. Am Nat 130:219232, Speer WD, Werth CR, Hilu KW (1999) Relationships between two infraspecific taxa of Pteridium aquilinum (Dennstaedtiaceae). Representative extinct genera are Lepidodendron and Sigillaria, which were tree lycophytes, and Protolepidodendron, a herbaceous Lycopodium-like plant. Lycophytes. This means that they spend part of their life cycle as a haploid gametophyte, and the other part as a diploid sporophyte. Those that land on a suitable substrate germinate and form a heart-shaped gametophyte, which is attached to the ground by thin filamentous rhizoids. Fertilization, by contrast, produces a diploid cell called a zygote through the fusion of haploid cells called gametessperm and eggs. Seedless vascular plants are also typically more reproductively successful in moist environments because their sperm require a film of water to reach the eggs. Unable to load video. . 2019 Aug 30;8(9):313. doi: 10.3390/plants8090313. P Roy Soc B-Biol Sci 181:109135, Bennett MD, Leitch IJ (2001) Nuclear DNA amounts in pteridophytes. Most ferns have branching roots and form large compound leaves, or fronds, that perform photosynthesis and carry the reproductive organs of the plant. Microphylls are small leaves that have a single vein of vascular tissue. Am J Bot 91:15821598, Redondo N, Horjales M, Blanco A (1999) Cantidades de DNA nuclear eporas en Aspleniaceae: AspleniumL. New Phytologist, 210(3), 790-793. These divisions may occur before the spores are shed from the microsporangium. If that doesn't help, please let us know. Am J Bot 69:464473, Gifford EM, Kurth E (1983) Quantitative studies of the vegetative shoot apex of Equisetum scirpoides. If you want more info regarding data storage, please contact gdpr@jove.com. Sporangia are clustered at the bases of microphylls. Corrections? The stem may be buried underground as a rhizome from which adventitious roots grow to absorb water and nutrients from the soil, or they may grow above ground as a trunk in tree ferns. Plants, however, alternate between haploid and diploid stages that are both multicellular; this is called alternation of generations. The needle-shaped leaves do not contribute greatly to photosynthesis, the majority of which takes place in the green stem. This is in contrast to the condition in the zosterophylls, the closest relatives of the Lycophyta; in these other plants, the sporangia are terminal on branches of the stem. Frontiers in Plant Science, 9(1410), 1-15. The yellow to brown underground plant may become carrot-shaped, rod-shaped, or disk-shaped and 1 to 2 centimetres (0.4 to 0.8 inch) in length or width. II. Pteridophytes differ from bryophytes in that the sporophyte is branched and generally much larger and more conspicuous, and from seed plants in that both generations are independent and free-living. Sporophytes have large, multi-veined leaves (megaphylls or euphylls). et al. Monilophytes and lycophytes are seedless vascular plants found in almost every ecosystem, but their highest taxonomic richness is found in humid tropical mountains, where up to 65% of existing species may be concentrated ( Page, 1979; Moran, 2008; Hietz, 2010 ). creates the strength and stiffness of the wall. [18], A rather different view is presented in a 2013 analysis by Hao and Xue. Using flow cytometry, genome size and degree of endopolyploidy were estimated for 37 species. Small leaves with single midvein. The lycophytes generally bear conelike structures called strobili, which are tight aggregations of sporophylls (sporangium-bearing leaves). in 15b, See list of 7 In some species the gametophyte becomes a small, green plant with numerous lobes, growing on the surface of the soil; the time interval between spore germination and sexual maturity of the gametophyte may be eight months to a year. There are three major groupings covering the plant life on Earthnonvascular plants,seedless vascular plants, and seed plants. See list of 21 families [Source]. In: Thomson JA, Smith RT (eds) Bracken biology and management. Although Lycopodium gametophytes are rarely found in nature, enough is known about them to recognize two fundamental types, based principally upon their mode of growth and nutrition. Ann Bot-London 90:209217, Partanen CR (1961) Endomitosis in a polyploid series of fern prothalli. Nuclear genome size is positively correlated with median LTR-RT insertion time in fern and lycophyte genomes. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 367394, Chapter families However, the molecular basis of further trait evolution is not known. The big difference between monilophytes and lycophytes: In the monilophyte life cycle, the sporophyte and gametophyte are. Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. Pteridophytes (ferns and lycophytes) are free-sporing vascular plants that have a life cycle with alternating, free-living gametophyte and sporophyte phases that are independent at maturity. The members of one of the chief living families, Lycopodiaceae, are homosporous (with just one kind of spore). Taxon 58:835848, Avanzi S, DAmato F (1967) New evidence on the organization of the root apex in leptosporangiate ferns. In fact, the microsporangia of some species are the largest among vascular plants and produce several thousand spores. Plant Biol 8:770777, Grime JP, Mowforth MA (1982) Variation in genome sizean ecological interpretation. Phyllitis Hill Ceterach Willd. Am Fern J 92:150165, Wikstrm N, Kenrick P (2001) Evolution of Lycopodiaceae (Lycopsida): estimating divergence times from rbcL gene sequences by use of nonparametric rate smoothing. The sexuality of pteridophyte gametophytes can be classified as follows: These terms are not the same as monoecious and dioecious, which refer to whether a seed plant's sporophyte bears both male and female gametophytes, i. e., produces both pollen and seeds, or just one of the sexes. This page titled 25.4D: Ferns and Other Seedless Vascular Plants is shared under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Boundless. The term "fern ally" included under Pteridophyta generally refers to vascular spore-bearing plants that are not ferns, including lycopods, horsetails, whisk ferns and water ferns (Marsileaceae, Salviniaceae and Ceratopteris), and even a much wider range of taxa. A spore can germinate and develop into a gametophytethe haploid stage of the life cyclethrough mitosis. Legal. These gametophytes and sporophytes grow in close contact with the soil and develop rhizoids and root hairs, respectively. Rhodora 57:219240, Wagner WH, Wagner FS (1980) Polyploidy in pteridophytes. PubMedGoogle Scholar. Evolution & Development published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. In land plants, genetic resources are well established in model species representing lineages including bryophytes (mosses, liverworts, and hornworts), monilophytes (ferns and allies), and seed plants (gymnosperms and flowering plants), but few resources are available for lycophytes (club mosses, spike mosses, and quillworts). These subclasses correspond to Smith's four classes, with Ophioglossidae corresponding to Psilotopsida. "The Physiological Resilience of Fern Sporophytes and Gametophytes: Advances in Water Relations Offer New Insights into an Old Lineage." Namely, they are the Psilotophyta, Lycophyta, Sphenophyta (the fern allies), and Pterophyta (the true ferns). in 13a, See list of 2 are clusters of sporangia on the underside of fern leaves. Ferns, horsetails (often treated as ferns), and lycophytes (clubmosses, spikemosses, and quillworts) are all pteridophytes. PRINTED FROM OXFORD REFERENCE (www.oxfordreference.com). We may use this info to send you notifications about your account, your institutional access, and/or other related products. in 22b. Modern Ferns . You C, Cui J, Wang H, Qi X, Kuo LY, Ma H, Gao L, Mo B, Chen X. Genome Biol. in 13b, See list of 6 When we say ferns, we are talking about leptosporangiate ferns unless. 1a. Bouchard RA (1976) DNA amount and organisation in some lower vascular plants. View full document These groups include the Rhyniopsida, Zosterophyllopsida, Trimerophytopsida, the Lepidodendrales and the Progymnospermopsida. families 2017 Aug 23;18(1):158. doi: 10.1186/s13059-017-1291-2. Physiol Plantarum 85:625631, Doleel J, Doleelov M, Novk FJ (1994) Flow cytometric estimation of nuclear DNA amount in diploid bananas (Musa acuminata and M. balbisiana). (2016). These are considered to be stages in the evolution of microphylls. [5] When broadly circumscribed, the lycophytes represent a line of evolution distinct from that leading to all other vascular plants, the euphyllophytes, such as ferns, gymnosperms and flowering plants. Lycophytes can be homosporous or heterosporous. Ferns made their appearance in the fossil record during the Devonian period and expanded during the Carboniferous. in 6b, See list of 3 Can J Bot 60:13601370, Kurth E (1982) Mitotic activity in the root apex of the water fern Marsilea vestita Hook. Unlike the lycopodiophytes, which consist of relatively few presently living or extant taxa, the euphyllophytes comprise the vast majority of vascular plant lineages that have evolved since both groups shared a common ancestor more than 400 million years ago. Modern-day seedless tracheophytes include lycophytes and monilophytes. External mold of Lepidodendron from the Upper Carboniferous of Ohio. [4] University Press, Cambridge, Mehra PN, Verna SC (1957) The cytology of some Athyrium species from northern India. In fact the alternative name Filicopsida was already in use. Can you please help us? Evo-devo; Selaginella; clubmoss; lycophytes; quillwort; spikemoss; vasculature. Nat Protoc 2:22332244, Article In: Ranker TA, Haufler CH (eds) Biology and evolution of ferns and lycophytes. Euphillophytes and lycophytes probably diverged in the late Early Devonian, while the monilophyte and spermatophyte clades probably separated during the Middle Devonian. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3040.2011.02354.x, Barow M, Meister A (2003) Endopolyploidy in seed plants is differently correlated to systematics, organ, life strategy and genome size. Diverse branching forms regulated by a core auxin transport mechanism in plants. Fertilization takes place after a flagellated sperm swims to the archegonium. Alternation of generations is a feature of all sexually reproducing plants, but the relative size and prominence of the haploid and diploid stages differ among plants. 25 ], borne on the underside of peltate sporangiophores. Lycophytes are widely . in 10b, See list of 10 Generally, each leaf, or microphyll, is narrow and has an unbranched midvein, in contrast to the leaves of the ferns and seed plants, which generally have branched venation. Accessibility StatementFor more information contact us atinfo@libretexts.org. families Nonreciprocal complementation of KNOX gene function in land plants. 8600 Rockville Pike If you do not see the message in your inbox, please check your "Spam" folder. Ann Bot-London 101:759766, Kott LS, Britton DM (1982) A comparative study of sporophyte morphology of the three cytotypes of Polypodium virginianum in Ontario. A subscription to JoVE is required to view this content.You will only be able to see the first 20 seconds. Because the gametes in a single gametophyte will be genetically identical due to their haploid origin, crosses typically occur between different gametophytes. The young sporophyte remains in physical contact with the megaspore and the enclosed female gametophyte tissue for some time. The dominant stage of the life cycle of a fern is the sporophyte, which typically consists of large compound leaves called fronds. Major transitions in the evolution of early land plants: a bryological perspective. Whisk ferns were considered an early pterophytes.