Non-Vascular Plants + Monilophyta

Origin of land plants

A type of green algae that diversified into all present day plants

Adaptive themes of land plants

Stationary autotrophy on land

Challenges of land plants

Dispersal of offspring, access to light, desiccation tolerance (especially for unicellular stages)

Key terrestrial adaptations

Alteration of generations with

1) Walled spores →dispersal and desiccation tolerance

2) Protected and nurtured embryos (egg, zygote, and embryo remains inside gametophyte which also provides nutrients)

Bryophyta

Mosses

Alteration of generations with retained egg, zygote, and sporophyte

Embryo is protected and fed, sporophyte grows out of gametophyte (gametophyte dominant)

Walled spores from sporophytes

Rhizoid anchors

Sperm needs water to disperse → moist habitats

Key features of vascular plants

1) Transport in vascular tissues

2) true roots that anchor and absorb

3) leaves: increased surface area for photosynthesis

4) sporophylls are modified leaves for reproduction

Monilophyta

The ferns

Vascular plants that do not produce seeds

Sporophyte is dominant, gametophyte is reduced and short lived

Retained egg, zygote, and embryo

Adaptation of monilophyta

Sori that produce spores, typically on the underside of the ferns