Difference between ferns and mosses. Mosses, ferns - lecture material Differences between mosses and ferns

The plant kingdom is divided into 2 subkingdoms - higher plants and lower plants. Lower plants are algae, higher plants are mosses, ferns, horsetails, mosses, gymnosperms, angiosperms.

Seaweed

They differ from higher plants in that have no fabrics(conductive, mechanical, etc.) and have no organs(roots, leaves, stems). The entire body of the algae is a single thallus (thallus). There are unicellular algae.

Spore plants

Mosses, ferns, horsetails and mosses reproduce by spores (asexual reproduction). From a spore grows prothallus (gametophyte), it produces gametes (eggs and swimming sperm). Water is needed for fertilization. After fertilization, a zygote is formed, from which a new plant grows - sporophyte(spores are formed on it in sporangia).

MHI are considered the first plants to reach land. They have a stem and leaves for the first time. Differences between mosses and other higher plants:

• There are no roots, instead of roots rhizoids.
• There are tissues, but they are poorly developed (especially mechanical and conductive), because of this, all mosses are small herbs.
• The gametophyte dominates the sporophyte(is a leafy plant). Sporophyte – box pedunculated, grows on the gametophyte.
• From the spore a green filament protonema grows, and then a gametophyte.

Peat deposits are gradually formed from white sphagnum moss.

FERN, HORSEtail, MOSS have not only a stem and leaves, but also roots, and well-developed tissues. They were widespread in the Carboniferous period, and it was from them that coal deposits were formed.

• In ferns, spores form on the lower surface of the leaves.

Seed plants

They differ from all previous divisions in that their male gametes do not float in water. They are found inside pollen that is carried by the wind.

ANGIOSPERMS (FLOWERINGS) currently occupy a dominant position in the Earth's biosphere. Angiosperm seeds are covered with a shell (pericarp). Only angiosperms have: flowers, fruits,, vessels in the xylem.

ALGAE - MOSSES
1. Establish a correspondence between the characteristic and the group of plants: 1) green algae, 2) bryophytes
A) do not have tissues
B) have no organs
B) have spore capsules
D) some representatives have water-bearing cells
D) the sporophyte develops on the gametophyte
E) contain unicellular and multicellular organisms

Answer

2. Establish a correspondence between the characteristics and the groups of plants for which they are characteristic: 1) Green algae, 2) Leafy mosses. Write numbers 1 and 2 in the order corresponding to the letters.
A) a sporophyte grows from the zygote
B) there are no tissues and organs
C) a pedunculated capsule develops on the gametophyte
D) reproductive organs develop at the tips of the shoots
D) there are unicellular and multicellular forms
E) in most species the body is represented by a thallus

Answer

ALGAE EXCELLENT. FROM MOSS
Choose three correct answers out of six and write down the numbers under which they are indicated. Algae, unlike mosses,
1) unicellular and multicellular plants
2) autotrophic organisms
3) reproduce by spores
4) do not have tissues and organs
5) belong to lower plants
6) act as producers in the ecosystem

Answer

MOSSES - FENS
1. Establish a correspondence between the characteristic feature of the plant and the department to which it belongs: 1) Bryophytes, 2) Ferns
A) leafy plants with rhizoids
B) the presence of a modified shoot with adventitious roots
B) the presence of a large number of air cells
D) predominance of gametophyte over sporophyte
D) the presence of herbaceous and woody forms
E) the presence of a prothallus in the development cycle

Answer

2. Establish a correspondence between the characteristics of organisms and the departments for which they are characteristic: 1) Fern-like, 2) Bryophytic. Write numbers 1 and 2 in the order corresponding to the letters.
A) the presence of a prothallus in the life cycle
B) lack of roots
B) predominance of the gametophyte in the life cycle
D) development of spores in a capsule
D) location of sporangia on the underside of the leaf
E) development of protonema from spores

Answer

3. Establish a correspondence between the characteristics and the plant divisions for which they are characteristic: 1) Bryophytes, 2) Ferns. Write numbers 1 and 2 in the order corresponding to the letters.
A) lack of roots
B) developed conducting system
B) the presence of water-bearing cells
D) poorly developed mechanical tissue
D) predominance of sporophyte over gametophyte
E) modified underground shoot - rhizome

Answer

4. Establish a correspondence between the characteristics and plant divisions: 1) Bryophytes, 2) Ferns. Write numbers 1 and 2 in the order corresponding to the letters.
A) some have aquifer cells
B) sporophyte predominates over gametophyte
C) a shoot grows from the spore
D) spores develop in a capsule
D) there are no roots
E) have compound leaves

Answer

5. Establish a correspondence between the plant trait and the systematic group for which it is characteristic: 1) Bryophytes, 2) Ferns

B) adult plant – sporophyte
B) spores are formed in capsules
D) spores are formed in sporangia on the underside of leaves
D) a shoot develops from the spore
E) a precursor (protonema) develops from the spore

Answer

6. Establish a correspondence between the reproduction feature and the plant division for which it is characteristic: 1) Bryophytes, 2) Ferns. Write numbers 1 and 2 in the correct order.
A) the gametophyte predominates in the development cycle
B) the development cycle is dominated by the asexual generation of plants
C) spore formation occurs in a capsule (sporogon)
D) the sporophyte is not capable of forming organic substances from inorganic substances
D) the gametophyte is represented by a prothallus
E) the spore germinates into a prepuce

Answer

FORMING 7:
A) formation of a box on the stalk
B) development of adult gametophyte plants
B) development of an adult plant from a zygote
D) haploid set of chromosomes in somatic cells of an adult plant
D) arrangement of sporangia on leaf fronds

MOSSES LIKE FERNES
Choose three options. Ferns, like mosses
1) are higher spore plants
2) have vegetative and generative organs (flowers, fruits)
3) are perennial plants
4) in the process of photosynthesis they form organic substances from inorganic
5) do not need water during reproduction and development
6) do not contain chloroplasts and mitochondria in cells

Answer

Mosses - gymnosperms
1. Establish a correspondence between a plant trait and the department for which this trait is characteristic: 1) Gymnosperms, 2) Bryophytes. Write numbers 1 and 2 in the correct order.
A) forms the tree layer of the forest
B) the presence of a taproot system
C) predominance of the sporophyte in the development cycle
D) grows in the lower layer of the forest
D) the presence of a preadolescent (protonema) in the development cycle
E) attached to the soil by rhizoids

Answer

2. Establish a correspondence between the characteristics of life cycles and plant divisions: 1) Gymnosperms, 2) Bryophytes. Write numbers 1 and 2 in the order corresponding to the letters.
A) formation of endosperm
B) predominance of gametophyte over sporophyte
B) formation of a preadolescent (protonema)
D) participation of water during fertilization
D) pollen maturation on the sporophyte

Answer

3. Establish a correspondence between the characteristics and plant divisions: 1) Bryophytes, 2) Gymnosperms. Write numbers 1 and 2 in the order corresponding to the letters.
A) reproduction is not associated with water
B) reproduce using spores
B) the presence of rhizoids
D) the gametophyte dominates the sporophyte
D) representatives of the department are cuckoo flax and sphagnum
E) representatives of the department are larch, cypress and juniper

Answer

MOSSES - FLORAL
1. Establish a correspondence between the characteristics and the plant divisions for which they are characteristic: 1) Bryophytes, 2) Angiosperms. Write numbers 1 and 2 in the order corresponding to the letters.
A) the adult form is represented by a sporophyte
B) the gametophyte predominates in the development cycle
B) there are no roots
D) plants have flowers and fruits
D) pollination occurs with the help of wind and insects
E) spores develop in a capsule

Answer

2. Establish a correspondence between the plant trait and the department for which it is characteristic: 1) Mosses, 2) Angiosperms. Write numbers 1 and 2 in the order corresponding to the letters.
A) reproduces by seeds
B) the presence of rhizoids
B) the presence of flowers
D) presence of roots
D) there are no conductive tissues
E) the life cycle is dominated by the gametophyte

Answer

MHI IS EXCELLENT. FROM FLOWERS
Choose three options. Mosses, unlike angiosperms,
1) form germ cells
2) have no fabrics
3) have rhizoids
4) are phototrophs
5) reproduce by spores
6) do not have a flower

Answer

FERNES IN DIFFERENCE FROM MOSS
Choose three correct answers out of six and write down the numbers under which they are indicated. This is typical for ferns, unlike mosses.
1) the presence of a prothallus
2) formation of rhizoids in the sporophyte

4) presence of roots
5) reproduction by spores
6) predominance of sporophyte in the life cycle

Answer

FERNES - GYNOSPERMS
1. Establish a correspondence between the processes and plant departments: 1) gymnosperms, 2) pteridophytes. Write numbers 1 and 2 in the correct order.
A) formation of endosperm
B) formation of a green shoot
B) fusion of immobile gametes
D) pollen tube development
D) reproduction and dispersal by spores

Answer

2. Establish a correspondence between a plant feature and the department for which it is characteristic: 1) Ferns, 2) Gymnosperms. Write numbers 1 and 2 in the correct order.
A) Eggs develop in the gametophyte on the scales of cones.
B) A pollen grain develops from a spore.
C) In the development cycle there is a haploid outgrowth.
D) Life form - shrub or tree.
D) Adventitious roots develop from the rhizome.
E) Spores develop in sporangia on the leaves.

Answer

3. Establish a correspondence between the characteristics and the plant divisions for which they are characteristic: 1) Ferns, 2) Gymnosperms. Write numbers 1 and 2 in the order corresponding to the letters.
A) the presence of a prothallus in the development cycle
B) reproduction by spores
B) the presence of ovules
D) the presence of sperm
D) development of the main root
E) the presence of tree-like and herbaceous forms

Answer

FERNES - FLOWERING
1. Establish a correspondence between the characteristic of a plant and the department to which it belongs: 1) Ferns, 2) Angiosperms
A) fruit formation
B) the sexual generation is represented by a prothallus
B) reproduction by spores
D) the fertilization process depends on the availability of water
D) the presence of a flower
E) double fertilization

Answer

2. Establish a correspondence between the characteristics of plant development and the divisions for which they are characteristic: 1) Fern-like, 2) Flowering. Write numbers 1 and 2 in the order corresponding to the letters.
A) reproduction by spores
B) formation of male and female germ cells on the germ
B) pollination by wind and insects
D) double fertilization
D) formation of seeds inside the fruit
E) formation of spores on the lower surface of leaves

Answer

3. Establish a correspondence between the characteristics and the plant divisions for which they are characteristic: 1) Flowering, 2) Fern. Write numbers 1 and 2 in the order corresponding to the letters.
A) Plants reproduce by spores.
B) There is a growth in the development cycle.
C) The seeds are protected by the pericarp.
D) Plants have both taproot and fibrous root systems.
D) Fertilization occurs in the presence of water.
E) Fertilization is preceded by pollination.

Answer

4. Establish a correspondence between the characteristics and plant divisions: 1) Flowering, 2) Fern. Write numbers 1 and 2 in the order corresponding to the letters.
A) development of the prothallus
B) reduction of the gametophyte to several cells
B) dispersal by spores
D) fertilization in the presence of water
D) implementation of pollination and fertilization
E) development of the embryo sac in the ovule

Answer

Gynosperms - FLOWERS
1. Establish a correspondence between the feature of fertilization and the plant department for which it is characteristic: 1) angiosperms, 2) gymnosperms
A) two sperm are involved
B) one sperm is involved
C) triploid endosperm is formed
D) eggs develop in female cones
D) the sperm fuses with the central diploid cell of the embryo sac

Answer

2. Establish a correspondence between the plant department and the sporophyte characteristics of its representatives: 1) Gymnosperms, 2) Angiosperms. Write numbers 1 and 2 in the order corresponding to the letters.
A) life form - mainly trees
B) life form - grasses, shrubs, trees
C) there are special organs for vegetative reproduction
D) there are no special organs for vegetative reproduction
D) xylem is represented by vessels
E) xylem is represented by tracheids

Answer

3. Establish a correspondence between the characteristics and the plant divisions for which they are characteristic: 1) Gymnosperms, 2) Angiosperms. Write numbers 1 and 2 in the order corresponding to the letters.
A) are represented by all life forms
B) pollinated only by wind
C) have a variety of inflorescences
D) presence of seeds in cones
D) the presence of triploid endosperm in the seed
E) have no fruits

Answer

FLORAL EXCELLENT FROM GYNOSPPERMS
1. Choose three correct answers out of six and write down the numbers under which they are indicated. Angiosperms, as opposed to gymnosperms:
1) Capable of forming extensive forests
2) Characterized by a variety of life forms
3) Reproduce by seeds
4) Pollinated by insects and birds
5) Have well-developed vegetative organs
6) Produce juicy and dry fruits

Answer

2. Choose three correct answers out of six and write down the numbers under which they are indicated. Angiosperms, as opposed to gymnosperms,
1) are perennial plants
2) contain chloroplasts with chlorophyll
3) have flowers and inflorescences
4) form fruits with seeds
5) represented by three life forms
6) reproduce by seeds

Answer

Choose one, the most correct option. In the process of evolution, a stem with leaves first appeared in
1) algae
2) bryophytes
3) fern-like
4) lycophytes

Answer

Establish the sequence of stages of individual development of an annual angiosperm from a seed
1) formation of fruits and seeds
2) the appearance of vegetative organs
3) appearance of flowers, pollination
4) fertilization and embryo formation
5) seed germination

Answer

Choose three options. What is the function of a plant flower?
1) pollination
2) absorption of substances
3) fertilization
4) vegetative propagation
5) deposition of reserve substances
6) formation of seeds and fruits

Answer

Choose one, the most correct option. How is the bryophyte group characterized in comparison with other groups of plants?
1) in the process of development there is an alternation of generations
2) reproduce by spores
3) have leaves, stem and rhizoids
4) form organic substances during photosynthesis

Answer

Choose three options. They reproduce by seeds
1) white cabbage
2) creeping clover
3) club moss
4) reindeer moss
5) horsetail
6) onions

Answer

Select two of the plants listed below that reproduce by spores, and write down the numbers under which they are indicated.
1) bracken fern
2) horsetail
3) beautiful clover
4) rock juniper
5) creeping wheatgrass

Answer

Choose three correct answers out of six and write down the numbers under which they are indicated. What allowed angiosperms, in comparison with gymnosperms, to occupy a dominant position on Earth?
1) location of seeds inside the fruit
2) the presence of chloroplasts in cells
3) symbiosis with bacteria and fungi
4) presence of a flower
5) double fertilization
6) propagation by seeds

Answer

1. Choose three correct answers out of six and write them down in the numbers under which they are indicated. What signs are characteristic of the plant shown in the picture?
1) the sporophyte predominates in the development cycle
2) the gametophyte is represented by a prothallus
3) has modified leaves
4) the seeds are not protected by the pericarp
5) forms fruits
6) pollination is carried out by insects

Answer

2. Choose three correct answers out of six and write down the numbers under which they are indicated. If a plant has formed shoots shown in the figure, then this plant is characterized by

1) fertilization with water
2) deposition of organic substances in the rhizome
3) propagation by seeds
4) predominance of sporophyte in the life cycle
5) the presence of a dry multi-seeded fruit
6) well-developed tracheids in wood

Answer

Choose three correct answers out of six and write down the numbers under which they are indicated. The plants shown in the figure are characterized by the following characteristics:
1) lower plants
2) primitive higher spore plants
3) diploid sporophyte predominates over haploid gametophyte
4) no roots
5) the body is not divided into tissues and organs
6) haploid gametophyte predominates over diploid sporophyte

Answer

Choose three correct answers out of six and write down the numbers under which they are indicated. If, in the process of evolution, a plant has formed a shoot shown in the figure, then this plant is characterized by
1) small scaly leaves
2) fertilization with water
3) propagation by seeds
4) formation of fruits at the tip of the shoot
5) development of a leafy plant from a protonema (pregrowth)
6) the presence of a well-developed root system

Answer

Choose three correct answers out of six and write down the numbers under which they are indicated. The following plants are characteristic of a broad-leaved forest:
1) spruce
2) linden
3) Scots pine
4) oak
5) beech
6) fir

Answer

Establish a correspondence between the examples and the categories of plants: 1) lower plants, 2) higher plants. Write numbers 1 and 2 in the order corresponding to the letters.
A) horsetails
B) lichens
B) real algae
D) lycophytes
D) bryophytes
E) scarlet

Answer

Choose three correct answers out of six and write down the numbers under which they are indicated in the table. Plants that do not have roots include
1) cuckoo flax
2) male shieldweed
3) club moss
4) horsetail
5) sphagnum
6) kelp

Answer

Choose three correct answers out of six and write down the numbers under which they are indicated. What plants have roots?
1) mosses
2) brown algae
3) green mosses
4) sphagnum mosses
5) horsetails
6) gymnosperms

Answer

1. Select three correct answers out of six and write down the numbers under which they are indicated in the table. It is typical for angiosperms
1) the presence of a prothallus
2) double fertilization
3) maturation of spores in spore-bearing spikelets
4) presence of a fetus
5) triploid endosperm
6) predominance in the gametophyte life cycle

Answer

2. Choose three correct answers out of six and write down the numbers under which they are indicated. In the process of reproduction and development of angiosperms,
1) pollen formation
2) formation of the ovule in the ovary of the pistil
3) formation of a prothallus with rhizoids
4) double fertilization
5) formation of haploid endosperm
6) settlement using spores

Answer

Establish a correspondence between the characteristics and the group of higher plants: 1) spore-bearing plants, 2) seed-bearing plants. Write numbers 1 and 2 in the order corresponding to the letters.
A) develop from the embryo
B) are more ancient in historical origin
B) have a taproot or fibrous root system
D) fertilize in the presence of water
D) form an embryo sac and pollen

Answer

Establish a correspondence between the characteristics and groups of plants: 1) lower, 2) higher. Write numbers 1 and 2 in the order corresponding to the letters.
A) the body is a thallus, or thallus
B) have vegetative and generative organs
B) have a light-sensitive eye
D) have a variety of tissues
D) live mainly in aquatic environments
E) include single-celled organisms

Answer

Establish a correspondence between the characteristics and divisions of plants. Write numbers 1 and 2 in the order corresponding to the letters.
A) a protonema is formed from a germinating spore
B) the gametophyte is reduced to a tiny outgrowth
B) have a rhizome with adventitious roots
D) the gametophyte predominates in the life cycle
D) spores mature in sporangia collected in sori
E) have a variety of life forms

Answer

Establish a correspondence between the characteristics and representatives of the plants shown in the figure. Write numbers 1 and 2 in the order corresponding to the letters.
A) the organism is attached to the substrate
B) the body is represented by a thallus
C) cells contain a variety of plastids
D) seed propagation is typical
D) have vegetative and generative organs
E) forms an overwintering zygospore

Answer

All but two of the following characteristics are used to describe the plant shown in the picture. Identify two terms that “drop out” from the general list and write down the numbers under which they are indicated.
1) attached by rhizoids
2) a green plant is represented by a gametophyte
3) has a strobile on the spring shoot
4) reproduces by spores
5) has a branched rhizome

Answer

Choose three correct answers out of six and write down the numbers under which they are indicated. What signs are characteristic of the department to which the plant shown in the figure belongs?
1) double fertilization
2) predominance in the development cycle of the sporophyte
3) gametophyte reduction
4) straw stem
5) inflorescence complex spike
6) intercalary growth

Answer

Choose three correct answers out of six and write down the numbers under which they are indicated. Algae belong to the plant kingdom because
1) in ecosystems they are producers
2) they carry out photosynthesis
3) in ecosystems they are consumers
4) their cells contain plastids
5) their body is not differentiated into tissues
6) they absorb oxygen to breathe

Answer

Analyze the text "Mosses". For each cell indicated by a letter, select the corresponding term from the list provided. Mosses are ________ (A) plants, since they reproduce by spores that are formed in special organs - ________ (B). In our forests there are green mosses, for example, cuckoo flax, and white mosses, for example, ________ (B). Water is extremely important for the life of mosses, so they are often found near forest standing bodies of water: lakes and swamps. Centuries-old deposits of moss in swamps form deposits of ________ (D) - valuable fertilizer and fuel.
1) inferior
2) box
3) seed
4) sorus
5) spore
6) sphagnum
7) peat
8) flowering

Answer

© D.V. Pozdnyakov, 2009-2019

Ferns and mosses are representatives of the group of higher spore plants. There was a time when they completely captured and filled our planet. A little later, they gave way to dominance on Earth to gymnosperms and angiosperms.

Definition

Ferns- these are plants that belong to the Fern division.

Mosses- these are plants belonging to the Bryophyte department.

Comparison

Ferns reigned on Earth 300 million years ago, although they appeared much earlier - in the Devonian. At the end of the Paleozoic and the beginning of the Mesozoic, our entire planet was covered with huge forests of tree-like ferns. It was they, dying, that became the basis for the formation of huge reserves of combustible minerals - coal, oil, gas and a repository of imprints of the ancient flora and fauna of the Earth. Mosses appeared at the same geological time - at the end of the Devonian, but did not gain the scope, height and biomass with which ferns conquered the planet. Already in our geological era, mosses became sources for the formation of peat, peat bogs and peat bogs. Peat is a combustible mineral, a valuable organic fertilizer and a raw material for the production of plastics, wax, paints, varnish, alcohol and acids.

Indoor fern. Nephrolepis

Ferns have a characteristic, incomparable appearance. It is a woody or herbaceous plant. It has a modified shoot, to which pseudo-leaves, or fronds, are attached using a petiole. This is the first evolutionary step towards the formation of a true leaf blade in plants. Fronds perform two functions: the first is photosynthesis, the second is sporulation.

The plant is anchored in the soil by an underground stem - rhizome. Many vegetative roots extend from it. In the stem of the fern, tissues are formed - conductive and parenchymal, giving the plant the opportunity to consume more minerals and water than its lower-organized colleagues on the planet.

The life cycle of a fern consists of two phases - sporophyte and gametophyte, with the predominance of the first phase over the second. Haploid spores are formed on the lower part of the frond. Over time, the sporangium opens, the spores fall to the ground and germinate. It is this growth that carries gametes, female and male. But the eggs and sperm of the same plant mature at different times, so autofertilization does not occur. Like mosses, ferns require a highly moist environment to achieve fertilization.

An individual, a sporophyte, develops from a fertilized zygote. First, it uses the nutrients that are in the shoot, and when it dies, it begins to feed on its own.

Mosses are dioecious plants, that is, on the tops of male plants there are organs that produce sperm, and on the tops of female plants there are egg producers. But every plant, regardless of gender, has a stem and leaves. They are small and contain chlorophyll. In many mosses, the leaves of the lower tier become yellow-brown due to the destruction of pigment in low light conditions.

Moss

Mosses have no roots. They are attached to the ground by rhizoids - multicellular hair-like processes.

Mosses reproduce by spores that mature in the sporangium of the sporophyte. The moss sporophyte is represented by a stalk with a capsule. But it does not live long and dries out quickly. The dried box opens and spores emerge from it. From them grows a plant with a haploid set of chromosomes - perennial, green; female or male. In the life cycle of moss, the gametophyte predominates over the sporophyte.

Conclusions website

1. In the Mesozoic, ferns dominated the Earth, unlike mosses.
2. Ferns were the raw materials from which coal, oil, and gas were formed, and mosses are the basis for the formation of peat.
3. Mosses are dioecious plants, ferns are monoecious.
4. The leaves of mosses produce only chlorophyll, the leaves of ferns provide a place for photosynthesis and the laying of spores.
5. Mosses have rhizoids, ferns have rhizomes.
6. Mosses have leaves, ferns have fronds.
7. Ferns have formed conductive and parenchymal tissue; mosses do not have such differentiation.
8. In the life cycle of moss, the gametophyte predominates over the sporophyte, and in ferns, the sporophyte predominates over the gametophyte.

According to the classification of plants, mosses and ferns are included in the group higher spore plants. These are one of the most ancient representatives of the plant world of the Earth. At certain periods of history, mosses and ferns dominated all plants, covering all areas of our planet. Subsequently, angiosperms and gymnosperms began to prevail.

Mosses or bryophytes are a division of higher plants that includes more than 100 families, 700 genera and about 10 thousand species. The age of these plants dates back to the Carboniferous period. There are three classes: anthocerotic, leaf-stemmed and liver mosses. The most representative group is the phyllophytic or true mosses.

Today these mosses are known by the well-known names sphagnum and cuckoo flax. Moss is often called moss, which deer eat in the tundra, although in reality it is not moss, but a “nickname” for some types of lichens. The branch of botany that studies bryophytes is called bryology.

The fern is one of the oldest surviving plants. The appearance of ferns is noted in the Devonian period (about 400 million years ago). Ferns are very diverse in shape (herbaceous, woody), size, and life cycles. Despite the fact that all ferns are similar in appearance to each other, in nature there are more than 10,000 species this plant. Let's look at the main differences between ferns and mosses.

Plant age

Ferns appeared on Earth somewhat earlier than mosses. At the junction of the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras, the entire land was covered with giant forests of ferns. Mosses appeared at the end of the Devonian geological period, but did not develop to biomass sizes comparable to ferns.

Basis of minerals

Ferns, after dying and many years of storage processes and chemical transformations in the ground, formed gigantic reserves of minerals: gas, coal, oil.

Mosses became the basis for the formation of peat, which is mined from peat bogs. Peat is used as an organic fertilizer and raw material for the production of paints, varnish, acids, alcohol, wax, and plastics.

Separation of the sexes

Ferns are monoecious plants that bear male (stamens) and female (pistils) flowers on the same plant. Mosses are representatives of dioecious plants in which male and female flowers are located on different plants. Ferns can reproduce by spores and vegetatively (by rhizomes, fronds, buds, aphlebia). In addition, ferns are characterized by sexual reproduction as part of their life cycle.

Leaf differences

If mosses have, although microscopic, but ordinary leaves, then in ferns it is a leaf-like organ called vaye.

A frond is a set of branches located in one plane, also called a flat flower. Another term is used to designate this organ - pre-shoot. As a result of evolution, ferns did not have time to divide the fronds into a separate leaf and stem. However, the leaf blade was almost formed; the only step left was to combine these blades into a leaf. Plants that further evolved in this way became gymnosperms.

Purpose of leaves

Moss leaves are capable of producing only chlorophyll. Photosynthesis occurs in the leaves of the fern, that is, chlorophyll is also produced, and in addition, spores are deposited. Photosynthesis in mosses occurs slowly and can occur even under snow; if the temperature in winter is close to zero degrees, then the moss remains evergreen.

Rhizomes

Mosses have no roots. This role is performed by rhizoids - thread-like formations of single-row cells (similar in appearance to root hairs), which are capable of attaching to a source of water and nutrition. In ferns, the length of the rhizome can reach 30 cm in length. In addition to the main rhizome, there are additional adventitious roots, shoots from the rhizome.

Moss cuckoo flax - structure

Tissue differentiation

Ferns have well-formed bundles of conductive tissue, and parenchyma tissue is located between these bundles. Nutrients dissolved in water move through conducting tissues. The main functions of parenchymal tissues: photosynthesis, storage of nutrients, air transfer. In mosses, no such division into tissue types was found.

Difference in life cycles

In the life cycle of ferns, the sporophyte predominates over the gametophyte, and in mosses, the gametophyte predominates over the sporophyte. Moreover, if in mosses the gametophyte is an adult plant, then in ferns it is a separate plant called a prothallus.

Ploidy

According to this characteristic, ferns are diploid, and mosses are haploid. That is, in the nuclei of moss cells there is a single set of chromosomes, and in the nuclei of fern cells there is a double set.

Location dispute

The location of the spores in mosses is in a box that is “attached” to the stalk. In ferns, spores are found on the back of the frond.

Environmental impact

Mosses accumulate water very effectively, which in some cases leads to waterlogging of forest spaces.

Prospects for evolution

Mosses are at an evolutionary dead end because without water their reproduction is impossible.

Ferns are among the most ancient spore plants. They live in a wide variety of environmental conditions: wetlands and reservoirs, forests of tropical and temperate climates. The most famous representatives are male shieldweed, bracken, and ostrich. In the life cycle of ferns, horsetails, and mosses, the sporophyte dominates.

The flowering of ferns occurred about 358 million years ago and lasted approximately 65 million years; the period of the Paleozoic era is named after ferns - the Carboniferous, or Carboniferous period, which lasted the specified period of time. It is ferns that play an active role in coal formation: in the Carboniferous, forests were inhabited by tree ferns that reached 40 meters or more in height.

Woody forms of ferns have survived to this day, but most representatives are herbaceous plants that lack a cambium, which means there is no secondary wood.

Ferns belong to the group of vascular plants, as they have veins - vascular-fibrous bundles, unlike mosses, which do not have veins and are not vascular plants. Mechanical strength is provided by the deposition of sclerenchyma around the vascular bundles (veins).

Unlike mosses, ferns have vascular tissue in their stems and roots, consisting of xylem and phloem. Note that I wrote “root” - mosses did not have roots; instead, they had rhizoids that performed a function similar to roots. The roots of ferns, horsetails and mosses are always adventitious and grow from a modified shoot - the rhizome.

Structure

Let's look at the structure of ferns using the example of a typical representative - the male shield plant. This is a widespread fern, typical of temperate climates. It is a perennial herbaceous rhizomatous plant.

Formed by a bunch of strongly dissected leaves extending from the rhizome. The leaves grow at the top, forming curls - “snails”.

Note that the leaf of a fern is called a frond (from the Greek baion, palm frond). Unlike true leaves, fronds have indeterminate apical growth. The leaves have a petiole attached to the stem, which can continue into the rachis - the main axis of a compound leaf, corresponding to the central vein.

Life cycle of ferns

The leafy fern plant pictured above is a sporophyte (2n). The sporophyte dominates the life cycle of pteridophytes, in contrast to the moss cycle, where the sporophyte is essentially an appendage of the gametophyte (reduced). On the underside of the frond there are sporangia, which are collected into sori - groups of closely spaced sporangia. On the sporophyte (2n), spores (n) are formed in the sporangium after meiosis.

In 2012, a group of scientists led by Xavier Nobley from the University of Nice found that the sporangium has a special “catapult” mechanism; spores fly out of it at a speed of about 10 m/s.

Haploid spores (n) germinate into a prothalla (n), a small heart-shaped plate (several mm). The shoot is green, capable of photosynthesis, and attached to the soil by rhizoids. Male and female genital organs are formed on it - antheridia and archegonia, respectively. The sperm (n), formed in the antheridium, thanks to water (during rain) enters the archegonium, where it merges with the egg (n) and a zygote (2n) is formed.

An embryo develops from the zygote, which penetrates into the tissues of the archegonia with the help of a special device - the haustorium (from the Latin haustor - scooping, drinking). The haustorium is a stalk that penetrates the tissue of the prothallus and absorbs nutrients from it. Rapid growth of the embryo begins, a shoot is formed, and then an adult plant - sporophyte (2n). The cycle is completed.

The meaning of ferns

Ferns are the main component of many forest communities, a link in the food chain - producers (producers of organic substances). People use ferns for decorative purposes. Young shoots of some ferns are edible and used as food: shoots of bracken, leaves of common ostrich.

Male shieldweed has medical significance: an anthelmintic drug is made from its rhizomes.

©Belevich Yuri Sergeevich

This article was written by Yuri Sergeevich Bellevich and is his intellectual property. Copying, distribution (including by copying to other sites and resources on the Internet) or any other use of information and objects without the prior consent of the copyright holder is punishable by law. To obtain article materials and permission to use them, please contact

Departments: Horsetails, Mosses, Ferns

OPTION 1 

A1. Unlike mosses, horsetails have

3) roots

A2. On an adult horsetail plant they ripen

1) disputes

A3. The generative organs of ferns include

2) stem

4) sporangia

A4. Fern gametes are produced

1) in sporangia on leaves

2) on adventitious roots

3) on the outgrowth

4) on a young plant

A5. The vegetative organs of ferns include

1) rhizome

2) sporangia

3) a box on a leg

4) organs in which gametes mature

B1.

A. Moss mosses are characterized by vegetative propagation by sections of shoots.

B. Spores are formed on the growths of horsetails.

1) Only A is correct

2) Only B is correct

3) Both judgments are correct

4) Both judgments are incorrect

B2. Are the following statements true?

A. A fern prothallus is an asexual generation in its development cycle, or sporophyte.

B. The organs of an adult fern plant are formed by tissues.

1) Only A is correct

2) Only B is correct

3) Both judgments are correct

4) Both judgments are incorrect

BZ. Establish a correspondence between the life activity of a plant and its systematic group.

LIFE PROCESS

A. Roots provide soil nutrition

B. Attached to the soil by rhizoids

B. Gametes are formed on shoots

D. Spores form on an adult plant 

SYSTEMATIC GROUP

1) Algae

B4. Establish the sequence of stages in the life cycle of ferns, starting with the adult plant.

1) adult plant (sporophyte)

2) prothallus (gametophyte)

3) egg and sperm

5) fertilization

6) young plant

Answer: 1, 4, 2, 3, 5, 7, 6.

OPTION 2

A1. Mosses breed

1) seeds

2) disputes

4) thallus

A2. The sporophyte in mosses is represented

1) an adult plant

2) growth

3) egg

4) sperm

AZ. The sporangia of most ferns are located on

1) rhizome

2) prothallus

3) leaves

A4. Among the life forms of ferns in temperate countries,

1) perennial herbs

2) annual herbs

3) bushes

4) trees

A5. Photosynthesis in ferns occurs in

1) gametes

2) rhizome

3) sporangia

4) leaf tissues

B1. Are the following statements true?

A. In the life cycle of mosses, sexual and asexual generations alternate.

B. In horsetails, the process of photosynthesis occurs in cells containing chloroplasts.

1) Only A is correct

2) Only B is correct

3) Both judgments are correct

4) Both judgments are incorrect

B2. Are the following statements true?

A. The fern egg is the female gamete.

B. In the development cycle of ferns, fertilization occurs without the participation of water.

1) Only A is correct

2) Only B is correct

3) Both judgments are correct

4) Both judgments are incorrect

BZ. Establish a correspondence between the structure of the plant and its systematic group.

STRUCTURE

A. Presence of roots and shoots

B. The body consists of a thallus

B. Availability of fabrics

D. There are colonial, unicellular and multicellular organisms

SYSTEMATIC GROUP

1) Algae

Write down the corresponding numbers in the table.

B4. Establish the sequence of stages in the ferns' life cycle, starting with the young plant.

1) young plant

2) gametes: egg and sperm

4) adult plant

6) prothallus

7) fertilization 

Answer: 1, 4, 3, 6, 2, 7, 5.