1. I can: compare and contrast the moss and fern life cycle
Do Now: classify the following as vascular or nonvascular:
A B E
C D

2. Mosses, liverwarts, and hornwarts
Plants
Nonvascular
(no roots/stems)
Mosses, liverwarts, and hornwarts
(seedless)
Vascular
(roots/stems)
Ferns
Seeds
Gymnosperms
(make cones)
Angiosperms
(Flowering plants)

4. Moss life cycle 1 2 4 5 3 Protonema Grows root-like structure
Antheridium
Archegonium 4 5 3
Antheridium
Archegonium
Antheridium
Archegonium
Protonema
Grows
root-like structure

5. Moss Life Cycle Video

6. Alternation of Generations in Mosses
Sporophyte
Gametophyte
Antheridium (male)
Archegonium (female)

7. Moss Gametophyte
Moss Archegonium makes egg cell

8. Moss Sporophyte
Moss Capsule contains spores

9. Moss spores

10. Moss Protonema

11. Summary: Moss life cycle
Dominant Gametophyte (seen most often)
Antheridum –male structure
Archegonium –female structure
Nonvascular (no true roots or stems)
Capsules contain spores
Spores carried by wind
Protomema – root-like structure that grows from a spore

12. Fern life cycle Fiddleheads uncurl Zygote grows Sporophyte New Zygote
Fronds have Sori that make spores
Zygote
grows
Sporophyte
New Zygote
forms
sporangium releases spores
Gametophyte
Prothallus
Sperm from antheridium swim towards egg cell in the archegonium
Spores carried by wind and grow in soil

13. Fern life cycle video

14. Alternation of Generations: Ferns
young diploid sporophyte beginning to grow from the haploid gametophyte

15. Fern Gametophytes

16. Young Fern Sporophyte Fiddlehead
young sporophyte produces curled “fiddleheads” that uncurl into mature fronds

17. Fern Sporophyte

18. Fern Sporophyte Frond = diploid sporophyte (leaf)
Sorus = collection of sporangia where meiosis occurs to make spores

19. Many Sori on a Fern sporophyte

20. A Sorus Close Up
Sporangium

21. Fern Sporangium Spores

22. Summary: Fern life cycle
Dominant Sporophyte (seen most often)
Vascular (have roots and stems)
Fronds (leaves) have sori (plural)/sorus (singular)—contain spores
Spores carried by wind
Heart-shaped gametophyte (Prothallus)
Fiddleheads—curled stem with leaves

23. Mosses
Ferns
both