Mosses and Ferns

Sections 3.2

Mosses

• One of the first types of plants to live on land• Have a thick cell wall• Special storage area for water and nutrients

Mosses

• Do not grow large• Have simple structures that function like roots, stems

and leaves

• Nonvascular – No vascular tissue (xylem, phloem)

• Bryophyta

Moss Reproduction

• First generation grew from spores

• Wind carries spores away from parent

• Within a clump of moss are male and female reproductive structures

Start here

Moss Reproduction

• When water is present sperm can swim to egg to fertilize

• Second generation grows into spore producing plant

Moss Reproduction

• Also able to reproduce asexually–Broken pieces can form new plant–New plants can branch from old ones–Allows for quick growth

Ferns

• Vascular plants• Able to grow tall• Have true leaves, stems and roots• Tracheophyta

Fern Reproduction

• Spores grow into structures that are low to ground and produce sperm and egg

• Water is needed to have sperm fertilize eggs• Fertilized eggs grow into plants with fronds

that grow spores