Organic Molecules

C h a pter

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17

Seedless Vascular
Plants
Arsenic removal

The Chinese brake fern (Pteris vittata)

transports arsenic from contaminated soils through its roots to
its fronds, where the toxic metalloid accumulates at high levels.
The fronds can then be harvested, removing arsenic from the
environment. A gene has been identified that codes for the
membrane protein involved with the pumping of arsenic into the
plant cells vacuole, protecting the cell from damage.

chapter outline

Evolution of Vascular Plants

Organization of the Vascular Plant Body
Reproductive Systems
The Phyla of Seedless Vascular Plants
Phylum Rhyniophyta
Phylum Zosterophyllophyta
Phylum Trimerophytophyta
Phylum Lycopodiophyta
Phylum Monilophyta

lants, like all living organisms, had aquatic ancestors. The

story of plant evolution is therefore inseparably linked with
their progressive occupation of the land and their increasing
independence from water for reproduction. In this chapter, we
first discuss the general features of vascular plant evolution
features linked with life on landand the organization of the
vascular plant body. We then describe the seedless vascular
plants and tell the story of the club mosses, the ferns, and the
horsetails.

Evolution of Vascular Plants

In the previous chapter, we noted that the bryophytes and vascular plants share a number of important characters, and that
together these two groups of plantsboth of which have multicellular embryosform a monophyletic lineage, the embryophytes. As you will recall, it has been hypothesized that this
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lineage has ancestors in common with charophycean-algal-like

organisms (pages 353 and 354). Both bryophytes and vascular plants have a basically similar life cyclean alternation
of heteromorphic generationsin which the gametophyte differs from the sporophyte. Two important characteristics of
bryophytes, however, are the presence of free-living gametophytes, which are usually the more prominent generation, and

CHEC K POINT S
After reading this chapter, you should be able to answer the following:

1. What pivotal steps in the early history of plant evolution

contributed to the success of vascular plants in their occupation
of the land?
2. Explain the evolutionary origin of microphylls and megaphylls.
Which groups of seedless vascular plants have microphylls?
Which have megaphylls?
3. What is meant by homospory and heterospory? What are
the contrasting features of the gametophytes produced by
homosporous and heterosporous plants?
4. Describe the characteristics of each of the following phyla of
seedless vascular plants: Rhyniophyta, Zosterophyllophyta,
Trimerophytophyta, Lycopodiophyta, and Monilophyta.
Which of these are exclusively fossil phyla?
5. In terms of their structure and method of development, how do
eusporangia differ from leptosporangia?
6. Which ferns are eusporangiate? Which are leptosporangiate?