FERNS
Phylum Pterophyta, also known as ferns, are seedless vascular plants of humid tropics and temperature areas with over 12,000 species. Ferns are much larger in comparison to mosses and contain vascular tissues called xylem and phloem which helps with the transportation of water and nutrients. Because of this, ferns are able to live better compared to mosses as they do not have to be surrounded by water for all their lifetimes, though water is still needed for the purpose of fertilization. Ferns have true leaves, stems, and roots that help with obtaining nutrients without diffusion which is a method that mosses would use. Ferns have their sporophyte as a dominant stage of their life cycle, but both sporophyte and gametophyte can undergo photosynthesis and live independently. Ferns are also Evergreen and are constituted an ancient division pf a vascular plants. These type of plants also diminish in numbers with an increased number of latitudes as well as decreasing supply of moisture. An ancient division of vascular plants. Ferns also reproduce by producing spores.
Labelled diagram of ferns
Frond
-Entire fern leaf
-Has spores on the back
Rhizome
-Produces roots
-Modified stems
Roots
-Develops from rhizomes do take in water
Fiddleheads
-Baby sporophyte
Leaflet
Stem
Sori
-Cluster of sporangia
-Located in the back of the leaflet
2-3 sample photos of ferns
Sample #1
Polystichum Munitum
Common name: Western sword fern- Long narrow shape
- Dark green fronds
- Has an arch
- Leaflet is in a dagger shape
- grow in soil
Sample #2
Athyrium filix-femina
Common name: Lady fern
Found on: Wednesday, December 8th, 2021, 1:43 PM
Location: OWL Park, 6116 146 St, Surrey, BC
Observation and Description
- About 9cm -16cm (My photos)
- Light green
- Lacy/ frilly texture
- Located in wet/ open forests, swamps, and stream banks, thickets, meadows, clearings and on rock outcrops. It is found at all elevations
- Ends of leaflets looks spiky
Sample #3
Common name: Field horsetail
Found on: Wednesday, December 8th, 2021, 2:01 PM (All photos)
Location: OWL Park, 6116 146 St, Surrey (All photos)
Observations and Description
- The color green
- Long and skinny and narrow
- Looks like bamboo with grass sticking out of it
- Bamboo looking thing is a darker green
- The tips are of the grass looking thing is a white/ yellow color
- They grow in wet/ moist environments like swamps, forests, meadows
- They are seedless
Life cycle of ferns
Summarization of the life cycle off ferns
- There is sori, cluster of sporangia, located on the back of the fern
- In the sporangium, the spores undergo meiosis and produce more haploid spores.
- When the conditions are favorable, spores are released.
- When the spores fall to the ground the spores germinate and develop into a haploid gametophyte.
- The enlarge gametophyte, also known as the prothallus, is formed as a result of this.
- Antheridium sperm swims to the archegonium eggs by water and fertilizes them.
- The fertilized egg then will germinate into a diploid zygote
- The zygote turns into the young sporophyte
- The young sporophyte turns into a fiddlehead and grows rhizomes and roots.
- The fiddlehead grows into a mature sporophyte
- The cycle repeats!!!
Adaptations ferns have made to live on land.
Ferns have made many adaptation to increase their fitness for survival. They have different characteristics then mosses, mosses don't have true leaves, stem, or roots. Ferns do, they have roots that anchor themselves in and absorb water form the soil/underground. Rhizomes grow horizontally underground, when they rise up the produce fronds. They are kind of like the stem. Ferns have the vascular system, another key thing that allows them to be different from mosses. Having the vascular system allows the rhizomes to take in water and transport minerals, which helps with the growth of the fern and the pant being taller helps with better chances at genetic diversity. Ferns also have compound leaves, these help with more space, when more leaves grow they are capable of holding more chloroplasts and photosynthesis helps improves its efficiency. Fern also have sori on the back of their leaflets. The sorus is a cluster of sporangia. Ferns can release more spores then moss because of the sori.
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