Vascular and Nonvascular Plants

1
Vascular and Nonvascular Plants
2
Nonvascular Plants

• Do not have a vascular system (xylem and phloem).
• Water and nutrients simply move through the
  plants body cell by cell.
• A plant can get water this way as long as the
  plants body is no more than a few cells thick.

3
Mosses are Nonvascular Plants

• Mosses have a special storage area for water and
  nutrients.
• They do not grow very large.
• They do not have true roots, stems, and leaves.
• Mosses are actually made of many tiny, dark green
  plants.

4
Mosses Reproduce with Spores

• A spore is a single reproductive cell that is
  protected by a hard, watertight covering.
• Spores are small and can be transported through
  the air.
• The green moss plants that you are familiar with
  have grown up from spores.

5
Mosses Reproduce with Spores How it Works

• The moss itself is the first generation.
• A clump of moss has both male and female
  reproductive structures.
• When conditions are right these structures
  produce sperm an egg.
• Fertilization can only occur if water is present.

• Tiny moss sperm can only move by swimming. (A
  layer of water left by rain is enough. This is
  sexual reproduction.)
• The fertilized egg grown into a stalk with a
  capsule on the end-the second generation of the
  plant.

6
Mosses Reproduce with Spores How it Works

• The stalk and the capsule grow from the female
  moss plant.
• Inside the capsule, the process of meiosis
  produces thousands of time spores.
• When the spores are released, the cycle can begin
  again.
• http//www.coolschool.ca/lor/BI11/unit7/U07L02.htm
  

7
Mosses can also Reproduce Asexually

• A small piece of a moss plant can separate and
  can grow into a new plant, or new plants can
  branch off from old ones.
• The genetic material will be the same of the
  parent.

8
Vascular Plants

• Have a vascular system (xylem and phloem) that
  moves water through the plant quickly and
  effectively.
• Because of this system, these plants can grow
  very large.
• These plants have roots stems and leaves.

9
Ferns are Vascular Plants

• Ferns were one of the first plants on earth with
  a vascular system.
• The roots of vascular plants, like ferns can
  branch out more because of the vascular system.

10
Ferns Reproduce with Spores

• The leaves of ferns, called fronds, have clusters
  on spores on the back of them.
• Ferns have a 2 part life cycle.
• Spores grow into tiny structures that lie very
  close to the ground (smaller than your thumbnail.)

11
Close up of Fern Spores
12
Ferns Reproduce with Spores How it Works

• Within the structures that grow close to the
  ground are the sperm and eggs producing parts of
  the fern plant.
• These are the first generation of the plant.
• Like mosses, the sperm need water to swim to the
  egg.

• The second part of the fern life cycle is the
  plant with the fronds that grows from the
  fertilized egg.
• The fronds produce clusters, and cells within
  those cluster undergo meiosis and produce spores.

13
Ferns Reproduce with Spores How it Works

• The spores when they are released, spread through
  the air.
• If conditions are right where the spores land,
  they will grow into a new plant and a new cycle
  begins.
• This is sexual reproduction.
• http//www.harcourtschool.com/activity/vascular/va
  scular.html

14
Ferns can also Reproduce Asexually

• New ferns branch off old ones, or pieces separate
  from the plant and grow.

15
Vascular Nonvascular
Has a Vascular system
Has true roots, stems, and leaves
Uses spores to reproduce
Can reproduce sexually
Can reproduce asexually
Can grow large
Has a 2 part life cycle
Needs water to reproduce
Write an example.
no
yes
yes
no
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
no
yes
yes
yes
yes
fern
moss