I selected links that provide images of Lower Vascular Plants similar to those observed in laboratory. Review the links as you prepare for lab and as you study for your lab exam.

Reminder: Bring one sample of a Lower Vascular Plant with you to lab 13 this week. Where to collect a Lower Vascular Plant?

In lab you are asked to focus on the following:

1. Sample the diversity of living and fossil specimens of whisk ferns, club mosses, horsetails and ferns and learn to recognize the characteristics of each division.
2. Determine the Division to which the Lower Vascular Plant that you collected belongs.
3. Determine the Division to which one fossil of a Lower Vascular Plant belongs.
4. Examine the stages in the reproductive cycle of a fern.

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Where to collect a Lower Vascular Plant

This is the first time that you may have difficulty collecting a specimen from nature. Because it is late in the season many of the lower vascular plants that grow outdoors have had their foliage killed by the low temperatures. There are a few native ferns that do retain their foliage in the winter, however I am not aware that any are located on campus. I do have one such hardy fern that grows in my yard, and I can still collect dead fronds from other ferns in my yard even though they have been killed by the cold.

You probably will find it easiest to collect a fern as your example of a lower vascular plant. A number of ferns make very good house plants, and if you look and ask relatives, friends and coworkers you may have an easy time locating a specimen. If the specimen is small and your friend is willing, you may elect to bring the entire potted plant with you to class. However, all you need to do is bring a single frond (the name given to the compound leaves of ferns).

If you don't have a friend, relative or coworker who has a fern or other lower vascular plant, your next easiest choice might be to visit a florist, garden store or nursery and inquire if you might be allowed to obtain the specimen you desire. If possible, try to obtain a frond that has sori, the spore producing structures.

Some species of Lycopodium are sold in the holiday season for use as decorating greens.

Prepare in advance by looking at the examples on the website, illustrations in your text, and illustrations in other reference books.

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Assignment

      Assignment for Laboratory Exercise 13 - Lower Vascular Plants

1.   Bring the Lower Vascular Plant that you collected to
     laboratory today. Complete page 13-3 and display your
     specimen at your desk.

2.  Examine the materials on display in the room. These will
     include living and preserved specimens representing
     diversity of Lower Vascular Plants; type specimens of the
     Divisions Psilotophyta (Whisk Ferns), Equisetophyta
     (Horsetails), Lycopodophyta (Club Mosses and Spike Mosses), and
     Pteridophyta (Ferns); prepared slides illustrating sporangia
     of each division; living specimens and prepared slides
     illustrating reproductive patterns of a fern; a fossil
     specimen representing each division; and information from
     books and journals related to the distribution and
     evolutionary significance of the Lower Vascular Plants.

3.   Learn the major characteristics of the Divisions
     Psilotophyta (Whisk Ferns),  Equisetophyta (Horsetails),
     Lycopodophyta (Club Mosses and Spike Mosses), and Pteridophyta
     (Ferns). Use Psilotum (Psilotophyta), Equisetum (Equisetophyta),
     Lycopodium  and Selaginella (Lycopodophyta), and Dryopteris or
     another fern (Pteridophyta) to represent these divisions.

4.   Compare the structure of the sporophytes and sporangia of
     Psilotum, Equisetum, Lycopodium, Selaginella and a fern
     (Dryopteris or other species).

5.   Examine antheridia and archegonia (gametangia) on living
     prothalli (and prepared slides) of a fern.

6.   Label the fern diagrams (Figure 13.8) and color them as
     directed on page 13-2.

7.   Present the life cycles of Fern and Selaginella (in the X
     format) on page 23.

10.  Prepare for a quiz.