INTRODUCTION

The word Pteridophyta has Greek origin. Pteron means a “feather” and Phyton means plants. The
plants of this group have feather like fronds (ferns). The group of pteridophyta included into
Cryptogams with algae, fungi and Bryophytes. The algae, fungi and bryophytes are called lower
cryptogames while the Pteidophytes are called higher cryptogams. Pteridophytes also called
Vascular cryptogames, because only pteridophytes have well developed conducting system among
cryptogams. Due to this reason they are the first true land plants. All cryptogams reproduce by
means of spores and do not produce seeds. The Peridophytes are assemblage of flowerless,
seedless, spore bearing vascular plants, that have successfully invaded the land. Pteridophytes have
a long fossil history on our planet. They are known from as far back as 380 million years. Fossils
of pteridophytes have been obtained from rock strata belonging to Silurian and Devonian periods
of the Palaeozoic era. So the Palaeozoic era sometimes also called the “The age of pteridophyta”.
The fossil Pteridophytes were herbaceous as well as arborescent. The tree ferns, giant horse tails
and arborescent lycopods dominated the swampy landscapes of the ancient age. The present day
lycopods are the mere relicts the Lepidodendron like fossil arborescent lycopods. Only present-
day ferns have nearby stature of their ancestors. Psilotum and Tmesipteris are two surviving
remains of psilopsids, conserve the primitive features of the first land
General Characteristics
1-The main independent plant body is sporophyte, with vascular system. It develops from the
diploid zygote.
2-The pteridophytes grow mostly in cool, moist and shady places, but some are aquatic (Marsilea,
Salvinia, Azolla etc.) and few are xerophytic (Selaginella rupestris, S. respanda, even some species
of Marsilia, M. rajasthanensis, Marsilia condenseta etc.).
3-Plants are differentiated into true roots, shoots and leaves. Some primitive members lack true
roots and well- developed leaves (e.g; In members of Psilophytales and Psilotales).
4-Except few woody tree ferns all living pteritophytes are herbaceous.
5-They may be dorsiventral or radial in symmetry with branched stems.
6-The leaves of ptridophyte may be scale like leaf (e.g. Equisetum), small sessile leaves (e,g.
Lycopodium and Selaginella) and large, petiolate compound leaves occurs in true ferns.
7-The stem bears leaves which may be small microphyllous type in which the leaves are quite
small in relation to the stem (e.g. Lycopodium, Selaginella, Euisetum), or megaphyllous type, in
which the leaves are large in relation to the stem (e.g. ferns)
8-In fern, the young leaves show circinate vernation (curved inwards).
9-Primary embryonic roots are short lived and replaced by adventitious roots.
10-The pteridophyte reproduced by haploid spores which are produced within a specialized
structure called sporangia.
11-Plants may be homosporous (all spores are same in shape and size) and heterosporous (spores
are two different shape and size) smaller called microspore and larger called megaspore.
12-In some pteridophytes the sporangia developed on stems, axis between leaf and stem, on leaves
(mostly ventral surface of leaves). On the stem sporangia may be terminal e.g. Rhynia, lateral in
Lycopodium, on the surface of leaves (Sporophyll) in Ferns. The sporangia are borne on ventral
side of specialized leaf called Sporophyll.
13-In true ferns the sporangia are located on the lower surface of the leaf as clusters called sori
(sorus). 14-The haploid spore is a unit of gametophyte. On germination it develops gametophytic
prothallus.
15-The Gametophytic plant is called prothallus since it more or less looks like the thallus of a
primitive bryophyte.
16-Prothallus bears sex organs archegonia and antheridia. As a result of fertilization the zygote or
oospore is formed.
17-The homosporous species are monoecious (Antheridia and archegonia borne on same thallus).
18-Heterosporous types are mostly dioecious (Antheridia and archegonia borne on separate male
and female prothallus respectively).
19-Microspore gives rise to male prothallus which produces the male sex organs antheridium.
20-Megaspore gives rise to female prothallus which produces the female sex organs Archegonium.
21-The sex organs are embedded or projected in the prothallus.
22-The male gametes are called antherizoids and produce inside the antherdium.
23-Antherozoids are unicellular, spirally coiled and flagellate.
24-The archegonia are differentiated into upper neck and lower venter.
25-The achegonial neck is projected or the venter is [Link] the prothallus.
26-Water medium is essential for fertilization.
27-The egg and atherozoids fuse, to form diploid zygote.
28-The Zygote develops into new sporophytic plant body.
29-Clear alternation of generation takes place in the life cycle of Pteridophytes
HABITAT
Pteridophytes are first land vascular plants so, they are mostly terrestrial in nature, grow in cool
and shady places. Some pteridophytes are inhabit in xerophytic, semi-aquatic and aquatic
condition. (a) Terrestrial Pteridophyte Members of Psilophyta or ferns grow in terrestrial habitat.
Some pteridopytes are Lithophytic on horizontal rocky patches. The fossil pteridophytes were
terrestrial in nature. Most species of Lycopods growing in such habitat are Lycopodium clavatum,
[Link], L. reflexum, Selaginella chrysocoulus, S. kraussiana, Isoetes coramandelina, etc.
Some pteridopytes are epiphytic. Psilotum nudum, L. phlegmaria, S. oragana and few ferns grow
as epiphytes. The tall and well stratified trees in the forests provide a suitable habitat for the growth
of epiphytic Pteridophytes. However, a few other ferns prefer open tree trunks and branches. These
epiphytes share a common niche along with orchids and ferns. Species like Drynaria quercifolia
grow in pure colonies on exposed rather dry tree trunks, covering entire tree trunks at times.
(b) Aquatic pteridophytes grow in aquatic and semi-aquatic habitats. Isoetes panchananii and I.
englemanni are semi-aquatic. Some members of ferns are commonly called water ferns. The
examples of water ferns are Marsilea, Salvinia, Azolla, Regnellidium etc.
(C) Xerophytic pteridophytes Some species of Selaginella and Marsilea are xerophytic in nature.
The examples are S. repanda, S. lepidophylla, M. rajasthanensis, M. condensata.
CLASSIFICATIONS
Pteridophyta is classified into four main classes:

Psilopsida

• They are the most primitive.

• The stem is photosynthetic and dichotomously branched.
• Rhizoids are present.
• Leaves are mostly absent.
• The sporophyte is homosporous synangium.
• Examples- Psilotum and Tmesipteris.

Lycopsida

• They are commonly known as club moss.

• Well-differentiated plant body with adventitious root, stem, rhizophores and leaves.
• The sporophyte is homosporous or heterosporous.
• Examples- Selaginella, Lycopodium.

Sphenopsida

• Commonly known as horsetail.

• Well-differentiated plant body with roots arising from nodes of the underground rhizome,
stem and scaly leaves.
• Homosporous, sporangia are borne on strobili.
 • Examples- Equisetum.

Pteropsida

• Commonly known as a fern.

• Well-differentiated plant body with roots, stem and leaves.
• The sporophyte is homosporous or heterosporous.
• Antherozoids are multiflagellate.
• Examples- Pteris, Dryopteris, Adiantum

Consult textbooks for more on classification of pteridophytes

REPRODUCTION
Reproduction through spores is main mode of reproduction in Pteridophytes. Although vegetative
reproduction is also common in pteridophyte.
1-Vegetative reproduction The sporophyte of many pteridophytes reproduce vegetatively by
following means:-
(a) By the formation of gemmae or bulbils Vegetative reproduction is carried out by bulbils
(bulblets) or gemmae which are leafy side branches with wide base and develop new sporophytes.
The gemmae fall on ground and grow into a new young plant. Ex. Psilotum, Lycopodium
phlegmaria, L. selago etc. Certain species of Selaginela propagate by bulbils.
(b) Fragmentation Death and decay of older region of stem leads the formation of new branches.
The individual branch develops into new plant. It is common method of vegetative reproduction
in certain species of Lycopodium, Selaginella, Dryopteris, Pteris, Adiantum etc.
(c) Formation of Tubers The tubers originate from the paranchymetous regions of shoot and root.
The tubers are formed at surface of the ground, called surface tubers and if they are developed
underground hence called underground tubers. They consist of a group of cells with stored food
materials. They have capacity to germinate into new plants. In some species of Marsilea irregular
tuberous bodies are formed in the stem. Lycopodium renulosum few species of Selaginella and
Equisetum develop such tubers.
(d) Formation of Adventitious Buds Such buds have been induced on isolated bulbil leaves.
Decapitation of stem near its apex also induces the formation of such buds. Certain species of
Lycopodium, Selaginella, also developed such buds. Few species of Asplenium, Diplazium and
Ophioglossum develop adventitious buds. In Dryopteris adventitious buds arise in the axil of
leaves and are detached from the plant and form new plants. In some cases (Asplenium esculentum
and platycerium) the root apex develops directly into a leafy bud. The leafy bud can grow into a
new plant. 2-Asexual Reproduction Reproduction through spores is main mode of reproduction in
Pteridophytes. Pteridophytes reproduce asexually by haploid spores, which are formed in
sporangia. The sporangia developed either on the ventral surface or in the axils of the leaves. The
Sporangia bearing leaves are called sporophylls. However, in Psilophytales the sporangia were
cauline. The sporangia were terminal on the fine aerial branches, in fossil Pteridophyte, Rhynia. In
Equisetum and Selaginella these sporopylls present in the form of compact structures called strobili
or cones. In general, such as, Azolla, Marsilea and Salvinia the sporangia are present in specialized
bodies called Sporocarps. The sporangia in higher ferns are present in the form of well-organized
groups called sori (singular sorus).
On the basis of development of sporangia, Goebel (1881) classified sporangia into two types, i.e.
Eusporangiate and Leptosporangiate. The sporangium develops from a group of initial cells called
eusporangium and the development called eusporangiate development. When the sporangium
develops from a single initial cell called leptospoangium and the developmental pattern called
leptosporangiate development.
Life cycle of pteridophytes
Sporophyte The spore producing body of Pteridophyta is called Sporophyte. The Sporophytic
generation is dominant and conspicuous in the life cycle of Pteridophytes. The life cycle of typical
Pteridophyte consists of a regular alternation of sporophytic (asexual) and gametophytic (sexual)
generations. In bryophytes the gametophytic phage is dominant in life cycle, and the sporophyte
is dependent on gametophyte. By contrast, in Gymnosperms and Angiosperms the gametophytic
generation is reduced and is dependent on the sporophyte. Pteridophytes with an intermediate
position, are characterized by free living gametophytic and sporophytic generations. Nevertheless,
the sporophyte is a dominant generation; it soon becomes independent of the gametophyte and
attain a much greater size. Pteridophytes are characterized by two basic kinds of life-cycles,
homosporous and heterosporous. The heterosporous pteridophytes form two kinds of spores, the
larger megaspores and smaller microspores, from which develop two kinds of gametophytes
(female and male gametophytes), respectively.
The homosporous pteridophytes form only one kind of spore from which a hermaphroditic
(monoecious) gametophyte usually develops. Thus, the heterosporous pteridophytes are
obligatorily heterothallic, while the homosporous are usually homothallic. Some examples of
heterosporus pteridophytes are Selaginella, Isoetes, Masilea, Salvinia, Azolla, Regnellidium etc.
The homosporous life-cycle is found in the Psilotum, Tmesipteris, Lycopodium, Equisetum, and
the homosporous Filicopsids
See your note for the illustration(diagram) of the life cycle of homosporous and
heterosporous pteridophytes
Sexual reproductive phage: Gametophyte The gametophyte is the sexual phase in the life cycle of
a plant. The haploid spore is a unit of gametophyte. The spores are haploid and form after reduction
division in the sporogenous cells of the sporangium. The spore germinates into a porothallus.
Generally, the prothalli are green, simple, somewhat branched and aerial structures. But in some
genera, such as Lycopodium, they are subterranean, branched, colourless and saprophytic structure.
The two sex organs antheridia and archegonia develop on the prothallus. Generally, the prothalli
of homosporous pteridophytes are monoecious. But the prothalli of heterosporous pteridophytes
usually are dioecious. Mostly the antheridia and archegonia embedded in the prothallus. The
antheridium is always surrounded by a jacket layer. The antheridia produce antherozoids. The
antherozoids are unicellular, uninucleate and biciliate structure in Lycopodium, Selaginella etc. but
they are multiciliate in Psilotum, Tmesipteris, Isoetes, Equisetum and ferns. The archegonium
consist a projecting neck and the lower embedded portion venter. The neck has neck canal cells
and the venter has venter canal cell and egg cell.
Fertilization and Zygote formation
The fertilization takes place with the help of water. When a film of water flow between prothallus
and substratum, the cap cells of antheridia pushed open to release antherozoids. Antherozoids are
attracted chemotactically towards the archegonium, the antherozoids swim towards archegonia in
response to malic acid released from mucilaginous mass (chemotactic). Many antherozoids swim
down the neck of archegonium, only one of them fuses with egg to form a diploid zygote. Usually,
cross-fertilization occurs due to protandrous nature of prothalli (i.e. antheridia mature before
archegonia). The fertilization takes place and results into the formation of diploid zygote. The
zygote is the first cell of sporophyte and develops into a well-developed sporophyte.
Embryo development
The zygote develops into an embryo. The first division of Zygote is generally (if not always)
transverse. After a usual transverse division of zygote, a two celled structure is formed. Transverse
division followed by a vertical division and thus developed a quadrant. The successive divisions
finally develop a young sporophyte
Alternation of Generation
Pteridophytes show a true alternation of generations. Here, the dominant sporophyte produces
spores through meiosis. The gametophyte generation forms gametes by mitosis. Alternation of
generations (also known as metagenesis) is the type of life cycle that occurs in pteridophytes and
other plants. They have distinct sexual haploid and asexual diploid stages. In these groups, a
multicellular gametophyte, which is haploid with n chromosomes, alternates with a multicellular
sporophyte, which is diploid with 2n chromosomes, made up of n pairs