Question

Explain the two special modes of reproduction observed in pteridophytes.

Answer 1

Pteridophytes

1. A pteridophyte is a vascular plant that disperses spores.
2. It has xylem and phloem.
3. Because pteridophytes do not produce flowers or seeds, they are sometimes referred to as "cryptogams," which means that their reproductive mechanisms are hidden.

Examples of Pteridophytes: Selaginella, Lycopodium, Equisetum.

Pteridophytes reproducing through spores:

1. Unlike other vascular plants, which reproduce through seed, pteridophytes reproduce through releasing spores.
2. The gametophyte is an intermediate plant stage for them.
3. They are known as cryptogams because they do not produce blooms or seeds.
4. They reproduce by alternating between sexual form, or gametophyte, and asexual form, or sporophyte, across generations.
5. The saprophytic generation is the most common.

Pteridophytes reproduce through asexual reproduction:

1. Asexual reproduction is demonstrated by the sporophyte pteridophyte in two ways.
2. The first is through vegetative propagation. The new plant emerges from the stem or rhizome in this case.
3. Spores are another asexual reproduction mechanism. The sporangia in the spore mother cell produce spores.
4. When the sporangia dry out, the spores are distributed by the wind and land on the ground.
5. When the right circumstances of heat and moisture are present, the spores germinate.