vascular and nonvascular plants experiments

Plants don’t get the admiration they deserve.

I mean, sure, lots of people enjoy gardening.  Some may even have a favorite flower. But when it comes time to learn about plant science, most people tune out.  In all my years of teaching, I have yet to witness a student get excited about reaching the portion of our biology course when we learn about plants.  

Plants just don’t seem to be very exciting.  Well, looks can be deceiving. Plants are much more fascinating than we give them credit for.

Without plants, life as we know it wouldn’t exist. 

Plants are able to capture energy from the sun and use it to convert carbon dioxide and water into sugar in a process called photosynthesis.  Plants and other organisms capable of performing photosynthesis form the basis of nearly every food chain on the planet.  

Plants are able to keep track of the seasons. 

Have you ever stopped to consider how a plant knows when to grow and when to go dormant?  How plant bulbs know when to emerge in the spring , and what triggers a tree to drop its leaves in the fall ? How plants know the optimal time to produce flowers ?  Like humans and animals, plants have circadian rhythms : internal “clocks” that read and respond to environmental cues.

Plants have developed tricky ways to attract pollinators.

Like all living things, plants need a way to pass their genes from one generation to the next. Flowering plants (angiosperms) rely on pollination to reproduce. To solve the problem of attracting pollinators to their flowers, members of the plant kingdom utilize a variety of clever methods .

Plants can communicate, both with other plants and with other organisms.

Recent studies have shown that plants can communicate with each other, even over vast distances.  How? If injured or under stress, plants can release chemical messages into the air (in the form of Volatile Organic Compounds , or VOCs), and these messages can be transmitted to other plants up to a mile away.

Plants can also communicate to each other underground through what has become known as the Wood Wide Web . The roots of many plants share a symbiotic relationship with fungi by forming mycorrhizae. In this relationship, plants provide the fungi with food (made through photosynthesis) while the fungi provide the plants with nutrients acquired by decomposing organic matter. Impressively, the vast networks of mycorrhizae can connect plants to each other, akin to the way the World Wide Web connects people who may be far apart.  Studies have shown that plants can use the mycorrhizae to transmit chemical signals (warning nearby plants of insect attack, for example) and to distribute resources (sugar or nutrients) from plant to plant.

The more I learn about plants, the more fascinated I become.  

Have you ever stopped to wonder how water is transferred from a plant’s roots to the rest of the plant’s tissues?  Consider a tree: water needs to travel from beneath the ground to reach leaves and branches that may be hundreds of feet above the soil.  How does that happen?

And how does the sugar produced within the leaves during photosynthesis get to other parts of the plant so that it can be broken down for energy needed to fuel cellular processes?

Let’s explore a cool aspect of plant science that is fun to experiment with: the plant vascular system.

The Plant Vascular System

I’m sure you’re familiar with the human cardiovascular* system: the series of vessels responsible for transporting necessary substances to and from all of the cells of the body. You may not have known that plants  also use a system of tubes to transport essential components throughout the plant. This is called the plant vascular system.  

*This post contains affiliate links

Xylem and Phloem

There are two major types of transport vessels within the plants vascular system: xylem and phloem (pronounced zy-lem and flo-em). 

Xylem tubes carry water and minerals obtained from the roots of the plant to the tissues above ground.  Phloem tissue transport the sugars produced in the leaves to the tissues in the rest of the plant. How does this transport take place?

Within xylem, water and minerals travels in one direction–against gravity–as it is transported from the roots up and throughout the plant.  What drives this process? 

Have you ever placed a corner of a paper towel in water, and watched how the water is instantly absorbed and transferred across the expanse of the towel?  The water is wicked from the wet part of the towel to the dry parts. This happens because water molecules are naturally “sticky”: the molecules stick to each other, and they stick to other objects.The movement of water through xylem occurs in much the same way. The water in the wet part of the xylem within the roots is wicked up to the dryer parts farther up the plant.

Plants continually lose water through their leaves.  In order for photosynthesis to occur, leaves need access to sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide.  How do they get the carbon dioxide? The answer may surprise you.  

Leaf Stomata

Each leaf has tiny holes called stomata (stoma is the singular form).  The word stoma comes from the Greek word for mouth, and perhaps knowing that will help you remember the purpose of leaf stomata. It is through the stomata that  leaves “breathe” Leaves don’t actually breathe in the same way we do, but they do perform gas exchange. Through stomata, leaves take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen.

During the day when the sun is shining, the stomata of leaves are kept open to allow gas exchange so that photosynthesis can occur. You can watch the process of stomata opening in this video.

Transpiration

While the stomata are open, water loss occurs from the leaves in a process called transpiration. In fact, transpiration of water from plants back into the air is actually a part of the water cycle!

The water loss from leaves due to transpiration is what drives the movement of water through the xylem through wicking action, as shown in the following video. 

Unlike the one-way transport that occurs within xylem, movement of sugars and other compounds through phloem can occur in either direction (up or down).  This process, called translocation, delivers sugars from the leaves (the source) to the tissues of the plant that need energy to grow (the sink). Translocation depends on a series of cells within the phloem and requires an expenditure of energy.

Within plants, xylem and phloem tissue exist side by side in what is called vascular bundles. These vascular bundles are organized in different ways depending on the part of the plant. Learn more in the following video.

Hands-On Activities to Study Transpiration and the Plant Vascular System

View transpiration in living leaves.

It’s easy to view transpiration for yourself.  All you need to do is take a clear, sealable plastic bag and use it to enclose a single green leaf.  Make sure that the entire leaf is inside the bag, and that the bag is sealed around the leaf stem as closely as possible to prevent water loss.

Depending on how hot and sunny the location of your plant is, you should begin seeing water vapor accumulate within the bag in no time.  

You could take this experiment further and compare how much water transpires from different types of leaves or at different times of day.

View Leaf Stomata Using a Microscope

Speaking of leaves, would you like to view stomata? 

All you need is a microscope , blank slides , and items you likely already have at home.  While it’s possible to see leaf stomata directly using a microscope, you can create a permanent impression of leaf stomata using a simple procedure. 

You can find the instructions for this easy lab here.

Using Celery to View the Vascular System

If you’d like to get a good look at vascular bundles, all you need is some celery stalks (with leaves attached), a glass, water, and food coloring. 

Take a stalk of celery and cut off a small slice at the bottom to remove any hardened tissue. Place the celery in a glass containing water (approximately ⅓ cup) and food coloring of your choice.  (You’ll want to go heavy on the food coloring if using liquid food coloring. You may not need as much if you’re using food coloring gels).

Within an hour or so, you may notice that the celery leaves have started to change color as the colored water makes its way up the stalk.

After a few hours, remove the celery from the water.  Cut a slice off of the bottom of the celery and examine the slice.  You should be able to see that as the colored water traveled up through the xylem, it left color behind in the vascular bundles.

If you make a thin cut lengthwise along the celery stalk, you may be able to get another view of the vascular bundles.

Create Your Own Colored Flowers

As long as you have those glasses full of colored water, why not use it to make something pretty? 

Most grocery store floral departments sell white (or light-colored) flowers. Buy some, cut a bit off the stems (to remove hardened tissue) and place them in the colored water.  The colored water will make its way up the xylem and into the flower petals.  

I’ve done this over the years with carnations and chrysanthemums.  I’ve seen others have success using white roses as well. You can take this further by cutting the bottom of the stem of a single flower lengthwise and placing each end in a different color of water. This will allow you to create a flower with petals that are two different colors.

I hope I’ve started to convince you that there’s more to plants than meets the eye.

In fact, the reason that leaves change color and fall each autumn is related to the plant vascular system and transpiration.

It is estimated that up to 95% of a plant’s water loss occurs through transpiration from stomata. Recall that stomata open to allow gas exchange to occur so that photosynthesis can happen.

As the days shorten and temperatures drop in the fall in winter, conditions for photosynthesis are no longer conducive. To prevent water loss through leaf stomata, plants seal off the leaves from the rest of plant. Without access to water and minerals from the soil, the leaves stop conducting photosynthesis. Over time, chlorophyll—the bright green pigment that drives photosynthesis—begins to break down, and the other leaf pigments are revealed. Those brilliant yellows and oranges that we associate with fall foliage are actually present in the leaves year-round, but are masked by the bright green chlorophyll.

If you’d like to learn more about the Science of Autumn Leaves , I have created a free, self-paced, online mini course. It contains instructions for a fun, hands-on experiment that uses simple paper chromatography to separate the different pigments in leaves. By comparing the pigments present in green, red, yellow, and orange leaves, students can visualize what happens inside a leaf during the fall color change. You can access the free course here .

Further Information

Water Uptake and Transport in Vascular Plants

Evapotranspiration and the Water Cycle

Process of How Trees Absorb and Evaporate Water via Roots and Leaves

Why Do Leaves Change Color in the Fall?

The Science of Spring

Carnivorous Plants: Why Do They “Eat” Meat?

Colorful Walking Water Science

My online high school biology students learn all about the plant vascular system as we study cellular energy, ecology, and Kingdom Plantae: one of the six biological kingdoms of life. If you’re looking for a fun, engaging class with plenty of opportunities for hands-on exploration, check out the classes I have to offer here: High School Science Classes Taught by Dr. Kristin Moon

*The cardiovascular system is also referred to as the circulatory system

*As an affiliate for Amazon and Home Science Tools, I may earn a commission if you use my affiliate link to make a purchase. This doesn’t affect your price in any way, but helps me with the cost of maintaining my website so that I may continue to share resources to help you understand, teach, and love science.

5 thoughts on “Hands-on Activities to Study the Plant Vascular System”

excellent study. Saving for when my lad reaches the vascular system of plants in his biology course. 🙂

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Thank you! Best of luck to you both. Biology is so much fun!

This is so cool! Our kiddos will be excited to give this a try.

I’m so glad you found it useful! I hope your kids are amazed with their results!

Absolutely! These terms can definitely be confusing!

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Bright in the Middle

Rigorous and Fun Science Activities

7 Vascular and Nonvascular Plants WOW Ideas to Bring to Your Classroom

Life Science , Middle School Science , WOW Factor Lessons

Teaching vascular and nonvascular plants and need some ideas to bring the WOW Factor to your classroom? Let’s explore!

There is so much diversity in plants, and they all need nutrients and water, which are essential for their survival. There are two general plant categories, vascular and nonvascular.

They both have their own special way to obtain, transport, and use nutrients and water.

In this post, I share some exciting ways to get your students excited about learning more about vascular and nonvascular plants. First, I share how you can help them become internally motivated to learn about this topic. Second, I share an engaging interactive lesson to help your students overcome the overwhelm of the topic. Third, I share ways to extend their knowledge beyond what your state standards may require.

Vascular and Nonvascular Plants WONDER Strategies

WONDER strategies are those fun and engaging activities that will hook your students into a topic. Here are three that you can try out when teaching about this topic!

Observe a Slice of Marram Grass

So, there is a picture circulating on the internet, and if someone can confirm its validity, that would be great.

Nevertheless, whether it is real or not, it’s adorable and will be a great discussion-starter in your classroom about vascular and nonvascular plants.

This picture shows a thin slice of marram grass with blue-violet light on it. The result is an adorable picture that looks like there are smiling faces.

In reality, the blue smiles are made of phloem tissue. This is the structure in vascular plants that distributes food from the leaves to other parts of the plant that need it.

So, just show your students the picture, see what they think it is, and go from there!

It’s so cute and educational!

Have a Snack from a Vascular Plant

A lot of the food we eat comes from vascular plants, but not so much with nonvascular plants.

With your students, you can have a healthy snack of something like fruit! Bananas, strawberries, oranges, and apples all come from vascular plants. There are other things such as vegetables, legumes, nuts, and grains that are also provided to us by vascular plants.

Nonvascular plants provide things such as moss, seaweed, algae, and lichen, some of which are consumed, and some of which are not, but these plants just don’t have the complex structures to grow taller, and they do not have specialized organs to make the same type of things the vascular plant does.

So, have a vascular plant provided snack and start a discussion with your students!

Plant Scavenger Hunt

Any chance that you get, it’s great to take your students outside. What better way to get your students excited about learning more about vascular and nonvascular plants than to take them outside to search for them.

1. At this point, your students may not know a whole lot about this topic, so you can give them a little background before taking them on this scavenger hunt.

What is the main difference between vascular and nonvascular plants? You can just tell them this little snippet of information.

• Vascular Plants – they have a well-developed, specialized structures to move food and water.
• Nonvascular Plants – simpler; do not have specialized transport structures

This will get their minds stirring and they will be curious about which plants would be which!

2. Now for the fun part… take them outside and see if they can create a list of vascular and nonvascular plants!

3. Once you are back inside, have students compare their list with their classmates. Which plants are nonvascular? Which plants are vascular?

Now, it’s time to start the lesson to see how correct their list is!

Vascular and Nonvascular Plants Interactive Lesson

Did you know that if you give too much information to your students at one time, they end up not learning anything at all?

That’s why I started creating interactive lessons! They incorporate the 7 steps to help students retain information . There are strategies including highlighting important information, segmenting content, and more! This helps reduce your students’ cognitive load and helps them to remember things better.

Interactive lessons can be used as a lesson, of course, but also makes for a great review, homework, test prep, and more!

In this vascular and nonvascular plants interactive lesson , students will learn all about vascular and nonvascular plant characteristics, examples of vascular and nonvascular plants, structures such as xylem and phloem, the difference between vascular and nonvascular plants, and more!

Embedded in the lesson are activities such as an anticipation guide, Venn diagram to compare and contrast vascular and nonvascular plants, drag-and-drop activities, and more!

You can find this resource in the Bright in the Middle Shop.

You can also find this on TPT .

Vascular and Nonvascular Plants Activities to WIDEN Knowledge

Now, if you have done any of the activities above with your students, you are already having a blast! Now, it’s time to continue! Here are some fun activities to try with your students to help them apply what they’ve learned and extend their knowledge!

Make a Tree Model

We all know that vascular plants are much more complex, so creating a model of the inner parts of tree is a perfect way to allow students to visualize something they can’t normally see on a daily basis.

I love these instructions by Project Learning Tree .

In this model, students will be able to talk about the cambium, xylem, and phloem. In addition, they will learn about heartwood and outer bark.

For each model, you’ll need 1 toilet tissue tube, a ¼ inch wooden dowel rod, 34 coffee stirrers, 15 drinking straws, a piece of colored card stock paper, a rubber band, a ruler, scissors, and scotch tape!

It’s easier to show you than to explain it, so check the instruction out at the PLT website !

STEM – Plant Habitat

Do you really want to know if your students understand how both vascular and nonvascular plants obtain, transport, and use nutrients and water? This is the perfect activity!

• What is it? Have students create a plant habitat using “STEM materials”. Gather things such as paper, toilet paper rolls, cereal boxes, fabric, leaves, twigs, rocks, etc.
• Task students to create a habitat where either a type of vascular plant or type of nonvascular plant would survive. You can even have them to do both!
• A shoebox or another cardboard box would be created to house the habitat!
• After they create their habitat, students must be able to explain why they set it up the way they did and how these plants obtain, transport, and use nutrients and water.

Plants RAFT

I do love a RAFT assignment! What is that? Well, it’s a writing assignment that can help students show off their creativity and content knowledge! It’s a great way to improve their scientific literacy.

RAFT stands for R: Role, A: Audience, F: Format, T: Topic.

You can have students create their own RAFT idea, or you can give them a starting point.

Here’s a fun example:

• R: Vascular Plant
• A: Nonvascular Plant
• F: Conversation
• T: The nonvascular plant is feeling down because he thinks the vascular plant is so much better. The vascular plant gives him a word of encouragement.

This is a fun way to have students dive into the content and the difference between vascular and nonvascular plants. It’s great to explain it in a different way!

Help your students master science content!

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Let's Classify Plants, Part 1: Vascular and Non-vascular Plants

Enter the fascinating world of plants as we learn about vascular tissue and how to classify plants based on whether or not they have this tissue.

This is part 2 in a 3-part series on plant classification. Click below to open other tutorials in this series.

• Part 1: Vascular or Non-vascular Plants
• Part 3: Flowering or Non-flowering Plants

Attachments

General information, source and access information, aligned standards, suggested tutorials.

Enter the fascinating world of plants by identifying examples and traits of flowering and non-flowering plants.  Since this interactive tutorial is part 3 of a 3-part series, we will also summarize the information from the series.

Click below to open other tutorials in this series.

• Part 2: Seeds or Spores

Enter the fascinating world of plant reproduction as we discover more about seed-producing and spore-producing plants.

This is part 2 in a 3-part series. Click below to open other tutorials in this series.

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Difference Between Vascular and Nonvascular Plants

The difference between vascular and nonvascular plants is mainly characterized based on the presence or absence of vascular tissues and their categorization in the plant taxonomy. The presence or absence of vascular tissue distinguishes the vascular plants containing lignified vascular tissues from the nonvascular plants that lack a specialized vascular system.

The translocation of food, water and minerals is facilitated by the coordination of vascular vessels within roots and stems. Vascular plants are the higher plants belonging to the group of tracheophytes , which comprise a well-developed root system and shoot system .

Oppositely, the nonvascular plants are the lower plants belonging to the group of bryophytes , which appear microscopic and possess small leaves and rhizoids instead of roots.

This post discusses the key differences between the vascular and nonvascular plants along with the comparison chart. You would also get to know the definition and similarities between the two.

Content: Vascular Vs Nonvascular Plants

Comparison chart.

• Key Differences

Similarities

Definition of Vascular Plants

Vascular plants or tracheophytes constitute a large group of terrestrial plants that carry specialized vessels (xylem and phloem ) that are well distributed in the roots, stems, and leaves. Xylem and phloem cells constitute the vascular system and aid the translocation of food and water all over the plant body.

Besides, the vascular system also provides support and rigidity to the plant. Vascular plants possess well-developed vascular tissues, meristematic tissues, ground tissues, and dermal tissues. The life cycle of a vascular plant has alternations of two generations, in which a diploid sporophyte phase lasts longer.

The characteristic feature of vascular plants is that they comprise a true root and shoot system. Vascular plants include trees, shrubs, grasses, ferns, conifers, and flowering plants. The plants belong to this group have diverse and complex life cycles. The vascular vessels in vascular plants are of two kinds , depending on what they transport.

The phloem vessels transport the photosynthetic food material to the rest of the plant body. In contrast, xylem vascular vessel aids the conduction of water from roots up to the whole plant.

Definition of Nonvascular Plants

Nonvascular plants or bryophytes form a group of aquatic and terrestrial plants that do not possess specialized vessels (phloem and xylem) to conduct water and minerals throughout the plant body. They include bryophytes like green algae, mosses, ferns, liverworts, and hornworts.

Nonvascular plants are considered lower plants , as they neither possess true leaves, stems, roots, flowers, and fruits nor specialized tissues for water and food conduction. For water translocation, nonvascular plants have simple tissues . A haploid gametophyte generation is prominent in the life cycle of bryophytes or nonvascular plants.

They appear microscopic and grow very small. Instead of roots, they contain rhizoids  that only support the plant body and perform no special role in the absorption of water .

Nonvascular plants lack deep roots that absorb water. So, to combat water requirements, they are generally found in moist environments to remain in touch with the water source. The reproductive strategy of nonvascular plants is quite different, as they can reproduce sexually via single-celled spores or asexually by budding and fragmentation .

Key Differences Between Vascular and Nonvascular Plants

• The vascular plant constitutes a group of plants that possess a true root and shoot system with a well-developed vascular system for water, minerals, and food translocation. Oppositely, the non-vascular plant appears simple and short that neither comprise mechanics for water and food conduction nor a true root and shoot system.
• Vascular plants grow larger due to their well-organized vascular system (phloem and xylem). Oppositely, non-vascular plants are relatively smaller in size.
• The root system of vascular plants possesses deep roots that anchor the plant and absorb nutrients from the soil. In contrast, the non-vascular plant possesses hairy structures or rhizoids in place of deep roots that keep the plant at its place.
• Both plants’ life cycles have an alternation of generations, where one phase dominates over the other. A diploid sporophyte and a haploid gametophyte phase is the dominant or principal generation phase of vascular plants and nonvascular plants, respectively.
• Vascular plants comprise true stems that participate in photosynthesis and facilitate gaseous exchange. Conversely, nonvascular plants rarely comprise a true stem system.
• Vascular plants can grow in various  habitats , while non-vascular plants particularly grow in marshy, shady, and moist places .
• Vascular and nonvascular plants belong to the kingdom Plantae .
• Both are photoautotrophic .
• The means of asexual reproduction are common in both vascular and nonvascular plants.
• Fertilization and embryo development is similar in the vascular and nonvascular plant.
• Both plants exhibit alternation of generations (sporophytic and gametophytic phases).

Therefore, we can conclude that the vascular and nonvascular plants are green, photoautotrophic plants belonging to the kingdom Plantae . There are many phenotypic differences among these two, like the plant length, presence of true leaf, stem and deep roots. Besides, there are many physiological differences , like the presence of the vascular system.

The nonvascular plant has first evolved , which is why they lack cell mechanics for water and food translocation. Thus, the nonvascular plant is the common ancestor of the vascular plant.

Related Topics:

• Aspergillus
• Absorption of Water In Plants
• Phytochrome in Plants
• Onion Peel Cell Experiment

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13 The Non-Vascular Plants and Seedless Vascular Plants

By the end of this chapter you will be able to:

• Describe the distinguishing traits of the three types of bryophytes
• Identify the new traits that first appear in seedless vascular plants
• Describe the major classes of seedless vascular plants
• Compare and contrast roots, rhizoids, and mycorrhizae

Introduction

An incredible variety of seedless plants populates the terrestrial landscape from liverworts, mosses, hornworts, club mosses and ferns (Fig 1).

Figure 1: The different groups of plants found today.  Notice that the seedless plants begin with the liverworts as the oldest, most primitive group of land plants and the ferns are the most advanced seedless group.  The ferns do have vascular tissue, whereas the older groups to the left do not have this tissue. Laurenprue216 , via Wikimedia Commons

Mosses grow on tree trunks, and horsetails (Fig 2) display their jointed stems and spindly leaves on the forest floor. Yet, seedless plants represent only a small fraction of the plants in our environment. Three hundred million years ago, seedless plants dominated the landscape and grew in the enormous swampy forests of the Carboniferous period. Their decomposing bodies created large deposits of coal that we mine today.

Figure 2: Seedless plants like these horsetails (Equisetum sp.) thrive in damp, shaded environments under the tree canopy where dryness is a rare occurrence. Downtowngal, via Wikimedia Commons

Bryophytes, an informal grouping of the nonvascular plants, are the closest extant relative of early terrestrial plants. The first bryophytes most probably appeared in the Ordovician period, about 490 million years ago. Because of the lack of lignin —the tough polymer in cell walls in the stems of vascular plants—and other resistant structures, the likelihood of bryophytes forming fossils is rather small, though some spores made up of sporopollenin have been discovered that have been attributed to early bryophytes. By the Silurian period (440 million years ago), however, vascular plants had spread throughout the continents. This fact is used as evidence that nonvascular plants must have preceded the Silurian period.

There are about 18,000 species of bryophytes, which thrive mostly in damp habitats, although some grow in deserts. They constitute the major flora of inhospitable environments like the tundra, where their small size and tolerance to desiccation offer distinct advantages. They do not have the specialized cells that conduct fluids found in the vascular plants, and generally lack lignin. In bryophytes, water and nutrients circulate inside specialized conducting cells. Although the name non-tracheophyte is more accurate, bryophytes are commonly referred to as non-vascular plants.

In a bryophyte, all the conspicuous vegetative organs belong to the haploid organism, or gametophyte. The diploid sporophyte is barely noticeable. The gametes formed by bryophytes swim using flagella. The sporangium, the multicellular sexual reproductive structure, is present in bryophytes. The embryo also remains attached to the parent plant, which nourishes it. This is a characteristic of land plants.

The bryophytes are divided into three divisions (in plants, the taxonomic level “division” is used instead of phylum): the liverworts, or Marchantiophyta; the hornworts, or Anthocerotophyta; and the mosses, or true Bryophyta (Fig 3).

Figure 3: The three divisions of bryophtes. EncycloPetey, via Wikimedia Commons

Liverworts (Marchantiophyta) may be viewed as the plants most closely related to the ancestor that moved to land. Liverworts have colonized many habitats on Earth and diversified to more than 6,000 existing species (Fig 4a). Some gametophytes form lobate green structures (Fig 4b). The shape is similar to the lobes of the liver and, hence, provides the origin of the common name given to the division.

Figure 4: (a) A 1904 drawing of liverworts shows the variety of their forms. (b) A liverwort, Lunularia cruciata, displays its lobate, flat thallus. The organism in the photograph is in the gametophyte stage.

The hornworts (Anthocerotophyta) have colonized a variety of habitats on land, although they are never far from a source of moisture. There are about 100 described species of hornworts. The dominant phase of the life cycle of hornworts is the short, blue-green gametophyte. The sporophyte is the defining characteristic of the group. It is a long and narrow pipe-like structure that emerges from the parent gametophyte and maintains growth throughout the life of the plant (Fig 5).

Figure 5: Hornworts grow a tall and slender sporophyte. (credit: modification of work by Jason Hollinger)

More than 12,000 species of mosses have been cataloged. Their habitats vary from the tundra, where they are the main vegetation, to the understory of tropical forests. In the tundra, their shallow rhizoids allow them to fasten to a substrate without digging into the frozen soil. They slow down erosion, store moisture and soil nutrients, and provide shelter for small animals and food for larger herbivores, such as the musk ox. Mosses are very sensitive to air pollution and are used to monitor the quality of air. The sensitivity of mosses to copper salts makes these salts a common ingredient of compounds marketed to eliminate mosses in lawns (Fig 6).

Figure 6: This green feathery moss has reddish-brown sporophytes growing upward. (credit: “Lordgrunt”/Wikimedia Commons)

Because they are the most common of the bryophytes, we will discuss their traits in more detail. Mosses are simple, non-vascular plants, like all bryophytes, which means they lack specialized tissues for transporting water and nutrients. Some key features of mosses include:

• As mentioned above, mosses do not have true roots, stems, or leaves with specialized vascular tissues like xylem and phloem. Instead, they have simple structures that serve similar functions, but without the same level of complexity.  For example, they have small, leaf-like structures known as phyllids or gametophylls. These structures are often one cell layer thick and lack the internal structures found in true leaves.
• Mosses anchor themselves to surfaces with thread-like structures called rhizoids. Rhizoids help with attachment and water absorption but are not true roots.
• Mosses primarily absorb water through their entire plant body, as they lack specialized root systems. They can absorb moisture from rain, dew, or moist soi and rely on diffuse to get water from the soil into their body.
• Mosses reproduce through spores produced in capsules found on the tips of stalks. They do not produce seeds or flowers like higher plants.

Vascular Seedless Plants

The vascular plants are the dominant and most conspicuous group of land plants. There are about 275,000 species of vascular plants, which represent more than 90 percent of Earth’s vegetation. Several evolutionary innovations explain their success and their spread to so many habitats.

The first fossils that show the presence of vascular tissue are dated to the Silurian period, about 430 million years ago. The simplest arrangement of conductive cells shows a pattern of xylem at the center surrounded by phloem. Xylem is the tissue responsible for long-distance transport of water and minerals, the transfer of water-soluble growth factors from the organs of synthesis to the target organs, and storage of water and nutrients.

A second type of vascular tissue is phloem , which transports sugars, proteins, and other solutes through the plant. Phloem cells are divided into sieve elements, or conducting cells, and supportive tissue. Together, xylem and phloem tissues form the vascular system of plants.  Often, material, such as nutrients and water, that is transported throughout the plant must be first moved into the plant from the soil through the roots.

Roots are not well preserved in the fossil record; nevertheless, it seems that they did appear later in evolution than vascular tissue. The development of an extensive network of roots represented a significant new feature of vascular plants. Thin rhizoids attached the bryophytes to the substrate. Their rather flimsy filaments did not provide a strong anchor for the plant; neither did they absorb water and nutrients. In contrast, roots , with their prominent vascular tissue system, transfer water and minerals from the soil to the rest of the plant. The extensive network of roots that penetrates deep in the ground to reach sources of water also stabilizes trees by acting as ballast and an anchor. The majority of roots establish a symbiotic relationship with fungi, forming mycorrhizae. In the mycorrhizae , fungal hyphae grow around the root and within the root around the cells, and in some instances within the cells. This benefits the plant by greatly increasing the surface area for absorption.

A third adaptation marks seedless vascular plants. Accompanying the prominence of the sporophyte and the development of vascular tissue, the appearance of true leaves improved photosynthetic efficiency. Leaves capture more sunlight with their increased surface area.

In addition to photosynthesis, leaves play another role in the life of the plants. Pinecones, mature fronds of ferns, and flowers are all sporophylls—leaves that were modified structurally to bear sporangia. Strobili are structures that contain the sporangia. They are prominent in conifers and are known commonly as cones: for example, the pinecones of pine trees.

By the Late Devonian period (385 million years ago), plants had evolved vascular tissue, well-defined leaves, and root systems. With these advantages, plants increased in height and size. During the Carboniferous period (359–299 million years ago), swamp forests of club mosses and horsetails, with some specimens reaching more than 30 meters tall, covered most of the land (Fig 7). These forests gave rise to the extensive coal deposits that gave the Carboniferous its name. In seedless vascular plants, the sporophyte became the dominant phase of the lifecycle.

Figure 7:   Plants of the Carboniferous age.  Club mosses grew tall in height and the frond leaf was commonplace. Bibliographisches Institut, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Water is still required for the fertilization of seedless vascular plants as there are still sperm cells present with flagella tails that need to move through water, and most favor a moist environment. Modern-day seedless vascular plants include club mosses, horsetails, ferns, and whisk ferns.

Club Mosses

The club mosses, or Lycophyta , are the earliest group of seedless vascular plants. They dominated the landscape of the Carboniferous period, growing into tall trees and forming large swamp forests (Fig 8). Today’s club mosses are diminutive, evergreen plants consisting of a stem (which may be branched) and small leaves called microphylls (Fig 8). The division Lycophyta consists of close to 1,000 species, including quillworts ( Isoetales ), club mosses ( Lycopodiales ), and spike mosses ( Selaginellales ): none of which is a true moss.

Figure 8: Lycopodium clavatum is a club moss. (credit: Cory Zanker)

Ferns and whisk ferns belong to the division Pterophyta . A third group of plants in the Pterophyta , the horsetails, is sometimes classified separately from ferns. Horsetails have a single genus, Equisetum . They are the survivors of a large group of plants, known as Arthrophyta , which produced large trees and entire swamp forests in the Carboniferous. The plants are usually found in damp environments and marshes (Fig 9).

Figure 9: Horsetails thrive in a marsh. (credit: Myriam Feldman)

The stem of a horsetail is characterized by the presence of joints, or nodes : hence the name Arthrophyta, which means “jointed plant”. Leaves and branches come out as whorls from the evenly spaced rings. The needle-shaped leaves do not contribute greatly to photosynthesis, the majority of which takes place in the green stem (Fig 10).

Figure 10: Thin leaves originating at the joints are noticeable on the horsetail plant. (credit: Myriam Feldman)

Ferns and Whisk Ferns

Ferns are considered the most advanced seedless vascular plants and display characteristics commonly observed in seed plants. Ferns form large leaves and branching roots. In contrast, whisk ferns, the psilophytes , lack both roots and leaves, which were probably lost by evolutionary reduction. Evolutionary reduction is a process by which natural selection reduces the size of a structure that is no longer favorable in a particular environment. Photosynthesis takes place in the green stem of a whisk fern. Small yellow knobs form at the tip of the branch stem and contain the sporangia. Whisk ferns have been classified outside the true ferns; however, recent comparative analysis of DNA suggests that this group may have lost both vascular tissue and roots through evolution and is actually closely related to ferns.

Watch this video on parts of a fern and characteristics of ferns (scroll down a bit on the page once you land there to watch the video).

Figure 11: Some specimens of this short tree-fern species can grow very tall. (credit: Adrian Pingstone)

With their large fronds, ferns are the most readily recognizable seedless vascular plants (Fig 11). About 12,000 species of ferns live in environments ranging from tropics to temperate forests. Although some species survive in dry environments, most ferns are restricted to moist and shaded places. They made their appearance in the fossil record during the Devonian period (416–359 million years ago) and expanded during the Carboniferous period, 359–299 million years ago (Fig 11).

One of the most interesting parts to a fern is where meiosis occurs.  If you turn over the frond or leaf of a fern, you will see dark spots, called sori (singular = sorus; Fig 12).  These are the sporangia and this is where spores are produced.  When the conditions are ideal, typically when pressure builds, the sori will pop open and release the spores.  When the spores land, they will begin to germinate into a gametophyte .

Figure 12: The sori of ferns where meiosis occurs to produce spores. L. Shyamal, via Wikimedia Commons

Watch this video to learn more about the life cycle of ferns and the alternation of generations in ferns.

Bryophytes and seedless vascular plants are two distinct groups of non-vascular plants that play important roles in terrestrial ecosystems.

Bryophytes are small, non-vascular plants that include three main groups: mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. They are among the earliest land plants and lack true vascular tissues like xylem and phloem, which are responsible for water and nutrient transport in higher plants. As a result, bryophytes rely on diffusion and osmosis for water and nutrient absorption. They are typically found in damp environments since they require water for reproduction and survival. Bryophytes have a simple life cycle with alternating generations – a gametophyte (dominant, haploid phase) and a sporophyte (dependent, diploid phase). The gametophyte produces reproductive structures (archegonia and antheridia) where eggs and sperm are formed. Upon fertilization, a sporophyte grows from the gametophyte and releases spores. Despite their relatively small size and simple structure, bryophytes contribute to soil formation, provide habitat for microorganisms, and play a role in carbon cycling.

Seedless Vascular Plants , unlike bryophytes, possess vascular tissues – xylem and phloem – that enable them to transport water, nutrients, and sugars more efficiently. This group includes ferns, clubmosses (lycophytes), and horsetails (sphenophytes). They were among the first plants to evolve vascular tissues, which allowed them to grow larger and colonize drier environments. Seedless vascular plants also exhibit a life cycle with alternating generations, similar to bryophytes. The dominant phase is the sporophyte, which produces spores through specialized structures called sporangia. These spores give rise to gametophytes, which produce eggs and sperm. Fertilization occurs on the gametophyte, leading to the development of a new sporophyte. Ferns, the most well-known group of seedless vascular plants, have leaves called fronds and reproduce through spores located on the underside of fronds. They are commonly found in forest understories and moist environments.

Both bryophytes and seedless vascular plants are ecologically important in various ways. They contribute to soil formation, help retain moisture, provide habitats for various organisms, and participate in nutrient cycling. They do have different adaptations and strategies for survival and reproduction due to their distinct evolutionary histories and structural features.

Kosal, E. 2023. Summary. NC State University.

Utah State University. 2023. Biology and the Citizen.

Introductory Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity Copyright © 2023 by Erica Kosal is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Vascular vs. Non-vascular Plants: 17 Differences, Examples

Table of Contents

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Vascular Plants Definition

Vascular plants, also known as tracheophytes, are plants found on land that have lignified tissues for conducting water and minerals throughout the body of the plant.

• These lignified tissues are also called vascular tissue and consist of water-conducting xylem tissue and food-conducting phloem tissue.
• Vascular tissue forms a central column, also called stele, through the plant axis for the transport of different substances.
• Vascular plants are said to have a true stem, leaves, and roots due to the presence of vascular tissues.
• The root is a true root that enables the plant to anchor onto the soil and gets nutrients from it.
• The leaves are broad and have stomata that work for gas exchange and support transpiration.
• The stem of vascular plants is multilayered with vascular tissue that helps in the protection and conduction of food and water.
• The arrangement of these issues might be different in a different group of plants as it depends on the pattern of division of cells.
• The xylem is composed of non-living matter, tracheids, and vesicles, hardened by lignin that provides a stiff structure to the tissue. The phloem, on the other hand, contains living sieve elements that are not lignified.
• Vascular plants are capable of surviving on land due to their ability to transport food, water, and mineral to different parts of the plant by creating pressure through the tissues.
• Besides, they also have several modifications that facilitate their survival on land.
• Another essential characteristic of vascular plants is that the principal generation phase in these plants is the sporophytic phase where they produce diploid spores.
• Vascular plants are tall and large in size compared to the non-vascular plants because of their ability to transport necessary substances to all parts of the body via vascular tissue.
• It is believed that vascular plants are a more evolved version of non-vascular plants and thus came later in the evolutionary history.
• Vascular plants are divided into two groups; non-seed plants or lower vascular plants or cryptograms and seed plants or higher vascular plants or phanerogams.
• The lower vascular plants include plants like ferns that although are adapted to survive on land still have some characteristics of their aquatic ancestry. These plants belong to the group Pteridophyta.
• The higher vascular plants are numerous and extremely diverse and are further divided into different subgroups.
• Some examples of vascular plants include maize, mustard, rose, cycad, ferns, clubmosses, grasses, etc.

Non-vascular Plants Definition

Non-vascular plants, also known as bryophytes or lower plants, are plants mostly found in damp and moist areas and lack specialized vascular tissues.

• Both xylem and phloem are absent in these plants, and thus they are primitive plants with primitive parts.
• Non-vascular plants consist of higher structural forms of algae, mosses, liverworts, and hornworts.
• These mostly live in water and in swampy, bogs, or shady locations. These are also comparatively shorter and simpler as they are limited due to the lack of vascular tissues.
• Non-vascular plants do not have true roots, stems, or leaves and the tissues present are the least specialized forms of tissue.
• Instead of true roots, they have rhizoids that are hair-like structures that support the plant firmly to the ground. The absorption of water and mineral in the rhizoids occurs by diffusion and osmosis.
• True leaves are also absent with no specialized tissue for the protection of water loss or the process of transpiration.
• The stem is made up of simpler tissue and is weak that cannot hold the plant like in vascular plants.
• In non-vascular plants, the gametophyte generation is more dominant with haploid gametophyte. The sporophytes of these plants develop from the gametophytes and are dependent on the gametophytes for water and minerals.
• Non-vascular plants are the primitive plants that appear first during the evolutionary process.
• These plants consist of two major groups of plants; algae and bryophytes.
• Algae are green colored lower plants that are capable of photosynthesis but lack true structures.
• Bryophytes consist of plants like most mosses and liverworts which are found in shady areas and feed on dead and decaying matter.
• Non-vascular plants often act as pioneer species as they do not require much nutrients or water for their survival and can grow on barren lands.
• Using several evolved techniques, a non-vascular plant is capable of surviving in areas inhabited by vascular plants.
• Some examples of non-vascular plants include moss, algae, liverwort, and hornwort.

Key differences (Vascular plants vs Non-vascular plants)

Read Also:  Plant cell- definition, labeled diagram, structure, parts, organelles

Examples of vascular plants.

• A fern is an example of lower vascular plants that have specialized conducting tissues; xylem and phloem, necessary for the transport of water, mineral, and food particles.
• These are non-flowering vascular plants with true stems, roots, and leaves and reproduce by spores.
• The number of species of fern known till now ranges from 10,000 to 11,000, but some estimates indicate than more than 15,000 species might be present including those in explored areas of tropical forests.
• These plants are diverse in habitat, forms, and reproductive methods. Their sizes also range from being flimsy and small to tall trees up to 25 meters in height.
• Ferns are mostly in damp and warm areas, and their number goes on decreasing with increasing altitudes and decreasing moisture.
• Ferns are important during ecological succession where they grow in crevices of bare rocks and in marsh areas before the growth of woody vegetation.
• Dispersal of spores and their ability to produce both gametes and self-fertilize allows long-distance dispersal of these plants.
• Cycads are gymnosperms or non-flowering vascular plants with developed roots, stems, leaves, and vascular systems.
• These are huge trees that grow up to three to five feet in height with woody stems.
• Only around 15-20 species of cycads are known which are widely distributed in the western as well as an eastern hemisphere.
• These plants are found in forests but are also planted by farmers for woods and fodders for animals.
• Their appearance constitutes a single, stout, cylindrical, woody trunk and a crown of large, hard, stiff, evergreen compound leaves that grow into a rosette formation.
• These plants are deciduous and unique among gymnosperms for forming seed cones in female plants instead of a group of leaf-life structure (megasporophyll) with seeds in male individuals.
• Some species of cycads such as C. circinalis, C. bedomei are grown as ornamental plants in gardens.
• Cycads are also called as sago palm as from the stem of some species, a kind of starch popularly called ‘sago’ is obtained.
• The leaves of C. revolute are used to prepare hats, basket, and mates. The leaves are also be used for floral decoration and other decorative purposes.

Examples of non-vascular plants

• Moss is a non-vascular plant found mostly in all environments but mostly found in dark and swampy areas.
• These are among the few living beings, called pioneer species, that are among the first living organisms to colonize barren and soil-less lands. These are mostly seen in carpet woodlands and forest floors.
• There are approximately 12,000 species of mosses known worldwide that colonize habitat from cold arctic to desert lands.
• Their size is also diverse where some are microscopic while others are over a foot tall.
• They cannot grow much in height because of the lack of vascular tissue, due to which they cannot transport water and mineral to the top part of the plant.
• In the place of roots, they have rhizoids that are not effective for the absorption of water and minerals from the soil.
• The gametophytic phase is more dominant as the stem, or leaf-like structures are a part of the gametophyte.
• The gametophyte develops to form the sporophytic phase that forms spores that help in reproduction.
• Liverworts are primitive non-vascular plants that grow as small, leaf-like structures.
• These are mostly found close to the ground in areas that are damp, shady, or swampy. Even though distributed worldwide, they are mostly found in tropical areas.
• The thallus of the plant is the gametophytic structure of the plant that develops specialized organs to house the sporophytic phase.
• Liverworts are similar to hornworts and can be distinguished from hornworts based on the differences in the structure of the thallus and the sporophyte.
• These are primitive plants with a primitive structure like rhizoids in the place of roots for the attachment and absorption of water and minerals from the soil.
• These are not particularly important to human beings but do act as food for animals, facilitate the decay of logs, and aid in the integration of rocks during ecological succession.
• Liverworts are one of the pioneer species that are the first living beings to appear during primary succession.

References and Sources

• 1% – https://www.britannica.com/plant/liverwort
• 1% – https://wikimili.com/en/Vascular_plant
• 1% – https://vivadifferences.com/understanding-vascular-vs-non-vascular-plants/
• 1% – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-vascular_plant
• 1% – https://biologydictionary.net/gymnosperm/
• <1% – https://www.sparknotes.com/biology/plants/essentialprocesses/section1/
• <1% – https://www.quora.com/What-are-pioneer-organisms-What-is-their-function
• <1% – https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-019-0306-9
• <1% – https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-vascular-and-vs-nonvascular-plants/
• <1% – https://www.chegg.com/homework-help/questions-and-answers/vascular-plants-divided-two-main-groups-seedless-vascular-plants-including-ferns-club-moss-q11513785
• <1% – https://www.britannica.com/plant/cycad
• <1% – https://www.answers.com/Q/What_is_xylem_composed_of
• <1% – https://wikispaces.psu.edu/display/BIOL110F2013/Plants+I+-+Evolution+and+Diversity%2C+Nonvascular+Plants
• <1% – https://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130711232505AAWhwoo
• <1% – https://tentativeplantscientist.wordpress.com/2013/04/02/plant-divisions-mosses-liverworts-and-hornworts/
• <1% – https://targetstudy.com/nature/plants/mosses/
• <1% – https://talkinghydroponics.com/2018/03/07/how-roots-get-their-nutrients-mind-blowing/
• <1% – https://quizlet.com/58469662/biology-101-cell-growth-division-reproduction-flash-cards/
• <1% – https://quizlet.com/25951114/tissues-of-vascular-plants-flash-cards/
• <1% – https://pediaa.com/difference-between-rhizoids-and-rhizomes/
• <1% – https://homeguides.sfgate.com/nonvascular-plants-reproduce-100707.html
• <1% – https://brianmccauley.net/bio-6a/bio-6a-lab/plants/ferns
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• <1% – https://biologydictionary.net/vascular-tissue/
• <1% – https://basicbiology.net/plants/non-vascular
• <1% – https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110708113328AAcHz9w
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BIOLOGY TEACH

Difference Between Vascular and Nonvascular Plants

Introduction.

Plants are divided into two major groups based on the presence or absence of vascular tissue. Vascular plants have specialized xylem and phloem tissue for the transport of water, minerals and food. Nonvascular plants lack these specialized vascular tissues and have simpler systems for transport. Though both are photosynthetic plants, vascular and nonvascular plants have key differences in their structure and function.

Definition of Vascular Plants

Vascular plants , also known as tracheophytes, are plants that have lignified tissues for conducting substances throughout the plant body. The vascular tissue consists of:

Characteristics

• Xylem : transports water and dissolved minerals from roots to leaves
• Phloem : transports prepared food from leaves to other plant parts
• Provide mechanical strength and support due to lignified walls

Vascular plants possess true stems, leaves, roots and specialized transport cells. They exhibit a dominant sporophyte generation in their life cycle. Vascular plants represent the majority of vegetation on earth and include ferns, gymnosperms and flowering plants.

• Angiosperms

Definition of Nonvascular Plants

Nonvascular plants , also known as bryophytes , are small plants that lack specialized conducting tissues. They include:

They do not have true roots, stems or leaves. Rhizoids act as anchors. Transport of materials occurs by diffusion. The dominant generation is the gametophyte . They thrive in damp habitats.

Key Differences

Similarities Between Vascular and Nonvascular Plants

• Both are photosynthetic plants
• Exhibit alternation of generations in life cycle
• Capable of asexual reproduction

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main types of vascular plants.

The major vascular plants are seedless vascular plants like ferns and lycophyta’s, gymnosperms like cycads and conifers, and angiosperms or flowering plants.

How do vascular plants transport water?

Vascular plants use xylem tissue to transport water from roots by capillary action and transpiration pull. Water moves through vessels and tracheids in one direction from roots upwards.

What are the limitations of nonvascular plants?

Nonvascular plants cannot grow tall or live in dry habitats, as they lack specialized systems for transport. Diffusion limits nonvascular plants to small sizes.

Do nonvascular plants have roots?

No, nonvascular plants have hair-like rhizoids rather than true roots for anchorage. Rhizoids do not transport water and minerals like roots in vascular plants.

Why are ferns classified as vascular plants?

Ferns have xylem and phloem tissues for transport, so they are vascular plants. Their sporophyte generation is dominant over the gametophyte, as seen in vascular plants.

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Non-vascular Plants

Non- vascular plants are plants devoid of a vascular system consisting of xylem and phloem. They are also devoid of roots , shoots, and leaves and grow from spores. However, some non-vascular plants possess specialized tissues to conduct water and minerals within the plant body.

They include two distinctly related groups: Bryophytes and green algae . They typically appear as small, green mats of vegetation found in damp marshy areas. Despite the prevalence of vascular plants, more than 17,000 species of bryophytes exist on Earth that including mosses, hornworts, and liverworts.

Non-vascular plants were the first plants to evolve. Their small size and lack of vascular tissue systems explain their primitive existence. The first non-vascular plants to evolve were found to be the liverworts. The hornworts evolved next, and mosses evolved last. Among all the bryophytes, mosses are most similar to vascular plants.

Like all plants, non-vascular plants produce and release oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere, thus helping survive living organisms on Earth. In addition, they also produce various nutrients that are passed to the soil and thus increase soil fertility. They also help reduce soil erosion and provide microhabitats for many animals.

Characteristics

1. absence of vascular tissues.

The main characteristics of non-vascular plants are the absence of vascular tissues, the xylem, and the phloem. It means non-vascular plants do not have the mechanism required for transporting food and water at greater heights and thus cannot grow tall like vascular plants. Hence, there is a difference between vascular and non-vascular plants.

They are commonly found in moist environments. Thus, they are always close to a water source and can absorb the water within the main plant without relying on roots.

3. Absence of Leaves, Root and Shoot System

Most non-vascular plants are small and lack true leaves, seeds, and flowers . Instead of roots, they have a hair-like structure called rhizoids to anchor them to the ground, absorb water and minerals, in addition to leaf-like and stem -like structures. Non-vascular plants also have a lobed leaf-like body called a thallus.

4. Reproduction and Life Cycle

Most non-vascular plants reproduce sexually by creating spores or asexually by vegetative propagation . Vegetative propagation causes part of the plant to break off and develop into a new plant having the same genetic information as the original plant.

Like all plants, reproduction in non-vascular plants involves alternating generations between the diploid (2n) sporophyte stage and the haploid (n) gametophyte stage.

The lifecycle of non-vascular plants is dominated by haploid gametophyte generation. The diploid stage produces spores, while the haploid stage produces gametes or sex cells. The gametophytes appear as green, leafy vegetation that remains attached to the ground or other growing surfaces. In contrast, sporophytes appear as long stalks with spore-containing caps on end. Sporophytes protrude from and are found attached to the gametophyte.

In the presence of moisture, sperm produced by a male gametophyte swim past a layer of rainwater or dew to reach an egg produced by a female gametophyte. Finally, the sporophyte undergoes meiosis to form haploid spores. The spores may also need moisture to disperse.

Classification with Examples

As discussed before, non-vascular plants are classified into two distinctly related groups: the bryophytes and algae.

There are three divisions of bryophytes: Hapatophyta (liverworts), Anthocerotophyta and (hornworts), and Bryophyte (mosses).

• Liverworts are tiny plants having lobbed, leaf-like, or ribbon-like photosynthetic tissues in place of leaves. They have fine rhizoids, lack stems, and are generally 10 centimeters tall. Liverworts grow in colonies that cover the ground.
• Hornworts are small plants similar in size to liverworts. They also have fine rhizoids and lack stems. The sporophytes in hornworts are long and pointed and rise several centimeters above the gametophyte.
• Mosses are larger plants compared to liverworts and hornworts. They have multicellular rhizoids that are more like roots and have tiny photosynthetic structures, similar to leaves surrounding the central stem-like structure. Mosses grow in clumps to retain moisture.

Green Algae

Not all algae are non-vascular plants. Only those algae found in the clade Viridiplantae, such as green algae, are considered non-vascular plants. It is believed that non-vascular algae led to non-vascular land plants, which led to vascular land plants. However, no scientific evidence supports this theory.

• Nonvascular Plants- Study.com
• Non-vascular Plants – Nzpcn.org.nz
• Characteristics of Non-Vascular Plants – Thoughtco.com
• Nonvascular Plants – Flexbooks.ck12.org
• Nonvascular Plants – Ck12.org

Article was last reviewed on Monday, March 21, 2022

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5th Grade Examines Vascular and Non-Vascular Plants

This week in the science lab, 5th grade set up and experiment to observe the difference between the way water and nutrients move through a vascular plant compared to a non-vascular plant.  We used celery and peat moss for the plants and red food coloring to color the water.  The mass was taken of both plants and recorded, then left in colored water overnight.  Then the classes took a walk around school to examine moss (non-vascular), flowering trees (angiosperms), and pine trees (gymnosperms).

The next day, the classes came back to the science lab to investigate the results of their lab...

Their favorite part was dissecting the celery and pulling out the xylem tubes!

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Vascular Plants vs. Nonvascular Plants

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Plants are broken down into two main groups - vascular and nonvascular plants.

Nonvascular plants include the mosses, liverworts and hornworts . These are also called bryophytes . They are small, short plants found in wet places. Their gametophyte generation dominates. The sporophyte generation grows from it and depends on it for food. Vascular plants make up about 80% of all plants. They have special tissues in their stems to move water and nutrients up and down the plant. This allows the plant to grow to a much larger size. They are also characterized by their reproductive phase. In vascular plants, the sporophyte generation is dominant.

Vascular plants are broken down into three groups:

• Seedless vascular plants - ferns, horsetails and clubmosses.
• Naked seed vascular plants - the conifers.
• Protected seed vascular plants - flowering plants, grasses and deciduous trees.

Use the following poster and charts to help illustrated the difference between vascular and nonvascular plants.

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Home » Science » Biology » Botany » Difference Between Vascular and Non-vascular Plants

Difference Between Vascular and Non-vascular Plants

Main difference – vascular vs non-vascular plants.

Plants can be divided into two major categories known as vascular and non-vascular plants according to the presence or absence of a vascular system. The vascular system of a plant contains xylem and phloem. The main difference between vascular and non-vascular plants is that vascular plants contain a specialized xylem and phloem tissues for the transportation of water and foods, while non-vascular plants do not contain specialized vascular tissues for transport . Vascular plants are known as higher plants while non-vascular plants are known as lower plants. Vascular plants become tall due to the structural support gained from its lignified xylem. Non-vascular plants grow on the surface of the ground or on tree trunks.

This article explains,

What are Vascular Plants

The plants containing a xylem and a phloem are referred to as vascular plants. The xylem transports water and minerals from roots to leaves whereas phloem transports sucrose and other organic nutrients throughout the plant. Vascular plants first appeared 430 million years ago. The evolution of the vascular tissue allowed the dominance of these plants on land by gaining the structural support from lignified xylem, and long-distance movement of water and nutrients through xylem and phloem respectively. Vascular plants are also known as tracheophytes or higher plants. This group includes all seeding plants ( Gymnosperms and the Angiosperms ) and the pteridophytes (ferns, lycophytes and horsetails).

Since vascular tissues can transport water and nutrients for long distances, these plants can grow to form tree-like structures. Seed plants (the Gymnosperms and Angiosperms) produce an embryo within the seed. Since the embryo is protected by a hard, outer coating, it is resistant to conditions such as drought and predation. Seeds can remain dormant until proper conditions arrive for germination. Flowering plants produce flowers and fruit or wood. Seedless plants such as Lycopodiophyta (clubmosses), Equisetophyta (horsetails) and Psilotophyta (whisk ferns), produce free-swimming sperms. They require water for fertilization. Vascular plants are well-differentiated into roots, stems, and leaves. The dermal tissue system of these plants consists of cutin, which is a waxy substance forming the cuticle. The cuticle produces a protective covering throughout the plant body against desiccation of water. it also regulates the gas exchange through stomata, the pores within the cuticle.

What are Non-vascular Plants

Non-vascular plants are plants which do not have a specialized vascular tissue. However, some of these plants possess similar tissues for the internal transport of water. Non-vascular plants are small in size due to the poor transport of water and gas. Thus they do not possess true roots or true leaves. Some non-vascular plants contain leaf-like structures which can not be defined as leaves due to the lack of the vascular tissue. Root-like structures of non-vascular plants are called rhizoids. Since non-vascular plants do not possess a vascular system in their rhizoids, they have to depend on diffusion and osmosis. Thus, these plants are restricted to moist habitats in order to contact the cell surfaces with water. On the other hand, non-vascular plants withstand the dehydration to recover without any damage to the plant. Hence, they are known as poikilohydric. Dominant stage of the life cycle is the haploid gametophyte. The gametocytes are green in colour thus they are photosynthetic. Non-vascular plants are divided into two groups: Bryophytes and Algae. Bryophytes have three divisions: Bryophyta (mosses), Marchantiophyta (liverworts) and Anthocerotophyta (hornworts).

Figure 2: Bryophyta

Difference Between Vascular and Non-vascular plants

Definition:.

Vascular Plants : Vascular plants are the plants that bear a vascular system containing the xylem and phloem.

Non-vascular Plants : Non-vascular plants are plants that don’t have a vascular system.

Vascular Plants : Vascular plants are larger in size due to their vascular system.

Non-vascular Plants : Non-vascular plants are small.

Reproduction:

Vascular Plants : Vascular plants reproduce via seeds.

Non-vascular Plants : Non-vascular plants reproduce via spores.

Principal Generation Phase:

Vascular Plants : The principal generation phase of vascular plants is sporophyte. The sporophyte is large, dominant and nutritionally-independent stage.

Non-vascular Plants : The principal generation phase of vascular plants is gametophyte. The gametophyte is photosynthetic.

Ploidy of the Principal Generation Phase:

Vascular Plants : The sporophyte is diploid, bearing two sets of chromosomes per cell.

Non-vascular Plants : The gametophyte is haploid, bearing only one set of chromosomes per cell.

Water for Fertilization:

Vascular Plants : The seeds tolerate desiccation and remain dormant until the right conditions arrive for the germination. Seedless plants still require water for the fertilization.

Non-vascular Plants : Fertilization requires water.

Vascular Plants : Vascular plants have specialized roots, stems and leaves. They also contain a lignified xylem.

Non-vascular Plants : Non-vascular plants have the least specialized tissues and no lignified xylem.

Transpiration:

Vascular Plants : Cuticles prevent desiccation and stomata facilitate the gas exchange.

Non-vascular Plants : Non-vascular plants do not have specialized dermal tissues either to resist water loss or to facilitate gas exchange.

Absorption:

Vascular Plants : Roots of the vascular plants absorb water passively in the absence of transpiration pull through osmosis.

Non-vascular Plants : Non-vascular plants depend on diffusion and osmosis.

Vascular Plants : Clubmosses, Horsetails, True ferns, Conifers, Flowering plants

Non-vascular Plants : Green algae, Bryophyta, Mosses

Non-vascular plants require moisture throughout their life cycle. They are unable to resist water against dry environmental conditions in the plant body. Thus non-vascular plants are limited to swamps, bogs and shady locations. On the contrary, vascular plants are well specialized to transport and store water throughout the plant. Hence, they are distributed in a wide variety of habitats. Seed plants, which are the Gymnosperms and Angiosperms produce flowers, fruits, and wood. This is the difference between vascular and non-vascular plants.

Reference: 1. Holsinger, K. E., Reproductive systems and evolution in vascular plants . PNAS. 2000 97(13): 7032-7042 2. Stanton, D. E., Reeb, C., Morphogeometric Approches to Non-vascular plants . Front. Plant Sci. 7:916. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2016.00916

Image Courtesy: 1. “Conifers, Lydcott Wood – geograph.org.uk – 191022” By Kevin Hale (CC BY-SA 2.0) via Commons Wikimedia 2. “Bryophyta 1627” By I.Sáček, senior – Own work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia

About the Author: Lakna

Lakna, a graduate in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, is a Molecular Biologist and has a broad and keen interest in the discovery of nature related things. She has a keen interest in writing articles regarding science.

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Chapter 34: Plant Structure, Growth, and Nutrition

Back to chapter, non-vascular seedless plants, previous video 34.1: introduction to plant diversity, next video 34.3: seedless vascular plants.

Plant life on Earth consists of nonvascular, seedless vascular, and seed plants.

While seed plants are the most widespread on Earth today, nonvascular plants were once one of the key features of the terrestrial landscape. 

Today, this group includes three phyla of small, herbaceous plants: mosses, liverworts, and hornworts-which include many aquatic species. These plants are often collectively called bryophytes. 

Like all plants, bryophytes alternate between haploid gametophyte—here, the main body of the moss-and diploid sporophyte stages during their life cycles. This process is called the alternation of generations.

Unlike other plants, bryophytes have life cycles dominated by gametophytes. Bryophyte gametophytes are typically larger and live longer than their sporophyte counterparts which depend upon them for nourishment and protection.  

One major characteristic of the bryophytes is that they lack seeds and reproduce using spores produced by the diploid sporophyte. These spores then grow via mitosis to form the gametophyte.

Fertilization in non-vascular plants still occurs using male and female gametes. However, instead of pollen, the male gametes of nonvascular plants are self-motile, requiring water-even in small amounts such as a light morning dew-to disperse and actively swim to the female gamete.

Finally, the fertilized diploid egg, remaining attached to the gametophyte, grows via mitosis to form a new sporophyte. 

Bryophytes are also unique in that they lack extensive vascular tissue-with no true roots, leaves or stems-and therefore rely on diffusion through cells to distribute nutrients and water. This also means that they cannot reach large sizes, and often remain low-growing.

So while today most plants on Earth grow from seeds, because of the many and varied adaptations of nonvascular plants, they continue to thrive in moist habitats across the globe.  

The diverse plant life on Earth—consisting of nearly 400,000 species—can be divided into three broad categories based on biological characteristics: nonvascular, seedless vascular, and seed plants.

Nonvascular Plants Were the First Plants on Earth

Nonvascular plants that live today include liverworts, mosses, and hornworts—collectively and informally known as bryophytes.

Nonvascular plants are characterized by a lack of extensive vascular tissue, and have no true roots, leaves, or stems. Another trait of this group is the use of spores rather than seeds to reproduce, and a life cycle dominated by the haploid, egg- and sperm-producing gametophyte stage.

Because their sperm typically require water to reach an egg, nonvascular plants are often found in moist habitats and reproduce more successfully close to other members of their species.

The Life Cycle of Nonvascular Plants

In a typical bryophyte, haploid spores produced by the sporophyte will grow via mitosis to form a haploid gametophyte. Once mature, these gametophytes generate haploid gametes of either male (sperm) or female type (eggs), in structures called antheridia or archegonia.

In the presence of water (even as little as a morning dew), the sperm will swim towards the archegonia in order to find and fertilize the eggs. Once fertilization is complete, the now diploid zygote will grow via mitosis from the gametophyte structure, forming a new sporophyte. Once mature, the sporophyte produces haploid spores, and the cycle begins again.

Most Plants on Earth Today Are Seed Plants

While most modern-day plants grow from seeds, nonvascular plants were once the primary colonizers of the terrestrial landscape. Today, these plants continue to thrive in moist environments around the world.

Suggested Reading

Delwiche, Charles Francis, and Endymion Dante Cooper. 2015. “The Evolutionary Origin of a Terrestrial Flora.” Current Biology 25 (19). [ Source ]

Pires, Nuno D., and Liam Dolan. 2012. “Morphological Evolution in Land Plants: New Designs with Old Genes.” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 367 (1588): 508–18. [ Source ]

Difference between Vascular and Non-vascular Plants

Vascular plants have a well defined vascular system consisting of xylem and phloem for transportation of water and food, respectively. Vascular plants are also known as tracheophytes. They include pteridophytes, gymnosperms and angiosperms. Non-vascular plants lack a specialised vascular system for transporting water and nutrients. They may contain simple structures that may specialise to perform transportation, e.g. algae and bryophytes.

Download Complete Chapter Notes of Plant Kingdom Download Now

The table below shows the main differences between vascular and non-vascular plants.

What are Vascular Plants?

Vascular plants are also known as tracheophytes. They contain vascular tissues, i.e. xylem and phloem. Xylem is a lignified tissue that conducts water and minerals to the plant parts from the root. Phloem is a non-lignified tissue that conducts food produced by photosynthesis to other parts of the plant. Xylem and phloem are arranged in close proximity and in a well-defined pattern to form vascular bundles.

Vascular plants possess true stems, roots and leaves. The main plant body is the sporophyte, which is diploid.

Vascular plants include pteridophytes, gymnosperms and angiosperms. The vascular tissues of pteridophytes and gymnosperms slightly differ from angiosperms. The xylem of angiosperms contains tracheids and vessels, whereas pteridophytes and gymnosperms lack vessels. The phloem of angiosperms contains companion cells and sieve tubes, whereas gymnosperms and pteridophytes lack companion cells and sieve tubes and they possess sieve cells.

What are Non-vascular Plants?

Non-vascular plants, as the name suggests, lack vascular bundles. They are small in size and may possess simpler structures for the conduction of water and nutrients.

Bryophytes such as mosses and algae are non-vascular plants. They do not possess true roots, stems and leaves. Xylem and phloem are absent. Bryophytes include liverworts, hornworts and mosses.

The main plant body of non-vascular plants is a haploid gametophyte, which is the dominant stage of their lifecycle. Non-vascular plants are often called pioneer species that colonise first in the newly created or barren territories.

Explore all the important topics aligned with the updated NEET syllabus, only at BYJU’S. Check NEET – Important topics and Preparation Tips for all the important concepts and related topics.

Recommended Video:

Anatomy of Flowering Plants Class 11 Biology One Shot (L- 3) | Botany Class 11 Chapter 6 | NEET 2022

Further reading:

• Xylem Parenchyma
• Diplontic Life Cycle
• Important Notes Of Biology For NEET Plant Kingdom
• Morphology of Flowering Plants
• Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants

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Tamara Horne

How to Reveal a Plant’s Vascular System

Are you looking for a WOW-factor experiment? Then this is the one! For maximum impact, I suggest the next-level option with the highlighter and black light.

Plants are more complicated than they appear on the surface. But did you know you can reveal the framework of plant’s physiology in a simple experiment at home?

What You Need:

• Cups or Test Tubes

• Leafy Celery or Carnations (other options: lettuce, gerberas & argyranthemums)

In a cup, mix 15 drops of food coloring of your choice with a half cup of water.

Cut at least two inches off the ends of the celery stalks or carnation stems.

Note: Hold the carnation stems under water while trimming them, and then quickly place them in the glass of water. This prevents air bubbles from forming in the plant’s vascular system. Learn more about why this is important in the explanation below.

Leave the plants in the dyed water overnight. Check on them the following day and you’ll see the plant’s inner transport system of water revealed.

Optional/Next Level Experiment

If you want to take your experiment to the next level, then you can use highlighter ink instead of food coloring. Pull the plug out of a highlighter with pliers. Drop the ink sponge tube in a half cup of water. Leave the plants in the water until nighttime, except this time you’ll reveal the plant’s vascular system by shining a black light flashlight on the plant. The phosphors in the highlighter ink that the plants pulled into their system will glow under ultra violet light!

Explanation

The vascular system of plants is made of straw-like tubes called xylem and phloem. Phloem transports the food made by chlorophyll in the leaves throughout the plant. Xylem moves the water and nutrients from the roots to the stems and leaves.

The human vascular system has a heart to pump our blood, but plants have a different mechanism to move fluids and nutrients. The water defies gravity and travels upward because of the properties of water and capillary action.

Water molecules are attracted to one another and as a single molecule evaporates from the leaf, each water molecule in the chain moves up in line and the roots pull in another water molecule to replace each one lost.  This continuous chain of water is key to the process, and is the reason you don’t want an air bubble sucked up by a flower stem in your bouquet.

How did your colorful, glowing plant experiments turn out? Share your photos on my Tamawi Facebook page or on Instagram with #tamawi.

Here are more experiments to try at home!

Join the Conversation

42 Comments

This was absolutely amazing. I am a student, and I have to come up with something good. This really helped me out!

You’re welcome! Good luck with your project.

My son is going to love this!!!!

Great – have fun!

hello, I am a student who needs to come up with something. I and my mom thought that the first one was boring but when we looked at the other one (the glowing one) and we thought it was perfect and can’t wait to try it

Hooray! I think you’ll have a blast trying it.

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when was this made? thanks

A few years ago.

Can the highlighter sponge be left in overnight? I want to do this one with my kids in my after-school program.

You should be able to leave the sponge in there overnight. Carnations flower longer than most other cut flowers.

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Hello, can the flowers be left in the color water for more than one night? Will they absorbe more color the longer they sit in the water?

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