Lycopodiophyta: Facts, Discussion Forum, and Encyclopedia Article

All Topics

Lycopodiophyta

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

	Lycopodiophyta
	Home Discussion
	Topics Lycopodiophyta Topic Home The Division Lycopodiophyta (sometimes called Lycophyta) is a tracheophyteVascular plant The vascular plants are plants in the Kingdom Plantae that have specialized tissues for conducting water.... subdivision of the Kingdom PlantPlant Plants are a major group of living things including familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, ferns, and mosses.... ae. It is the oldest extant (living) vascular plantVascular plant The vascular plants are plants in the Kingdom Plantae that have specialized tissues for conducting water.... division at around 420 million years old, and includes some of the most "primitive" extant species. These species reproduce by shedding sporeSpore In biology, a spore is a reproductive structure that is adapted for dispersion and surviving for extended periods of time in... s and have macroscopic alternation of generationsFacts About Alternation of generations Alternation of generations is a reproductive cycle of certain vascular plants, fungi, and protists.... , although some are homosporous while others are heterosporous. They differ from all other vascular plants in having microphyllMicrophyll Microphyll refers to the leaves of the Lycopodiophyta.... s, leaves that have only a single vascular trace (vein) rather than the much more complex megaphylls found in fernFern A fern is any one of a group of about 20,000 species of plants classified in the phylum or division Pteridophyta, also... s and seed plants. There are around 1,200 living species divided into three main groups within the Lycopodiophyta, sometimes separated at the level of order and sometimes at the level of class. These are subdivided at the class level here: Class LycopodiopsidaLycopodiopsida The class Lycopodiopsida includes the clubmosses.... – clubmosses and firmosses Class SelaginellopsidaSpikemoss Spikemoss refers to any plant of the genus *Selaginella* in the family Selaginellaceae.... – spikemosses Class IsoetopsidaIsoetopsida The Isoetopsida is a class of the Lycopodiophyta.... – quillworts and scale trees The members of this division have a long evolutionary history, and fossilFossil Fossils are the mineralized or otherwise preserved remains or traces of animals, plants, and other organisms.... s are abundant worldwide, especially in coal deposits. In fact, most known generaGenus Summary In the binomial nomenclature used worldwide, the name of an organism is composed of two parts: its genus name and a species... are extinctExtinction In biology and ecology, extinction is the cessation of existence of a species or group of taxa, reducing biodiversity.... . The SilurianSilurian The Silurian is a major division of the geologic timescale that extends from the end of the Ordovician period, about 443.7 ... species Baragwanathia longifoliaBaragwanathia longifolia *Baragwanathia longifolia* Lang & Cookson 1935 is an ancient and extinct species of vascular plant.... represents the earliest identifable Lycopodiophyta, while some CooksoniaFacts About Cooksonia *Cooksonia* are an extinct genus of primitive land plants.... seem to be related. Fossils ascribed to the Lycopodiophyta first appear in the Silurian period, along with a number of other vascular plants. Phylogenetic analysis places them at the base of the vascular plants; they are distinguished by their microphyllFacts About Microphyll Microphyll refers to the leaves of the Lycopodiophyta.... s and by transverse dehiscence of their sporangia (as contrasted with longitudinal in other vascular plants). Sporangia of living species are borne on the upper surfaces of microphylls (called sporophyllSporophyll A sporophyll is a leaf that produces spores.... s). In some groups, these sporophylls are clustered into strobiliStrobilus A strobilus is an organ of many plants that contains the reproductive structures.... . Club-mosses are homosporous, but spike-mosses and quillworts are heterosporous, with female spores larger than the male, and gametophytes forming entirely within the spore walls. During the CarboniferousCarboniferous The Carboniferous is a major division of the geologic timescale that extends from the end of the Devonian period, about 359.... period, tree-like Lycopodiophyta (such as LepidodendronLepidodendron *Lepidodendron* is an extinct genus of primitive, vascular, arborescent plant related to the Lycopsids.... ) formed huge forests and dominated the land. Unlike modern trees, leaves grew out of the entire surface of the trunk and branches, but would fall off as the plant grew, leaving only a small cluster of leaves at the top. Their remains formed many fossil coalCoal Coal is a fossil fuel extracted from the ground by underground mining or open-pit mining .... deposits. In Fossil Park, GlasgowGlasgow The city was formerly a royal burgh, and was known as the "Second City of the British Empire" in the Victorian era.... , ScotlandScotland Scotland is a nation in northwest Europe and one of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom.... , fossilized Lycopodiophyta trees can be found in sandstoneSandstone Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-size mineral or rock grains.... . The trees are marked with diamond-shaped scars where they once had leaves. The spores of Lycopodiophyta are highly flammable and so have been used in fireworksFireworks A fireworks event is a spectacular display of the effects produced by firework devices on various occasions.... . Currently, huperzine, a chemical isolated from a ChineseChina Summary China is a cultural region and ancient civilization in East Asia.... clubmoss, is under investigation as a possible treatment for Alzheimer's diseaseAlzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive cognitive deterioration together with decli... . External links from the University of California Museum of Paleontology