• Question: Why are pteridophytes better adapted to dry land than bryophytes? Were pteridophytes always less abundant than phanerogamic plants?

    Asked by aeon effects to Ceri, Marikka, Matt, Rob, Sally on 18 Nov 2014.
    • Photo: Ceri Dare

      Ceri Dare answered on 18 Nov 2014:

      Please don’t just copy questions off the Internet, it is much more interesting if you ask your own questions! http://www.biology-questions-and-answers.com/ferns.html

    • Photo: Robert Hampson

      Robert Hampson answered on 19 Nov 2014:

      Pteridophytes has a vascular system which possesses the ability to transport water to the extremities of the foliage. Bryophytes lack this ability so can only grow to a small size or in places with high levels of humidity.

      Pteridophytes were more common in the carboniferous period. However, sexual reproduction of phanerogamic plants presents a massive evolutionary advantage over pteridophytes. Consequently they outcompeted them and spread much more widely.

      Answering questions already answered on the internet is easy, and I’m a scientist so its not like I’m uncomfortable with jargon. After all, I do perform ketene-aldehyde cycloadditions to produce a variety of 3-hydroxy acid analogues for the macrosynthesis of novel cyclic depsipeptide structures using standard solid phase peptide synthesis, in an effort to modulate the response of the Agr-virulence quorum sensing system in Staphylococcus aureus. I tried looking for guidance for that on the internet, but it appears no one has done it before…

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