To Study The Museum Specimen (marchantia & Fern Plants). | Grade Xi

APPARATUS REQUIRED:

• Fresh specimens of Marchantia and Fern plants
• Hand lens
• Petri dish
• Dissecting microscope
• Glycerin
• Glass slide
• Coverslip
• Compound microscope
• Prepared slides of Marchantia thallus and Fern sporophyte

CHEMICAL REQUIRED:

• Glycerin

THEORY:

• Marchantia and ferns are non-vascular plants that belong to the division Bryophyta and Pteridophyta, respectively.
• Marchantia is a liverwort, which is a type of non-flowering plant that typically grows in moist, shady areas.
• It has a thallus-like body that is divided into two lobes.
• The upper lobe is green and photosynthetic, while the lower lobe is white and rhizoidal.
• Ferns are vascular plants that typically grow in shady, moist areas.
• They have a rhizome, which is a type of underground stem, and fronds, which are the large, leafy structures that grow above ground.
• Ferns reproduce by spores, which are produced in sporangia on the underside of the fronds.

PROCESS:

1. Examine the Marchantia specimen with a hand lens.
   • Observe the thallus-like body and the two lobes.
   • Note the green color of the upper lobe and the white color of the lower lobe.
   • Identify the rhizoids on the lower lobe.
2. Prepare a wet mount of a small piece of Marchantia thallus.
   • Place a drop of glycerin on a glass slide.
   • Use forceps to remove a small piece of Marchantia thallus and place it on the glycerin.
   • Cover the thallus with a coverslip.
3. Observe the Marchantia thallus under a compound microscope.
   • Use the low-power objective to get a general view of the thallus.
   • Note the cells and the cell walls.
   • Identify the chloroplasts in the cells.
   • Use the high-power objective to get a closer look at the cells and the cell walls.
4. Examine the Fern specimen with a hand lens.
   • Observe the rhizome and the fronds.
   • Note the green color of the fronds.
   • Identify the sori on the underside of the fronds.
5. Prepare a wet mount of a small piece of Fern sporophyte.
   • Place a drop of glycerin on a glass slide.
   • Use forceps to remove a small piece of Fern sporophyte and place it on the glycerin.
   • Cover the sporophyte with a coverslip.
6. Observe the Fern sporophyte under a compound microscope.
   • Use the low-power objective to get a general view of the sporophyte.
   • Note the cells and the cell walls.
   • Identify the spores in the sporangia.
   • Use the high-power objective to get a closer look at the cells and the cell walls.

OBSERVATIONS:

• Marchantia:
  • The Marchantia thallus is a green, flat structure that is divided into two lobes.
  • The upper lobe is photosynthetic, while the lower lobe is white and rhizoidal.
  • The rhizoids are unicellular structures that anchor the thallus to the ground.
  • The cells of the Marchantia thallus are thin-walled and contain chloroplasts.
• Fern:
  • The Fern rhizome is a brown, underground stem that bears roots and fronds.
  • The fronds are green, leafy structures that grow above ground.
  • The leaves of the fronds are divided into leaflets, which are small, green structures.
  • The sori are small, brown structures on the underside of the fronds that contain spores.
  • The spores are unicellular structures that are dispersed by the wind.

OBSERVATION TABLE:

Feature	Marchantia	Fern
Body	Thallus	Rhizome and fronds
Color	Green and white	Green
Rhizoids	Present	Absent
Chloroplasts	Present	Present
Spores	Absent	Present

 

RESULTS:

• Marchantia and ferns are non-vascular plants that have different structures and reproductive methods.
• Marchantia is a liverwort that has a thallus-like body, while ferns are vascular plants that have a rhizome and fronds.
• Marchantia reproduces asexually by fragmentation, while ferns reproduce sexually by spores.