Cryptogams: Spores & More

Glossary of Key Terms

• Alternation of Generations:
  A life cycle in which there are two distinct, multicellular stages: a haploid gametophyte and a diploid sporophyte, as seen in ferns and bryophytes.

• Aerenchyma:
  Specialised plant tissue with large air spaces, found in some mosses, which aids in gas exchange and water storage.

• Algae:
  A diverse group of photosynthetic aquatic organisms, often considered part of the Thallophytes group of cryptogams.

• Bioindicators:
  Organisms or biological responses that reveal the presence or effects of pollutants and other environmental changes. Many cryptogams, especially lichens, serve this role.

• Bryophytes:
  A group of non-vascular plants, including mosses, liverworts, and hornworts, typically small and found in damp environments.

• Carboniferous Period:
  A geological period roughly 359 to 299 million years ago, known for vast coal forests formed by dominant pteridophytes.

• Carbon Sequestration:
  The process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide, important for mitigating climate change; algae contribute significantly to this.

• Cryptogams:
  A group of plant-like organisms that reproduce via spores rather than seeds or flowers. The term means "hidden marriage."

• Cyanobacterium (plural: Cyanobacteria):
  Photosynthetic bacteria, sometimes referred to as blue-green algae, that can form symbiotic relationships with fungi in lichens.

• Decomposers:
  Organisms, such as fungi and bacteria, that break down dead organic matter, returning nutrients to the ecosystem.

• Desiccation Tolerance:
  The ability of an organism (e.g., some mosses) to survive extreme dehydration and later rehydrate and revive.

• Diffusion:
  The net movement of particles from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration, used by non-vascular plants for transport.

• Fronds:
  The leaf-like structures of ferns, which serve both photosynthetic and reproductive functions.

• Fungi:
  A kingdom of heterotrophic organisms distinct from plants and animals, which obtain nutrients by absorbing dissolved organic molecules; they are primary decomposers.

• Gametophyte:
  The haploid stage in the life cycle of plants and algae that produces gametes (sperm and eggs). In bryophytes, it is the dominant stage.

• Heterotrophic:
  An organism that obtains nutrients by consuming other organisms or organic compounds, unlike autotrophs (like plants) that produce their own food. Fungi are heterotrophic.

• Hornworts:
  A small group of non-vascular plants, part of the bryophytes, named for their horn-like sporophytes.

• Hyaline Cells:
  Specialised cells in some mosses that can store water.

• Hyphae (singular: Hypha):
  The branching, thread-like structures that make up the main body (mycelium) of most fungi.

• Lichens:
  Composite organisms formed by a symbiotic partnership between a fungus and a photosynthetic partner (alga or cyanobacterium).

• Liverworts (Marchantiophyta):
  A group of non-vascular plants, part of the bryophytes, often with flattened, ribbon-like bodies or leafy forms.

• Mycobiont:
  The fungal component of a lichen.

• Mycelium:
  The hidden network of hyphae that constitutes the main vegetative part of a fungus.

• Mycorrhizae:
  Symbiotic associations between fungi and plant roots, enhancing nutrient uptake for plants and providing carbohydrates for fungi.

• Non-vascular Plants:
  Plants that lack specialized vascular tissues (xylem and phloem) for transporting water and nutrients, such as bryophytes.

• Osmosis:
  The movement of water across a selectively permeable membrane from an area of higher water concentration to an area of lower water concentration, used by non-vascular plants.

• Phanerogams:
  Flowering plants, which reproduce via seeds and flowers, in contrast to cryptogams.

• Photobiont:
  The photosynthetic partner (alga or cyanobacterium) in a lichen.

• Photosynthesis:
  The process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesise foods from carbon dioxide and water.

• Plasmodium: 

The feeding, amoeboid stage of some slime moulds, which is a single giant cell containing multiple nuclei.

• Protists:
  A diverse group of eukaryotic microorganisms, including slime moulds, that are not animals, plants, or fungi.

• Pteridophytes:
  A group of vascular cryptogams, including ferns, horsetails, and clubmosses, which reproduce via spores.

• Rhizoids:
  Thread-like structures that anchor mosses and liverworts to substrates; they resemble roots but do not absorb water or nutrients efficiently.

• Slime Moulds (Myxomycetes):
  A diverse group of protists, often found as gelatinous masses on decaying organic matter, playing roles in nutrient cycling.

• Sori (singular: Sorus):
  Clusters of sporangia, typically found on the undersides of fern fronds.

• Spores:
  Reproductive cells produced by cryptogams (and some other organisms) that can develop into new individuals without fertilisation.

• Sporangia (singular: Sporangium):
  Specialised structures in ferns where spores are produced.

• Sporophyte:
  The diploid stage in the life cycle of plants and algae that produces spores. In ferns, it is the dominant, familiar leafy plant.

• Spleenworts (genus Asplenium):
  A distinctive subgroup of ferns known for their unique adaptations and often found in rocky habitats.

• Symbiosis:
  A close and often long-term interaction between two different biological organisms.

• Thallophytes:
  A diverse group of cryptogams that includes algae, fungi, and lichens, characterised by a simple, undifferentiated plant body (thallus).

• Vascular System:
  A system of tissues (xylem and phloem) that transport water, nutrients, and sugars throughout a plant, present in pteridophytes and flowering plants.

• Xylem:
  A type of vascular tissue in plants that transports water and dissolved nutrients from the roots to the rest of the plant.

• Phloem:
  A type of vascular tissue in plants that transports sugars (produced during photosynthesis) from leaves to other parts of the plant.