GENERAL BIOLOGY 



at the top of the stem, as indicated. The outer cover- 

 ing of each spore is split into four long 

 tjj^y^, involute strips, which serve as elaters, 



and, being exceedingly hydroscopic, 

 b these extend and roll up again with slight 

 changes of moisture and push the spores 

 out of the sporangia. 



Two kinds of Gametophytes. While 

 the spores all look alike, some of them 

 on germination develop into small pro- 

 thallia which produce only antheridia 

 and others grow into larger prothallia 

 which produce the archegonia. 



The prothallia (fig. 87) are therefore 

 unisexual, as in some of the mosses, but 

 each thallus and especially the male, is 

 FIG 87 Male and ^ ver y sm all size. Fertilization occurs 

 Iq^fsltuS'^lafter with the aid of water f r transport of 

 maie el proth a a'iiium e the s P erms as m the fern, and the devel- 

 theridS^f'rspem P men t of the sporophyte from the 



ell; c, the female 

 prothallium bearing 

 three archegonia. 



fertilized egg follows the same general 



course. 



Selaginella (fig. 88) is another pteridophyte with a trailing 

 stem bearing small two-ranked leaves and lesser scales. It 

 is especially interesting on account of the development of its 

 spores. The sporangia are located in the axils of scales 

 aggregated in several terminal laterally flattened spikes 

 and are of two sorts large (macrosporangia) , and small 

 (microsporangia) . The spores within them are of two 

 sorts, large ones (macrospores) , four in number developed 

 in the macrosporangia, and small ones (microspores) 

 developed in large numbers in the microsporangia. It is 

 less surprising, therefore, that there should develop from 

 them two sorts of prothallia ; but the prothallia themselves 



