Page 95 - General and Inorganic Chemistry for Advanced Secondary Schools Students Book Form Five and Six

Biology for Secondary Schools

General characteristics of of the remains of primitive plants.
filicinophytes (e) Ferns, such as Azolla sp. are used
(a) They live in moist, damp and as biological organic fertiliser.
shady areas. They are able to fix nitrogen from
(b) They are less dependent on water the air into compounds that can be
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for survival and reproduction than absorbed by plants.
bryophytes. (f) Some ferns, such as Dryopteris sp.
(c) They have true roots, stems and have a medicinal value.
leaves.
(d) They have vascular tissues. Disadvantage of ferns
(e) They reproduce by means of Ferns are regarded as weeds in many
spores. places. For example, the giant fern
(f) They do not produce flowers and plants are the worst aquatic weeds
seeds. that threaten the life of other aquatic
organisms. In terrestrial environment,
Distinctive features of ferns some species of fern plants, such as
(a) Their leaves bear spore-producing Pteridium sp. are common weeds.
structures called sori (singular
is sorus). A sorus is a cluster Division Coniferophyta
of spore-producing structures Activity 5.9: Investigating the
called sporangia (singular is distinctive features of conifers
sporangium).
(b) Their leaves are arranged in a Materials: A variety of conifers, such
clump and are called fronds. as a whole plant or branches of pine,
(c) They have a simple vascular cedar, cypress, fresh or preserved
tissue. cones, notebook, and pen or pencil

Advantages of ferns Procedure
(a) They constitute ground-cover in 1. Collect the branches of pine,
moist areas. cypress, and cedar plants from
(b) They produce food for themselves the school or home environment.
and for heterotrophic organisms in Caution
ecosystem. Care must be taken when
(c) They are used for decoration in collecting a variety of conifer
homes and offices. branches or cones. Get only what
(d) They are the major components of is required instead of destroying
coal, a fossil fuel which is made up the whole plant.

Student’s Book Form One Student’s Book Form One 89

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