Plant reproductive morphology be identical isospores or come in different sizes (microspores and megaspores), but strictly speaking, spores and sporophytes are neither male nor female because they do not produce gametes. The alternate generation, the gametophyte, produces gametes, eggs and/or sperm. A gametophyte can be monoicous (bisexual), producing both eggs and sperm or dioicous (unisexual), either female (producing eggs) or male (producing sperm). In the bryophytes (liverworts, mosses and hornworts), the sexual gametophyte is the dominant generation. In ferns and seed plants (including cycads, conifers, flowering plants, etc.) the sporophyte is the dominant generation. The obvious visible plant, whether a small herb or
Tasmanian ferns has been attributed to the isolation of Tasmania from the mainland during interglacial periods, which restricted the dispersal of many species between the two land masses. This high level of endemism results in Tasmania’s cool temperate rainforests being characterized by a community of rainforest species unique to the state. Portions of the species that have managed to dominate these unique forests are ferns. There is a diverse range of ferns present within these forests, which vary in form, size, substrate preference and habit. The following describes some of the major fern species to grow in Tasmania’s cool temperate rainforests. Commonly