View source for Lycopod

{{Taxobox
| fossil_range = [[Silurian]] to Recent 
| image = Lycopodiella inundata 001.jpg
| image_caption = ''Lycopodiella inundata''
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = '''Lycopodiophyta'''
| divisio_authority = Cronquist, Takht. & W.Zimm.<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Cronquist|first1=A|last2=Takhtajan |first2=A.|last3=Zimmermann |first3=W.|date= 1966 |title=On the higher taxa of Embryobionta | journal=Taxon | issue=15 | pages=129–134 | doi=10.2307/1217531 | volume=15 | jstor=1217531 }}</ref><ref name="Cantino">{{cite journal | last= Cantino, Philip D. | display-authors = etal|date= 2007 | title= Towards a phylogenetic nomenclature of ''Tracheophyta'' | journal=Taxon | volume=56 | issue=3 | pages= E1–E44 | doi = 10.1002/tax.563001}}</ref>}}
[[File:LepidodendronOhio.jpg|thumb|External impression of ''[[Lepidodendron]]'' from the [[Upper Carboniferous]] of [[Ohio]]]]

The '''Lycopods''' ('''Lycopodiophyta''' or '''Lycophyta''') are the oldest surviving [[vascular plant]] division. This is a subdivision of the [[plant]] [[Kingdom (biology)|kingdom]]. Its earliest fossils are from 428–410 million years ago.<ref name="Kenrick & Crane">{{cite book | last1=Kenrick | first1=Paul | last2=Crane | first2=Peter R. | year=1997 | title=The origin and early diversification of land plants: a cladistic study | url=https://archive.org/details/originearlydiver0000kenr | location=Washington D.C. | publisher=Smithsonian Institution Press | isbn=1-56098-730-8 | pages =[https://archive.org/details/originearlydiver0000kenr/page/339 339]–340 }}</ref><ref name="isbn0-19-850065-3">{{cite book | author = McElwain, Jenny C | display-authors = etal | title = The evolution of plants | publisher = Oxford University Press | location = Oxford | year = 2002 | pages = | isbn = 0-19-850065-3 | oclc =  | accessdate = }}</ref><sup>p99</sup>

The Lycopods include some of the most primitive ([[basal]]) living [[species]]. They reproduce by shedding [[spore]]s and have macroscopic [[alternation of generations]].<ref>'macroscopic' = can be seen with the naked eye, e.g. instead of requiring a microscope</ref> Members of Lycopodiophyta have a [[protostele]],<ref>A central core of [[vascular tissue]] which conducts water and nutrients up, and manufactured substances down. The stele also supports the plant above the ground.</ref> and the [[sporophyte]] generation is dominant.<ref>The sporophyte generation is [[diploid]], and produces the spores. The spores produce the [[haploid]] [[gametophyte]] generation.</ref><ref name="Eichhorn">Eichhorn, Evert, and Raven 2005. ''Biology of plants'', 7th ed. 381-388.</ref>

Lycopods differ from all other vascular plants in having [[microphyll]]s, [[Leaf|leaves]] that have only a single vein rather than the much more complex megaphylls found in [[fern]]s and [[seed plants]].

== The first coalfields ==
The lycopods, or [[Clubmoss|club mosses]], are the main plants in the [[Carboniferous]] rain forests. They were only partly eaten by [[Insect|insects]] and other life-forms. Mostly they formed [[swamp]]lands which in the course of time became [[coal measures]]. In fact most of the coal from the Carboniferous period comes from these swamplands.<ref>Gensel P.G. & Edwards D. (eds). ''Plants invade the land : evolutionary & environmental perspectives''. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-11161-4</ref>

== Classification ==
There are around 1,200 living species of Lycopodiophyta; they are generally divided into three orders.<ref name="isbn0-7487-4336-7">{{cite book | last1=Callow |first1=R.S. |last2=Cook|first2=Laurence Martin | title=Genetic and evolutionary diversity: the sport of nature | url=https://archive.org/details/geneticevolution0000cook | publisher=S. Thornes | location=Cheltenham | year=1999 | isbn=0-7487-4336-7 | page=[https://archive.org/details/geneticevolution0000cook/page/8 8] }}</ref> There are also some extinct groups. There are different opinions as to how the whole group should be classified.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Yatsentyuk |first=S.P. | display-authors = etal |date=2001|title= Evolution of Lycopodiaceae inferred from spacer sequencing of chloroplast rRNA genes | journal=Russian Journal of Genetics | volume=37 | issue=9 | pages=1068–73 |doi=10.1023/A:1011969716528 | s2cid = 22187626 }}</ref><ref name="urlwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov">{{cite journal |url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?mode=Undef&id=3243  |title=NCBI Taxonomy: a comprehensive update on curation, resources and tools |format= |journal=Database : The Journal of Biological Databases and Curation |accessdate=2009-03-19|pmid= 32761142| pmc= 7408187|author=Schoch CL |year=2020 | display-authors = etal|volume=2020 |doi=10.1093/database/baaa062 }}</ref><sup>p8</sup> Living groups are:

*[[Lycopodiales]]: [[Clubmoss]]es
*[[Isoetales]]: [[Quillwort]]s
*[[Selaginellales]]: [[Spikemoss]]es

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q215370}}

[[Category:Vascular plants]]