Bryophytes and its Three Groups

Bryophytes are non-flowering, non-vascular and seedless plants that are the second most largest group in the Plant Kingdom. They are also known as the amphibians of plant kingdom because they are found in moist, shady areas but are dependent on water for their sexual mode of reproduction.

The bryophyta division consists of three groups of non-vascular land plants, namely – mosses, liverworts and hornworts. Let us look at the features of all the three groups separately.

Mosses

• There are around 12000 species of seedless, non-vascular and spore-bearing mosses known.
• They are found in moist, shady locations (except salty water) and usually carpet the forest floors and woodland.
• They are small herbaceous plants that lack a vascular system. They absorb water and nutrients through their leaves.
• Mosses show alternation of generation like every other bryophyte between an independent gametophyte and a dependent spore producing sporophyte.
• The gametophyte possesses stemlike and leaflike structures. The sporophyte arises from the gametophyte and has a raised stalk-like structure that gives birth to sporangium.
• It is divided by fragmentation, branching, production of spores and regeneration from broken or fallen pieces.
• Commercially, mosses are the main constituent in the formation of peat, which is used as a fuel resource.
• It is also used for decorative purposes.
• Example : Sphagnum, Funaria, Polytrichum

Also Read: Moss – Life Cycle and Uses

Liverworts

• There are around 9000 species of spore bearing, nonvascular liverworts known to us.
• There are usually two types of liverworts seen — thallose liverworts and leafy liverworts.
• The thallose liverworts look like green ribbons or scales and have a branching structure.
• The leafy liverworts, on the other hand, have flattened stems with overlapping leaves. This type is less commonly found.
• The most striking feature of liverworts is the presence of single-celled rhizoids. Rhizoids are structures analogous to root hairs in vascular land plants.
• Asexual reproduction takes place by the means of fragmentation or through specialised structures called gemma cups.
• Sexual reproduction takes place by the formation of spores on the sporophytes which germinate to form independent gametophytes.
• Example: Marchantia, Riccia.

Hornworts

• There are about 300 species of the nonvascular hornworts known to us.
• They are named so because its sporophyte looks like an elongated horn-like structure.
• The gametophyte is similar to as in mosses and liverworts.
• Most of the species are found growing in damp and humid areas, e.g, Anthoceros. Dendroceros and Megaceros are tropical genera that are found growing on tree barks.

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Also Read:

• MCQs on Bryophyta for NEET 2022
• Difference Between Bryophytes and Pteridophytes
• Explore the Difference Between Algae and Bryophytes