Bryophytes are a group of non-flowering, non-vascular, and seedless plants that make up the second-largest group in the Plant Kingdom. They are often referred to as the amphibians of the plant kingdom due to their preference for moist, shady areas and their reliance on water for sexual reproduction.

The Bryophyta division comprises three groups of non-vascular land plants – mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. Let's take a closer look at the characteristics of each of these groups.

Mosses

• Approximately 12000 species of mosses exist, all of which are seedless, non-vascular, and spore-bearing.
• They typically thrive in moist, shady environments, often forming a carpet-like layer on the forest floor and woodland areas.
• As small herbaceous plants lacking a vascular system, they absorb water and nutrients through their leaves.
• Mosses exhibit an alternation of generation, alternating between an independent gametophyte and a dependent, spore-producing sporophyte.
• The gametophyte has stem-like and leaf-like structures, while the sporophyte, which arises from the gametophyte, features a raised stalk-like structure that produces sporangium.
• Mosses reproduce through fragmentation, branching, spore production, and regeneration from broken or fallen pieces.
• Commercially, mosses are primarily used in the formation of peat, a valuable fuel resource. They are also used for decorative purposes.
• Examples include Physcomitrium, Dicranum, and Orthotrichum.

For more information, read: Moss – Life Cycle and Uses

Liverworts

• There are around 9000 known species of non-vascular, spore-bearing liverworts.
• Liverworts come in two forms — thallose liverworts and leafy liverworts.
• Thallose liverworts have a ribbon-like or scale-like green appearance with a branching structure, while leafy liverworts feature flattened stems with overlapping leaves and are less common.
• A distinctive feature of liverworts is the presence of single-celled rhizoids, structures similar to root hairs in vascular land plants.
• Asexual reproduction occurs through fragmentation or via specialized structures called gemma cups.
• Sexual reproduction happens through the formation of spores on the sporophytes, which germinate to form independent gametophytes.
• Examples include Pellia, Conocephalum.

Hornworts

• About 300 species of non-vascular hornworts have been identified.
• Their name derives from the horn-like appearance of their sporophyte.
• The gametophyte of hornworts is similar to that of mosses and liverworts.
• Most species are found in damp and humid areas. Phaeoceros, Notothylas, and Leiosporoceros are tropical genera that grow 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