Bryophytes

Bryophytes Since they are non-vascular they do not have a stem that can support it and that can transport water throughout the plant. These plants have to reproduce by spores because they have no cones or flowers. Plant specialists have classified bryophytes, not as a single type of plant, but rather a group of three different groups of plants.The three groups are:
 * Marchantiophyta (liverworts) 




 * Anthocerotophyta (hornworts)




 * Bryophyta (mosses)




 * Bryophytes are non-vascular land plants that have tissues and enclosed reproductive structures.
 * They are found almost anywhere on Earth, although they mostly flourish in moist shady areas
 * There are approximately 20,000 various species of Bryophytes.
 * They reproduce asexually, meaning they do not need another plant of the opposite gender to reproduce.

There is not a strong relationship between the three types of Bryophytes and vascular plants, but there has been evidence that strongly supports that liverworts are sister to all other land plants and hornworts are sister to vascular plants. Because there are three different groups, the term bryophyte has come to define plants that have no backbone, making them non-vascular. In other words they are plants that lack vascular tissue. Bryophytes share structures and adaptations that are ancestral within land plants, including lack of lignin, the prominence of the gametophyte in the life cycle, and an unbranched sporophyte bearing a single sporangium. No one is completely sure if the evolution of the three types of bryophytes have to do with vascular plants, but some scientists have been using the DNA of the plants and performing other tests to find an answer. All three types of bryophytes grow and remain very close to the ground because they have no vascular tissue so they must stay very close to ground level to be able to obtain water.

There is not a strong relationship between the three types of Bryophytes and vascular plants, but there has been evidence that strongly supports that liverworts are sister to all other land plants and hornworts are sister to vascular plants. Because there are three different groups, the term bryophyte has come to define plants that have no backbone, making them non-vascular. In other words they are plants that lack vascular tissue. Bryophytes share structures and adaptations that are ancestral within land plants, including lack of lignin, the prominence of the gametophyte in the life cycle, and an unbranched sporophyte bearing a single sporangium. No one is completely sure if the evolution of the three types of bryophytes have to do with vascular plants, but some scientists have been using the DNA of the plants and performing other tests to find an answer. All three types of bryophytes grow and remain very close to the ground because they have no vascular tissue so they must stay very close to ground level to be able to obtain water.

 Liverworts are commonly found in tropical areas and often grow on the surface of moist soil, damp rocks, and on tree trunks. They receive this name because their leaves resemble the shape of livers. Some can have leafy bodies, while others a simple thallus.

Mosses on the other hand, have an upright stem with their leaf structure aligned in a spiral form. Hornworts may be found worldwide, though they tend to grow only in places that are damp or humid. Some species grow in large numbers as tiny weeds in the soil of gardens and cultivated fields.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Today bryophytes have many different uses like their application in the pharmaceutical industry, as fuel, in horticulture, and are ecologically important too. Both liverworts and mosses are good indicators of environmental conditions

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Bryophytes modify their micro-climate; they assist in moisture retention and also check soil erosion. Further they also provide suitable temperature, organic matter and minerals after their death, therefore serve as an excellent seeding beds for a variety of coniferous tree species

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Some mosses, such as Sphagnum, have been shown to have symbiotic relationship with cyan bacteria which plays a critical role in nitrogen fixation in arctic and sub-arctic ecosystems. Mosses like Merceya, Mielichhoferia elongata grow in copper rich soils and can therefore be used as an indicator of that mineral. Mosses are also good indictors of acid rain and are particularly responsive to air pollution. Tolerant species that accumulate pollutants are used in various European countries to monitor atmospheric pollution caused by emanation from various sources. Certain mosses thrive well in a specific range of pH, therefore, their presence can be used as an indicator of the acidity of the soil

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">It is mixed with soil as mulch to maintain moisture, prevent weed growth and allow air permeability. Sphagnum is also used in water treatment and polluted industries marked by toxic discharge, especially those that contain heavy metals (Ag, Cu, Cd, Hg, Pb, and Fe) and organic substances like oils, detergents, dyes and microorganisms. Traditional absorbents work slowly when applied to spill and may subsequently release the oil, whereas, products made from bryophytes can absorb up to 12 times their weight and require less storage space than traditionally used materials. Sphagnum is also an outstanding material for shipment of plants and fresh vegetables and flowers, for gardening and for storage of roots and bulbs