Dr. Maneesha Singh Assistant Professor, Department of Life Sciences SGRRITS, Patel Nagar, Dehradun, UK

Dr.
Maneesha Singh
Assistant Professor, Department of Life Sciences
SGRRITS, Patel Nagar,
Dehradun, UK
Bryophyte
 Bryophytes are small plants (2cm to 60cm) that grow in
moist shady places. They don’t attain great heights
because of absence of roots, vascular tissues, mechanical
tissues and cuticle. They are terrestrial but require
external water to complete their life cycle.
 The division Bryophyta (Gr. bryon=moss) includes over

25000 species of non-vascular embryophytes such as
mosses, liverworts and hornworts.
Dr. Maneesha Singh, Assistant Professor, Department of Life Sciences, SGRRITS

Hence, they are called “Amphibians of plant
kingdom”.
The fossil record indicates that bryophytes evolved

on earth about 395 – 430 million years ago (i.e.
during Silurian period of Paleozoic era). The study
of bryophytes is called bryology.
Hedwig is called ‘Father of Bryology’.
Shiv Ram Kashyap is the ‘Father of Indian

Bryology’.
Dr. Maneesha Singh, Assistant Professor, Department of

Life Sciences, SGRRITS
Salient features of Bryophytes:
Bryophytes grow in damp and shady places.
They follow heterologous haplodiplobiontic type

of life cycle.
The dominant plant body is gametophyte on

which sporophyte is semiparasitic for its nutrition.
The thalloid gametophyte differentiated in to

rhizoids, axis (stem) and leaves.

Embryo develop from outer cells: exoscopic.
Capsule produces haploid meiospores of similar

types (homosporous).
Spore germinates into juvenile gametophyte called

protonema.
 Progressive sterilization of sporogenous tissue

noticed from lower to higher bryophytes.

List of important bryophytes

Classification of Bryophytes:
According to the latest recommendations of ICBN
(International Code of Botanical Nomenclature),
bryophytes have been divided into three classes:
Hepaticae ( Hepaticopsida = Liverworts)
Anthocerotae (Anthocertopsida= Hornworts)
Musci (Bryopsida= Mosses)

Class 1. Hepaticae or Hepaticopsida:
Gametophytic plant body is either thalloid or

foliose. If foliose, the lateral appendages (leaves)
are without mid-rib. Always dorsi-ventral.
Rhizoids without septa.
Each cell in the thallus contains many

chloroplasts; the chloroplasts are without
pyrenoid.
Sex organs are embedded in the dorsal surface.

Sporophyte may be simple (e.g. Riccia) having
only a capsule, or differentiated into root, seta and
capsule (e.g., Marchantia, Pellia and Porella etc.)
Capsule lacks columella.
It has 4 orders:
 Calobryales
 Jungermanniales
 Spherocarpales
 Marchantiales.

Riccia Porella
Riccia, with sporophyte (right) embedded in
gametophyte (left)

Class 2. Anthocerotae or Anthocerotopsida:
Gametophytic plant body is simple, thalloid,

thallus dorsiventral without air chambers, shows
no internal differentiation of tissues.
Scales are absent in the thallus.
Each cell of the thallus possesses a single large

chloroplast with a pyrenoid.

Sporophyte is cylindrical only partly dependent
upon gametophyte for its nourishment. It is
differentiated into bulbous foot and cylindrical
capsule. Seta is meristematic.
 Endothecium forms the sterile central column

(i.e., columella) in the capsule (i.e. columella is
present). 6. It has only one order-Anthocerotales.

Anthoceros Megaceros

Dendroceros Notothylas
Phaeoceros
Class 3. Musci or Bryopsida:
Gametophyte is differentiated into prostrate

protonema and an erect gametophores
Gametophore is foliose, differentiated into an axis
(=stem) and lateral appendages like leaves but
without midrib.
Rhizoids multi-cellular with oblique septa.
Elaters are absent in the capsule of sporangium.
The sex organs are produced in separate branches
immersed in a group of leaves.

Classes of Mosses:
 Bryidae- true mosses, Polytrichum.
 Protonema with a single row of cells with slanted
cross walls.
 Leafy gametophytes develop from minute budlike
structures.
 Sphagnidae- peat mosses, Sphagnum.
 Protonema with plate of cells that is one layer
thick.
 Gametophytes with clusters of branches, 5 per
node.
 Explosive capsular operculum.
 Adreaeidae- granite mosses, Andreaea.
 Protonema with 2 or more rows of cells.
 Capsule dehisces by splitting in four.
 Rhizoids occur in 2 rows.
 Mountainous or arctic regions on rocks.

Fossil bryophytes
First fossils found in Devonian (probable origin in
Silurian or even Ordovician)
The oldest unequivocal bryophyte fossil is a
liverwort – Pallavicinites (very similar to
Pallavicinia, which we saw in lab), from upper
Devonian (370 MYA) in New York state – probably
have it here in Southern Ontario too.
Great liverwort flora in Jurassic/Triassic of Sweden
(200+ MYA).

Fossil and extant pallavicinalean liverworts. 1.
Pallavicinites devonicus, portion of thallus (from
Oostendorp, 1987).
2. Pallavicinia xiphoides thallus (from Karssilov et
al., 1984). Arrows indicate position of marginal
teeth.
Dr. Maneesha Singh, Assistant
vis-pc.plantbio.ohiou.edu/ Professor, Department of
moss/dunn1.html
Fossilized spores preserved in 440-470 million-year-
old sediments afford the earliest evidence for plant
life on land. Were the plants that produced them
Bryophytes?
Wellman, C., Osterloff, P.L. and Mohiuddin, U., 2003.
Fragments of the earliest land plants. Nature, 425:
282-284.
Bryophyte ecology and nutrition
Bryophytes, like lichens, may take in nutrients
through “leafy” tissues of thallus, in addition to
uptake through rhizoids and (in a few) via symbiosis
with Glomeromycota
Because of this, they are sensitive to the
environments where they live: some prefer acidic
sites, others basic or calcium-rich sites; some are
pollution intolerant, others tolerant
Saxicolous, corticolous, epiphyllous etc

Economic importance of Bryophytes:
Protection from soil erosion:
Bryophytes, especially mosses, form dense mats
over the soil and prevent soil erosion by running
water.
Soil formation:
Mosses are an important link in plant succession
on rocky areas. They take part in binding soil in
rock crevices formed by lichens. Growth of
Sphagnum ultimately fills ponds and lakes with
soil.

Water retention:
Sphagnum can retain 18-26 times more water than its
weight. Hence, used by gardeners to protect
desiccation of the seedling during transportation and
used as nursery beds.
 Peat:
It is a dark spongy fossilized matter of Sphagnum. Peat
is dried and cut as cakes for use as fuel. Peat used as
good manure. It overcomes soil alkalinity and
increases its water retention as well as aeration. On
distillation and fermentation yield many chemicals.

As food:
Mosses are good source of animal food in rocky
and snow-clad areas.
Medicinal uses:
Decoction of Polytrichum commune is used to
remove kidney and gall bladder stones. Decoction
prepared by boiling Sphagnum in water for
treatment of eye diseases. Marchantia polymorpha
has been used to cure pulmonary tuberculosis.

 Other uses:
Bryophytes arc used as packing material for fragile
goods, glass wares etc. Some bryophytes act as
indicator plants. For example, Tortell tortusa grow
well on soil rich in lime.


Dr. Maneesha Singh Assistant Professor, Department of Life Sciences SGRRITS, Patel Nagar, Dehradun, UK

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Dr.

 The division Bryophyta (Gr. bryon=moss) includes over

Dr. Maneesha Singh, Assistant Professor, Department of Life Sciences, SGRRITS

The fossil record indicates that bryophytes evolved

Hedwig is called ‘Father of Bryology’.

Shiv Ram Kashyap is the ‘Father of Indian

Dr. Maneesha Singh, Assistant Professor, Department of

They follow heterologous haplodiplobiontic type

The dominant plant body is gametophyte on

The thalloid gametophyte differentiated in to

Dr. Maneesha Singh, Assistant Professor, Department of

Capsule produces haploid meiospores of similar

Spore germinates into juvenile gametophyte called

 Progressive sterilization of sporogenous tissue

Dr. Maneesha Singh, Assistant Professor, Department of

Dr. Maneesha Singh, Assistant Professor, Department of

Hepaticae ( Hepaticopsida = Liverworts)

Anthocerotae (Anthocertopsida= Hornworts)

Musci (Bryopsida= Mosses)

Dr. Maneesha Singh, Assistant Professor, Department of

Gametophytic plant body is either thalloid or

Rhizoids without septa.

Each cell in the thallus contains many

Dr. Maneesha Singh, Assistant Professor, Department of

Dr. Maneesha Singh, Assistant Professor, Department of

Dr. Maneesha Singh, Assistant Professor, Department of

Gametophytic plant body is simple, thalloid,

Scales are absent in the thallus.

Each cell of the thallus possesses a single large

Dr. Maneesha Singh, Assistant Professor, Department of

 Endothecium forms the sterile central column

Dr. Maneesha Singh, Assistant Professor, Department of

Dr. Maneesha Singh, Assistant Professor, Department of

Gametophyte is differentiated into prostrate

Dr. Maneesha Singh, Assistant Professor, Department of

Dr. Maneesha Singh, Assistant Professor, Department of

Dr. Maneesha Singh, Assistant Professor, Department of

Dr. Maneesha Singh, Assistant Professor, Department of

Dr. Maneesha Singh, Assistant Professor, Department of

Dr. Maneesha Singh, Assistant Professor, Department of

Dr. Maneesha Singh, Assistant Professor, Department of

Dr. Maneesha Singh, Assistant Professor, Department of

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