BRYOPHYTES

By [Link] pokhrel
General characteristics
• Fist land inhibiting plants ,embryophytes ,Atracheophytes .
• First plants to have heteromorphic alternation of generation .
• Study of bryophytes : Bryology
• Father of bryology : Hertwig
• Also known as amphibian of plant kingdom .(need water for
reproduction ).
• As they are non vascular cryptogams ,parenchymatous tissue helps in
conduction.
• Plant body is : thalloid ( Hepaticopsida and Anthcerocopsida ) or
differentiated into rhizoids stem like and leaves in :funaria ( moss)
• Dominant phase /main plant body is : Gametophytic(n)

• Mostly bryophytes are : Terrestrial and few are aquatic :

Riccia,Ricciocarpus ,Reilla .
• semi aquatic : sphagnum

• Largest bryophyte :Dawsonia (Australian moss )

• Longest bryophyte :fontinalis
• Smallest bryophyte :Zoopsis
• Sex organs are : stalked, multicellular with single layer of sterile jacket
cells .
• Male sex organs : Antheridia ,club shaped ,projecting
by stalked :Antheridiophore .
• Female sex organs :Archegonia ,flask shaped and projecting
by stalk : Archegoniophore .
• Archegonium has tubular neck and swollen venter .
• Neck has neck canal cells(4-10) .4-6 in Marchantia And 6-10 in funaria
• Archegonia are erect in funaria And inverted Marchantia .
• Sexual reproduction is oogamous type .
• Motile biflagellate ,antherozoids chemotactically attracted towards
archegonium .
• Water is essential for fertilization .
• Sporophyte is divided into foot ,seta ,capsule .only capsule is present
in Riccia and Ricciocarpus
• Sporophyte depends completely on gametophyte :Marchantia

• Sporophyte depends partially on gametophyte :funaria

• Bryophytes are homosporous and formed by Sporic meiosis .

Antherozoids ,biflagellated

Sporophyte
Life cycle of Marchantia
• Belongs to Hepaticopsida /liverworts .
• Marchantia is found in moist and damp soil
• Gametophyte is prostrate ,dorsiventrally flattened and dichotomously
branched .
• Dorsal surface consists of distinct mid rib and Gemma cup and
ventral surface bear rhizoids and scales .
• Rhizoids are unicellular structure for absorption .
• Rhizoids are smooth walled and tuberculate (spiny walled).
• Scales or amphigastria are multicellular structure for mechanical
support and protection .
• Scales are two types :appendiculate and ligulate .
Reproduction in Marchantia
• By vegetative and sexual method .
Vegetative method
[Link] fragmentation : progressive death and decay of older parts .

[Link] Gemmae: gemmae are produced inside

gemma cup .each gemma is bilobed which
can produce two thallus at maturity .
Sexual reproduction in Marchantia
• Marchantia is dioecious ,protandrous .
• Antheridia and archegonia are develop in vertically stalked structure
:antheridiphores and archegoniophores respectively .
Male thallus .
• Each Antheridium is stalked ,club shaped and surrounded by single
layer sterile jacket covering mass of androcytes .
• Androcytes are metamorphosed in to biflagellate antherozoids .
• Each antherozoids is short (less than 1 turn) curved ,biflagellate .
• Antheridia are separated by sterile :paraphysis
• Covered by vegetative leaves called Perigonial leaves .(Perigonal
leaves less developed in Marchantia )
Male thallus /Antheriodiophore
Female thallus
• Archegonia develops on rays of umbrella shaped ,multilobed receptacle of
archegoniophore .
• Archegonium is covered by vegetative leaves called :perichaetal leaves .
• Each archegonium is stakked ,flasked and inverted ,having swollen venter
and long neck covered by double layered ( in venter region ) and single
layer in neck region .
• Neck contain 6 rows of neck cells ,4-6 neck canal cells and a venter canal
cell and egg cell or oosphere.
• Archegonium produce mucilage ,protein to attract the antherozoids
.(chemotactic movements )
Archegoniophore /female thallus
Fertilization and sporophytic generation
• At maturity neck canal and venter canal cell dissolve and emit
mucilaginous substances to attract antherozoids .
• During fertilization water brings antherozoids in mourh of archegonia and
attracted chemotactically .
• Formation of diploid zygote /oospore ,which is the first stage of
sporophytic generation .
• Oospore divides mitotically and develops into sporogonium.
• Well developed sporophyte contain foot ,seta ,capsule , all are diploid .
• Sporogonium is covered by 3 gametophytic structure :calyptra (outgrowth
of outer wall of venter wall ),perianth and perichaetium .
Sporophyte
Fertilization and sporophytic generation
• Foot : basal part for fixation on gametophyte and helps in absorption.
• Seta :is intermediate structure for conduction food materials .
• Capsule :consists of sporogenous cells which differentiates into spore
mother cells (2n) and elaters mother cells ( 2n).
• Each Spore mother cells goes meiosis ( sporic meiosis ) and produce
haploid spores tetrad .
• Out of 4meiospores( homospores) ,two produce male thallus and
two produce female thallus (sex is predetermined )(:physiological
heterospory)
• Elaters mother cells elongate and loose protoplasm and form spindle
shaped ,hygroscopic cells with cellulosic thickenings called elaters .
• Spore dispersal is by hygroscopic movement of elaters .
• Dispersal of spores is hydrochasy type .
Life cycle of Marchantia
Life cycle of Funaria (moss) or cord moss
• Belongs to family Bryopsida.
• Grows on damp soils ,rocks,burnt humid ground .
• main gametophytic body shows
Protonema
two distinct phase:
• Protonema :prostrate filamentous algal like ephemeral juvenile
structure .
• Gametophore :erect leafy moss plant that consists of rhizoids (root
like),axis (stem like) and phylloids(leaf like).
• Rhizoids are multicellular with oblique septa .
• Scales are absent .
Reproduction in Funaria
Vegetative and sexual reproduction
Vegetative reproduction :
1 fragmentation of primary protonema :
-primary protonema is formed from the spores directly .
[Link] protonema : protonema not produced from spores ,they
are produced from the primary protonema .they develops buds and
give rise to new gametophore .
[Link] gemma and bulbils
[Link] :formation of gametophyte from sporophyte without
meiosis .
 Leafy
Primary
gametophore
protonema

Secondary protonema

Buds
Sexual reproduction in funaria
• Funaria is monoecious ,protandrous .
• May be autoecious(male and female sex organs born on separate
branch of same plant ) .
• Acrocarpous (sex organs at tip of
shoots )
Antherediophore /male branch
Male branch
• Antheridia are formed at the tip of male branch and surrounded by
perigonial leaves .
• Antheridium and perigonial leaves collectively called : perigonium.
• Intermingled with antheridia ,sterile hair like paraphyses are present
,they conserve moisture and prevent antheridia from drying .
• Each antheridium is multicellular ,stalked ,club shaped surrounded by
single sterile jacket cells .
• Antheridium consists of mass of haploid androcytes cells .
• Androcytes cells goes metamorphosis and formed biflagellate spirally
coiled antherozoids .
Archegoniophore/female branch
Female branch
• Archegonia are erect found at the tip of female branch and
surrounded by perichaetial leaves .perichaetium (archegonia
+perichaetial leaves ).
• In between archegonia there are sterile multicelled long paraphyses .
• Each archegonium is stalked ,flask shaped with swollen venter and
long neck .venter region is double layered and neck region is single
layered .
• Neck consists of 6 rows of neck cells and 6-10 neck canal cells .
• Venter consists of single venter canal cells and venter with single egg
(oosphere).
Fertilization and sporophyte generation
Fertilization and sporophyte
• At maturity canal cells dissolve and sugars and malic acid are emitted
by archegonium to attract the antherozoids at the time of
fertilizations .
• Antherozoids are attracted chemotactically and water brings them
towards mouth of archegonium.
• After fertilization formation of oospore or zygote .
• Zygote is first cells of sporophytic generations .
• Oospore divides mitotically and develops in to sporogonium
,immediately surrounded by calyptra (haploid)(modified wall of
venter)
Sporophyte
• Sporogonium has three distinct parts : foot ,seta and capsule.
• Sporophyte is semi parasitic on gametophytic here in funaria .
• Foot : basal part for fixation and absorption of food .
• Seta :middle elongated part for mechanical support and conduction
of food .
• Capsule :fertile region ,pear shaped and consists of 3 regions
1:apophysis
[Link]
[Link]
 Apophysis :
• base of capsule ,containing chlorenchyma and stomata ,central region of
apophysis bears central conducting tissue .
Theca :
• fertile part of capsule .
• Consists of sterile columella surrounded by barrel shaped spore sac
containing spore mother cells (sporocytes).
• Spore sac is surrounded by trabeculated air space and surrounded by
many layered wall of capsule.
• Spore mother cells divide meiotically (sporic meiosis) and produce
haploid spores (homospores )
 Opercular region :
• Consists of operculum ,annulus ,peristome .
• Operculum : cap like opening of capsule for spore dispersal .
• Annulus :hygroscopic ring cells on the edge of operculum ,assisting in
spore dispersal .
• Peristome :teeth like structure and consists of two rings with 32 in number.
outer ring has 16 teeth (exostome) and inner ring has 16 teeth
(endostome)
• Exostome has cellulosic thickenings and hygroscopic movements
responsible for spore dispersal .
• Spore dispersal is xerochasy and takes place due to hygroscopic
movement of peristome teeth ( mainly exostome )
• Remember :
• Spore dispersal occurs through : operculum
• Spore dispersal occurs by rupture of : annulus
• Main role in dispersal is by : perisotome teeth .
Cellulosic band
Spore germination
• Haploid spore is the first stage gametophytic generation and they
germinate to form primary protonema .
• Protonema has erect green chloronema or caulonema and
horizontal branches i.e Rhizonema
• Sometime primary protonema goes fragmentation and prodyce
secondary protonema that gives new gametophore .
Germination of spore
Classification of bryophytes
• Braun calssified bryophytes in to three groups :Hepaticopsida
,Anthocerocopsida,and Bryopsida
Hepaticopsida /liverworts
➢Gametophyte is dichotomously branched ,liver like appearance
➢Gametophyte may be thallose .
➢Ventral surface bear unicellular rhizoids and multicellular scales .
➢Sporogenous tissue are produced from endothecium only.
➢Elaters are present and helps in spore dispersal .
➢Capsule has no stomata and no chlorophyll .
• Sporophyte is completely depends on gametophyte .
• Pyrenoids are absent .
• Columella absent .
• Spore dispersal is hydrochasy.
• Spore dispersal is irregular and by elaters .
• Eg :Ricca ,Ricciocarpus, Marchantia ,fontinalis etc
Antherocopsida/hornworts
➢Gametophyte is small with horns so called horned liverworts .
➢Thallus ,dorsiventrally differentiated gametophyte
➢Ventral surface have unicellular smooth rhizoids
only .
➢Sporogenous tissue are produced from amphithecium
And endothecium .
➢Elaters are usually absent and pseudoelaters helps in spore dispersal.
➢Capsule has stomata and chlorophyll .
➢Sporophyte is partially parasitic on gametophyte .
• Pyrenoids are usually present .
• Columella is present.
• Spore dispersal hydrochasy and dispersal is irregular .
• Eg : Anthoceros
Bryopsida or moss
➢Gametophyte is small herb like with erect structure .
➢Gametophyte has prostrate protonema and erect gametophores .
➢Ventral surface has multicellular obliquily septate rhizoids without
scales .
➢Sporogenous tissue produced from inner layer of endothecium and
outer region produce sterile columella .
➢Elaters are absent but multicellular trabeculae present .
➢Basal part of capsule has stomata and chlorophyll .
➢Sporophyte is partially parasitic on gametophytes .
• Pyrenoids absent .
• Dispersal is by xerochasy .
• Regular spore dispersal assisted by periostome and annulus .
• Eg :funaria ,polytrichium,sphagnum
Economic importance of bryophytes
• Soil conservation :moss bind the soil particles and helps in prevent soil
erosion

• Peat formation :sphagnum is semi aquatic ,has peculiar germicidal

properties ,so dead and decaying matter remain accumulated year after
year and formation of compact hard mass : peat (rich in carbon) used as
fuel.

• Pioneer community in barren land :moss play important role in barren

land as pioneer community .Along with lichen they play important role .
• Medicinal use :polytrichium helps in dissolution of kidney and gall bladders
stones .
Some important false moss
• Club moss : lycopodium (fern)
• Spike moss : selaginella (fern)
• Reinderr moss :cladonia (lichen)
• Iceland moss : cetradia (lichen)
• Iris moss : Chondrus (red algae)
True mosses
• Cord /green moss :funaria
• Bogg /peat moss : sphagnum
• Hair cap moss : polytrichum
• Tree moss : climatium .
Q) Which of the following has pyrenoids are present ?
a)Marchantia b)Riccia
c)Anthoceros d)Funaria
Q)In funaria spore germinates to produce
a)protonema b)prothallus
c)proembryo d)embryo
Q)In moss capsule .dispersal of spores is achieved by
a)peristome teeth b)annulus
c)calyptra d)operculum
Q)Annulus of moss capsule seperates
a)operculum from columella
b)theca from columella
c)operculum from theca
c)columella from apophysis
Q)True moss is
a)cord moss b)Reinder moss
c)Iceland moss d)spike moss
Q)Sterile leaves that surround archegonium of funaria
a)paraphysis b)perigonal leaves
c)perichareal leaf d)protonema
Q)The dehiscence of moss capsule takes place by rupture of
a)operculum b) peristome
c)annulus d)calyptra
Q) Number of peristome teeth in capsule of funaria is
a)16 in one whorl b)16 in two whorls
c)32 in two whorls c)32 in one whorls
Q)Elaters are present in
a)funaria b)Marchantia
c)sphagnum d)fern