SANA SHAH

Roll No: 80
BS-Botany
Semester: 5th
 ANDREAEA
`

Kingdom: Plantae

Division: Bryophyta

Class: Andreaeopsida

Order: Andreaeales

Family: Andreaeaceae
Dumort.

Genus: Andreaea
Hedw.
Andreaea is a genus of rock mosses described
by johann hedwig in 1801.

They are small, delicate acrocarpous mosses

(meaning that the capsules are formed at the tips of
vertical branches) that form dark brown or reddish
cushions on wet siliceous rocks in mountainous
areas.
The capsule lacks the peristome
teeth and operculum of other mosses, and opens by
splitting along 4 vertical slits, the four valves
remaining joined at the base and apex.
The capsule of andreaea has no seta, but
the sporophyte (spf in the diagram below) instead is
supported by a pseudopodium (ps) derived
from gametophyte tissue, as in sphagnum and
the columella is enclosed within the sporangium.
:The spores germinate to
give thalloid protonemata.
The lantern mosses (Andreaeopsida) are a basal group of mosses commonly
found growing on exposed rock surfaces. They are able to cling to the rocks
by their multicellular rhizoids, which delve into tiny cracks on the rock surface
and anchor the plant. As in most mosses, the leaves of the latern mosses
usually have a costa, or multilayered central supporting strand, though some
species do not. The rest of the leaf is a single layer of cells, so that every cell
is in close contact with the environment.

Mature latern mosses grow as clumps of small reddish to blackish brown

plants. The dark pigments are located in the cell walls, and may help to
reduce light damage caused by exposure in their rocky habitats -- most
mosses require lower light levels for successful photosynthesis than other
plants. The mosses are able to survive desiccation for long periods, and may
recover even after being completely dried out. Such dessication would kill
most other kinds of plants.

There are about 100 species of lantern moss, classified in two genera. The
genus Andreaea includes all but one of these species, Andreaeobryum
macrosporum (of Alaska and northwestern Canada). An additional
genus Neuroloma (of Tierra del Fuego and South Georgia) has been renamed
as a species of Andreaea. Most species grow in cool temperate to polar
regions, and the majority are found in the Southern Hemisphere. They
commonly are found growing in high, sunny alpine regions even in the tropics,
though some other species prefer damp habitats. The preference of lantern
mosses for rocky and alpine habiatats may explain why this apparently
ancient group has left no fossil record.

Andreaeopsida have two distinctive features that separate them from other
groups of mosses. First, the protonemata have a different structure.
Protonemata are the earliest stage in growth of a moss from the spore, and in
most mosses they grow as a network of filaments. In the Andreaeopsida,
however, the protonemata are thallose, forming a multicellular flattened layer
of embryonic cells.

 In addition to protonemata differences, lantern mosses also release

their spores differently. Most mosses produce a stalked capsule whose top
falls off to release the spores, and a ring of flexible teeth around the
opening to regulate spore release. The capsules of lantern mosses have
no stalk, no cap, and no teeth. Instead, the capsule is elevated on an
extension of the plant to which it is attached. This gametophytic extension
is called a pseudopodium, or "false foot", and it pushes the capsule
upwards so that spores may be dispersed further. The capsule itself opens
by splitting lengthwise in four slits (sometimes 8), as you can see in the
illustration above. The four partitions of the capsule wall between the slits
bow outwards, expanding the slits and releasing the spores. A
short columella ("little column") in the center of the capsule keeps the
capsule wall from collapsing too far.

Important Species Of Andreaea And Their

Biological Sources
1. Andreaea acuminata - Tasmania
2. Andreaea acutifolia - Tasmania, New
Zealand, Hawaii, Colombia, Chile, Bolivia
3. Andreaea alpina - Greenland, Lesotho, South Africa, Chile,
Norway, Scotland
4. Andreaea amblyophylla - Australia
5. Andreaea angustata - Switzerland, Austria, Bavaria
6. Andreaea angustifolia - Bolivia
7. Andreaea apiculata - New Zealand
8. Andreaea appendiculata
9. Andreaea arachnoidea - Bolivia
10. Andreaea aterrima - Bismarck Is
11. Andreaea atlantica - Tristan da Cunha
12. Andreaea australis - Australia, New Zealand
Andreaea robusta - Bolivia
13. Andreaea rothii - Europe, North America
14. Andreaea rupestris - Europe, Greenland, Alaska, Canada
(Nun, Que)
15. Andreaea schofieldiana - CA, BC
16. Andreaea semisquarrosa - Antarctica, Tierra del Fuego
17. Andreaea seriata - Europe
18. Andreaea sinuosa - Europe BC Alaska
19. Andreaea sparsifolia - Scandinavia
 20. Andreaea spurioalpina - Rio de Janeiro
21. Andreaea squamata - Bismarck Is
22. Andreaea squarrifolia - Tristan da Cunha
23. Andreaea squarrosa - Bolivia
24. Andreaea squarrosofiliformis - Minas Gerais
25. Andreaea striata - Bolivia, Brazil
26. Andreaea subappendiculata - Bismarck Is
27. Andreaea subremotifolia - Antarctica
28. Andreaea subulata - Hermite Is, Falkland Is
29. Andreaea taiwanensis - Taiwan
30. Andreaea tsaratananae - Madagascar, Réunion
31. Andreaea tunariensis - Bolivia