BRYOPHYTA

 They are sciophytes – they prefer to grow in moist and shady places.
 First land plant. Originated from aquatic plants.
 Presence of air canal, formation of motile, flagellated male gametes.
 Amphibians of the plant kingdom – Live in soil but are dependent on water for
fertilisation.
 Not considered as successful land plants:
Due to absence of vascular tissue, they cannot grow very tall.
Water conduction in bryophytes takes place with the help of parenchyma – a living
tissue.
 Plant body is more differentiated than that of algae. It is attached to substratum by
unicellular or multicellular rhizoids.
 Lack true root, stem or leaf. They possess root-like, stem-like, and leaf-like structures.
Main plant body (Gametophyte):
 Haploid
 Produces gametes.
 Multicellular and jacketed sex organs are found on gametophyte.
Male sex organ  Antheridium  produces biflagellate antherozoids.
Female sex organ  Archegonium  flask shaped, produces a single egg.
 Antherozoids are released in water where they come in contact with the
archegonium.
 Fertilisation is done by zoidogamy: male gamete swims into water to reach the
female gamete and fertilises it.
 Diploid zygote is formed which does not go under meiosis immediately. They produce
a multicellular body called Sporophyte.
 Sporophyte
- Not free living but attached to photosynthetic gametophyte and derives
nourishment from it.
- Made of foot, seta, and capsule so it’s called sporogonium.
- Some cells present in capsule of sporophyte function as spore mother cells and
undergo reduction division to produce haploid spores. These spores germinate to
produce gametophytes.
 Germination
- Direct
In liverworts and Hornworts each spore forms a gametophyte after germination.
Each spore forms one thallus.
- Indirect
In Mosses a multicellular filament is formed after
the germination of the spore called ‘protonema’.
Now, lateral buds are formed on protonema. Each
bud develops and forms a gametophyte plant.
Best for survival. Mosses are gregarious, i.e.,
appear in groups.
- Protonema developed from spores  Primary
protonema.
Protonema developed from other parts  Secondary protonema.
Protonema is creeping, green, branched, and filamentous.
 Sexual reproduction  Oogamous
 Life cycle  Haplodiplontic
 Sporophyte is dependent on gametophyte. This is a unique character of
bryophytes.
 Bryophytes show Alternation of Generation.
 3 types of
Bryophytes
Psilotum

Hepaticopsida
(Liverworts)

Anthocerotopsida
(Hornworts)

Bryopsida
(Mosses)