About Bryophytes by Badshah Javed

                       BRYOPHYTES.

The term Bryophyte  is originated from the two Greek word (Bryo=moss. Phyta=Plant.)

Bryophyte commonly includes liverworts and mosses which generally grow in moist and shady areas of the hills. Bryophyte are also commonly called as the amphibians of the Plant Kingdom.Why they are called as the amphibians of the Plant Kingdom ?
Because they can live in soil but their sexual reproduction is dependent on water . Generally Bryophyte grow in moist and shady places.The plant body of bryophyte are more differentiated than that of algae. The Plant body is of thallus like ,prostrate and erect and they are attached to the substratum by unicellular or multicellular rhizoid. The main character of the bryophyte are that they lack true root, true stem, and true leaves. Instead of that they have true root like, stem like and leaves like structures .

                       REPRODUCTION.

The major plant body of the bryophyte are haploid. They produces gametes and hence the plant body  are called as gametophytic. The sex organ of bryophyte are generally multicellular. The male sex organ is called as antheridium. These antheridium produces biflagellate antherozoid. The female sex organ is called as archegonium which produces single egg. When the antheridium releases these biflagellate antherozoid then they are released in water and when they come in contact with archegonium they fuses the egg. After the fusion of egg, the resultant is the formation of zygote. After the production of zygote it doesn't undergo reduction division that is the process of meiosis and it produces a multicellular body which is called as sporophyte .The sporophyte are not free living, they are dependent on the photosynthetic gametophytic plant that is a main plant body for its nourishment.Some cells of the sporophyte undergoes reduction division and after meiosis some of the sporophytic cells form haploid spores. These spores germinate to form gametophyte.

         ECONOMIC IMPORTANTANCE .

As bryophyte are of little economic importance but some of the mosses provide food to certain herbaceous mammals,birds and other animals also. There is a moss which is called sphagnum is used as a fuel and also it is used for packing certain living material for transshipping etc.Some of the bryophyte are also important for plant succession. When bryophyte grows in a moist or shady place or rocks or on soil  they cover the whole area as a mat and after that they decomposes that soil or rock for the germination of new higher plants. This is the process for  plant succession etc , which is very much ecological  importance. This is all about Bryophyte.

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