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Why are Bryophytes called Amphibians of the Plant Kingdom?

Answer:

  • Bryophytes are also known as amphibians of the plant kingdom since they can live in soil but need water to reproduce sexually. They prefer moist, humid, and shady environments

  • On bare rocks/soil, they play a crucial role in plant succession

  • Bryophytes’ plant bodies are more distinct than algae’s

  • It is thallus-like, prostrate or upright and has unicellular or multicellular rhizoids that connect to the substratum. They are devoid of genuine roots, stems, and leaves. They may have structures that resemble roots, leaves, or stems. The bryophyte’s primary plant body is a haploid. It is called a gametophyte because it generates gametes

  • Bryophytes have multicellular sex organs. The male sex organ is referred to as the antheridium. Biflagellate antherozoids are produced by them

  • Archegonium, the female sex organ, is flask-shaped and produces a single egg. The antherozoids are discharged into the water, where archegonium is present. The zygote is formed when an antherozoid unites with the egg

Bryophytes

Bryophyte is a traditional term for any nonvascular seedless plant, such as mosses (division Bryophyta), hornworts (division Anthocerotophyta), and liverworts (division Anthocerotophyta) (division Marchantiophyta). 

The division Bryophyta (Gr. bryon=moss) includes over 25000 species of nonvascular embryophytes such as mosses, liverworts and hornworts.

Despite the fact that most bryophytes lack extensive tissue organisation, they exhibit a wide range in form and ecology. They are found all over the world and are relatively small in comparison to most seed-bearing plants.

Features of Bryophytes

  • They live in moist and shady places

  • Vascular tissues are not present 

  • The gametophyte is the dominant stage of the life cycle

  • The sporophyte and gametophyte have extremely distinct morphologies (heteromorphic generation alternation), and the sporophyte is often partially dependent on the gametophyte

  • The archegonia has a long neck with six

  • Vertical rows of cells

  • The plant body can be thalloid or leafy. The thalloid gametophyte differentiated into rhizoids, axis (stem) and leaves

  • The cells of the plant body are haploid

  • The root, stem and leaves are not differentiated from the plant body and therefore do not have more height

  • The main function of the root-like structures is to attach the plant to the substrate

  • They are terrestrial but require external water to complete their life cycle