Introduction to Bryophytes ( Bsc first year)
General Characters General characters of bryophytes are as follows: 1. Bryophytes are commonly found in moist and shady places like damp walls, wooden plugs, wet rocks, tree trunk, swamps etc. A few bryophytes are aquatic (Riccia, Ricciocarpus) etc. 2. Plant body is independent gametophytic structure which is thalloid in primitive bryophytes but differentiated into root like (rhizoid), stem like (cauloid) and leaf like (phylloid) in advanced bryophytes. 3. Vascular and mechanical tissues are absent in plant body. 4. Bryophytes consist of unicellular or multicellular rhizoids that help in the absorp and mineral from soil and also help in the fixation to the substratum. 5. Reproduction takes place by vegetative and sexual methods. 6. Vegetative reproduction is the most common method of reproduction that takes place by fragmentation, adventitious branches, tubers, gemmae etc. 7. Sexual reproduction takes place by oogamy (flagellate sperms or motile anther formed in male reproductive ...