Moss - Bryophyte Characteristics, Moss Characteristics, Life Cycle, Habitat And Ecology, Evolution, Importance To Humans

Moss - Bryophyte Characteristics

Mosses share numerous features with the two other classes of bryophytes. They are more complex than algae yet simpler than the higher vascular plants. Like higher plants, bryophytes use chlorophyll-a, chlorophyll-b, and carotenoids as photosynthetic pigments. Their food reserves are stored as starch. Cellulose is found in their cell walls (cell-produced rigid structures that are external to the pl…

Moss - Moss Characteristics

Moss - Life Cycle

A haploid moss spore germinates and gives rise to a protonema, a green multicellular tissue that superficially resembles a filamentous green alga. Under appropriate conditions, other moss cells can also be induced to form protonema. The protonema is typically subterranean and is rarely seen. Buds form on the protonema producing the familiar "leafy" moss plant. Male and female reprodu…

Moss - Habitat And Ecology

Moss - Evolution

Moss - Importance To Humans

Compared to other groups of plants, mosses are not very economically important. However, Sphagnum moss has a long history of diverse uses and is certainly the moss of greatest importance to humans. In its natural habitat, sphagnum selectively absorbs certain ions and secretes others. The bogs in which it grows become acidic and anaerobic over time, and the decomposition rate by bacteria is particu…