Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
PLANTS BRYOPHYTES
DIVISION MARCHANTIOPHYTA/HEPATOCOPHYTALIVERWORTS
CHARACTERISTICS
they have a gametophyte-dominant life
cycle, in which cells of the plant carry only a
single set of genetic information
estimated that there are 6000 to 8000
species of liverworts
typically small, usually from 220mm wide
with individual plants less than 10cm long
certain species may cover large patches of
ground, rocks, trees or any firm substrate
Lunularia cruciata
Plagiochila aspleniodes
LIFE CYCLE
The
sperm
of
liverworts
is
biflagellatethat enable them to swim
short distances, provided that at least
a thin film of water is present. Their
journey may be assisted by the
splashing of raindrops. In 2008,
Japanese researchers discovered that
some liverworts are able to fire spermcontaining water up to 15cm in the air,
enabling them to fertilize female
plants growing more than a meter from
the nearest male.
Asexual reproduction
Some liverworts are capable of asexual
reproduction; in bryophytes in general
"it would almost be true to say that
vegetative reproduction is the rule and
not the exception. For example in
Riccia, when the older parts of the
forked thalli die, the younger tips
become separate individuals
ECOLOGY
CLASSIFICATION
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division:
Marchantiophyta
Stotler & Stotl.-Crand., 1977 emend. 2000
Classes and Orders
o Haplomitriopsida Stotler & Stotl.-Crand.
Haplomitriales (Calobryales)
Treubiales
o Jungermanniopsida Stotler & Stotl.-Crand.
Metzgeriales (simple thalloids)
Jungermanniales (leafy liverworts)
o Marchantiopsida Stotler & Stotl.-Crand.
Blasiales
Sphaerocarpales (bottle liverworts)
Marchantiales (complex thalloids)
DIVISION MARCHANTIOPHYTA
Class Jungermanniopsida
o Order Metzgeriales (simple thalloids)
o Order Jungermanniales
Class Marchantiopsida
o Order Marchantiales (complex-thallus
liverworts)
o Order Sphaerocarpales (bottle hepatics)
o Order Blasiales
Class Haplomitriopsida
o Order Haplomitriales
o Order Treubiales
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE
Marchantia polymorpha,
with
antheridial
and
archegonial stalks
Porella
platyphylla
clump growing on a
tree
Plagiochila asplenioides,
a leafy liverwort
Riccia
fluitans,
an
aquatic
thallose
liverwort.
Conocephalum conicum, a
large thallose liverwort.
DIVISION BRYOPHYTA
Characteristics
small, soft plants that are typically 1
10cm (0.44in) tall
commonly
grow close together in
clumps or mats in damp or shady
locations
do not have flowers or seeds, and their
simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems
at certain times mosses produce spore
capsules which may appear as beak-like
capsules borne on thin stalks
have
have
LIFE CYCLE
Most kinds of plants have two sets of
chromosomes in their vegetative cells and
are said to be diploid, i.e. each chromosome
has a partner that contains the same, or
similar, genetic information. By contrast,
mosses and other bryophytes have only a
single set of chromosomes and so are haploid
(i.e. each chromosome exists in a unique
copy within the cell). There are periods in
the moss life cycle when they do have a
double set of paired chromosomes, but this
happens only during the sporophyte stage.