Moss

:This is an article about the plant. For other uses, see Moss (disambiguation)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Andreaeidae
• Sphagnidae
• Tetraphidae
• Polytrichidae
• Buxbaumiidae
• Bryidae
• Archidiidae

Mosses belong to the non-vascular plants. They can be distinguished from the apparently similar liverworts (Marchantiophyta or Hepaticae) by their multi-cellular rhizoids. Other differences are not universal for all mosses and all liverworts but the presence of clearly differentiated stem and leaves, the lack of deeply lobes or segmented leaves,and the absence of leaves arranged in three ranks all point to the plant being a moss.

Related Topics:
Non-vascular plant - Liverwort - Marchantiophyta

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The division Bryophyta included not only mosses, but also liverworts and hornworts, but these two groups are often now placed in their own divisions.

Related Topics:
Division - Bryophyta - Hornwort

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Aside from lacking a vascular system, they have a gametophyte-dominant life cycle, i.e. the plant's cells are haploid for most of its life cycle. Sporophytes (i.e. the diploid body) are short-lived and dependent on the gametophyte. This is in contrast to the pattern exhibited by most higher plants and animals. In higher plants, for example, the haploid generation is represented by the pollen and the ovule whilst the diplod generation is the familiar flowering plant.

Related Topics:
Vascular system - Life cycle - Haploid - Diploid

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 
Moss: Life cycle ►