●`color{maroon}"Habitat"`: They have been found in habitats ranging from the humid tropics to the polar regions, fallen logs to lakes, rivers, and streams. In fact, they have been found just about everywhere, except in salt water.
●`color{maroon}"Dominant Structures"`: The predominant stage of the life cycle of a moss is the gametophyte which consists of two stages.
`star`The first stage is the protonema stage, which develops directly from a spore. It is a creeping, green, branched and frequently filamentous stage.
`star` The second stage is the leafy stage, which develops from the secondary protonema as a lateral bud. They consist of upright, slender axes bearing spirally arranged leaves. They are attached to the soil through multicellular and branched rhizoids. This stage bears the sex organs.
●`color{maroon}"Mode of Vegetative Reproduction"`: Vegetative reproduction in mosses is by fragmentation and budding in the secondary protonema.
●`color{maroon}"Mode of Sexual Reproduction"`:
`star` In sexual reproduction, the sex organs antheridia and archegonia are produced at the apex of the leafy shoots.
`star` After fertilisation, the zygote develops into a sporophyte, consisting of a foot, seta and capsule.
`star` The sporophyte in mosses is more elaborate than that in liverworts. The capsule contains spores. Spores are formed after meiosis. The mosses have an elaborate mechanism of spore dispersal.
●`color{maroon}"Example"`: 𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘢, 𝘗𝘰𝘭𝘺𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘶𝘮
●`color{maroon}"Habitat"`: They have been found in habitats ranging from the humid tropics to the polar regions, fallen logs to lakes, rivers, and streams. In fact, they have been found just about everywhere, except in salt water.
●`color{maroon}"Dominant Structures"`: The predominant stage of the life cycle of a moss is the gametophyte which consists of two stages.
`star`The first stage is the protonema stage, which develops directly from a spore. It is a creeping, green, branched and frequently filamentous stage.
`star` The second stage is the leafy stage, which develops from the secondary protonema as a lateral bud. They consist of upright, slender axes bearing spirally arranged leaves. They are attached to the soil through multicellular and branched rhizoids. This stage bears the sex organs.
●`color{maroon}"Mode of Vegetative Reproduction"`: Vegetative reproduction in mosses is by fragmentation and budding in the secondary protonema.
●`color{maroon}"Mode of Sexual Reproduction"`:
`star` In sexual reproduction, the sex organs antheridia and archegonia are produced at the apex of the leafy shoots.
`star` After fertilisation, the zygote develops into a sporophyte, consisting of a foot, seta and capsule.
`star` The sporophyte in mosses is more elaborate than that in liverworts. The capsule contains spores. Spores are formed after meiosis. The mosses have an elaborate mechanism of spore dispersal.
●`color{maroon}"Example"`: 𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘢, 𝘗𝘰𝘭𝘺𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘶𝘮