Moss Life Cycle

Mosses have a dominant gametophyte

• A mat of moss is mostly gametophytes
– Which produce eggs and swimming sperm
• The zygote develops on the gametophyte
– Grows into the smaller sporophyte
Characteristics of Bryophytes or Nonvascular plants

-no vascular tissue absorbing water by capillarity and

transporting carbohydrates by diffusion

-no true roots, stems, or leaves as lack vascular tissue.

Rhizoids are root-like but are only used for anchorage.

-Alternation of generations and gametophyte dominates with

gametes formed inside multicellular gameteangia called
antheridia or archegonia

-biflagellate sperm that require water for successful fertilization

Division Bryophyta “moss plant” @12,000 sps.

-gametophytes have rhizoids, an erect stem-like body,

and leaf-like organs

-often found in damp or aquatic habitats

-reproduce asexually by fragmentation

• Life cycle of a moss
Gametophytes (n)
Key 1
Haploid (n) Male
Diploid (2n) 5 Mitosis and
development Sperm (n) (released
from gametangium)

Spores (n)
Female 1 Egg (n)

Fertilization

Sporangium

Stalk
Sporophytes (growing
Meiosis from gametophytes) 2

Zygote (2n)
4 Sporophyte (2n)

3 Mitosis and
development

Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Benjamin Cummings

Division Marchantiophyta “liver plant” @6500 sps.
-20% gametophytes have a flattened body called
thallus and 80% have erect growth like mosses but
the stalk of the sporophyte is translucent
to white; its capsule is typically black and egg-shaped.
When it matures, the capsule splits open into four
equal quarters, releasing the spores to the air.
-in medieval (476-1450) period, people believed in
Doctrine of Signatures and lobed thallus indicated
plants were treatment for liver disease
-often found in damp or aquatic habitats and are
primarily tropical in range
Liverwort on Colorado River
near Bend, Texas Photograph
by Brian Scoggins
Ex. Marchantia (after French botanist)
-reproduce asexually by gemmae cups that act as rain
splashcups dispersing tiny clones
Sexual reproduction is similar to mosses except
gameteangia
and sporangia grow in umbrella-like structures and spores
have elaters that curl and
uncurl due to changes in humidity