Differentiate between the following:- (ii) liverworts and moss
Explanation Bryophytes, include the non vascular plants that prefer growing in moist and shady areas. These plants are terrestrial in habitat but cannot reproduce without water.Mosses and liverworts are the most abundant bryophytes and they are distinguished from each other on the basis of thallus structure, reproductive structure, anatomical features, etc. Liverworts: Liverworts are most simplest of all bryophytes and they have a thalloid body as in Riccia. They belong to class Hepaticopsida.Their body is dorsiventral and are closely appressed to the substratum. Asexual reproduction takes place by the formation of gemmae. Sexual reproduction is also observed. Mosses: Mosses are morphologically different from the liverworts. They belong to the class Bryopsida.The life cycle includes two stages: protonema and a leafy stage. Root like structures called Rhizoids are present on the dorsal surface.Asexual reproduction takes place by fragmentation nd budding. Sexual reproduction involves the formation of antheridia and archegonia. The sporophyte are more differentiated than the liverworts and have a distinct foot, seta, and capsule. E.g. Funaria. Final Answer Liverworts belong to class Hepaticopsida while Mosses belong to Class Bryopsida. The thallus of liverworts is dorsoventrally flattened while the thallus of mosses is leafy and radial. Liverworts have unicellular rhizoids while mosses have multicellular rhizoids. Dispersal of spores in from capsule is aided by elater cells while the dispersal in mosses is aided by peristome teeth. Example of liverwort: Marchantia. Example of Moss: Sphagnum.
