Class Musci

Mosses
STRUCTURES
Mosses are anchored in the soil with
thin rhizoids .
Moss leaves usually consist of a
single cell layer and are traversed
by a midrib that is always more
than one cell in thickness.
The margins of the leaves are often
toothed, the teeth pointed or
rounded.

The sporophytes of mosses, like those of the
liverworts, consist of a foot, seta and capsule
and remain permanently attached to the
gametophytes. They are borne at the tips of
erect gametophytes (a) or the tips of the
short lateral branches of prostrate
gametophytes (b).
During the early stages of
development, the sporophyte
is completely surrounded by a
tough protective covering
called the calyptra.
The peristome teeth are
perhaps the most
characteristic feature of the
mosses; usually composed of
cell wall remnants, they
respond to changes in the
humidity of the atmosphere.
Under suitable conditions,
a spore will germinate and
give rise to a microscopic
chlorophyllous branched
filament from which,
eventually, the leafy
gametophytes will arise.
The gametophyte
generation of the mosses
is, thus, dimorphic.
The moss usually illustrated in
introductory botany textbooks is
Polytrichum.
The gametophytes and
sporophytes, although devoid of
xylem and phloem, contain water-
and food-conducting cells
analogous to those of vascular
plants.
The gametophytes and
sporophytes, although
devoid of xylem and
phloem, contain water-
and food-conducting cells
analogous to those of
vascular plants.
The mouth of the capsule
is covered by a
membrane that is
overarched by massive
multicellular peristome
teeth the tips of which
are joined to the
membrane.
REPRODUCTION
The life cycle begins with two mature
gametophytes.
Females develop Archegonia and males
develop Antheridia which produce gametes by
mitosis.
The sperm is flagellated and needs water to
get to the egg.
The sporophyte is very small and dependent
on the gametophyte.
Note:
With the exeception of when the
sporangium produces spores (Meiois),
cell divisions in the entire life cycle of
the mosses are Mitotic.
The cells are Haploid (1N) throughout
the Gametophyte generation. (From
spore to mature Gametophyte)
The cells are Diploid (2N) throughout
the Sporophyte generation. (Zygote to
Sporophyte)
HABITATS AND
DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT
Mosses have a damp environment in w/c to
grow, & a surrounding of liquid water to
reproduce.
Mosses are autotrophic they require enough
sunlight to conduct photosynthesis.
Mosses grow chiefly in areas of dampness and
shade, such as wooded areas and at the edges
of stream; but they can grow anywhere in cool
damp cloudy climates, and somes species are
adapted to sunny, seasonally dry areas
likealpinerocks os stabilized sand dunes.

Moss species can be classed as growing on:
rocks, exposed mineral soil, disturbed soil,
calcareous soil, cliff seeps and etc.
Mosses often grow on trees as epiphytes, they
are never parasitic parasitic on the tree.
Mosses are also found in cracks between paving
stones in damp city streets, and on roofs. Some
species adapted to disturbed, sunny areas are
well adapted to urban conditions and are
commonly found in cities. Examples would be
Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus, a garden weed
in Vancouver and Seattle areas; Bryum
argenteum, the cosmopolitan sidewalk moss,
and Ceratodon purpureus, red roof moss,
another cosmopolitan species.

DISTRIBUTION
Bryophytes are distributed throughout
the world, from polar and alpine regions
to the tropics.
Water must, at some point, be present in the
habitat in order for the sperm to swim to the
egg. Bryophytes do not live in extremely arid
sites or in seawater, although some are found
in perennially damp environments within arid
regions and a few are found on seashores
above the intertidal zone.
The greatest diversity is at tropical and
subtropical latitudes. Bryophytes
(especially the moss
dominate the of peatland in
extensive areas of the cooler parts of the
Northern Hemisphere.
The distribution of some bryophytes,
however, is extremely restricted, yet they
possess the same apparent dispersibility
and ecological plasticity as do widespread
bryophytes. Others show broad
interrupted patterns that are represented
also in vascular plants.
IMPORTANCE TO MAN
AND ECOLOGY

Mosses plays a vital role in the
biosphere even they are small in size.
Bryophytes cause the outer portion of
rock to slowly crumble as they grow
with lichens on rock surfaces.
Some bryophytes
like sphagnum or peat moss has
some economic importance.
COMMON
REPRESENTATIVES

is a term erroneously
applied to many different plants
( , a flowering
plant; , a red alga;
pond moss, filamentous algae; and
, a ). Mosses
are classified as the class Musci in
the division Bryophyta.
Two major groups of mosses are
recognized, (The form a
small group comprising the
genera and .)
Sphagnum often grows in dense mats in
acidic boglands.

ADVANTAGES OF MOSSES

Easy planting process
Garden and lawn beautification
Herbal applications
DISADVANTAGES OF MOSSES

Disease- Sporotrichosis is a fungal disease that
has been associated with sphagnum moss. The
disease occurs because of a fungus known as
Sporothrix schenckii.
Water Absorption- Sphagnum moss absorbs and
retains any water that comes within reach. Two
problems occur when using the moss for growing
plants. The first is that the soil stays too moist for
the plant because the sphagnum moss retains the
moisture for long periods. The second problem is
that the moss could dry out the soil around the
root system, because it has absorbed the water
from that section of soil.
Environmental Concerns