Bryophyta
Short after the emerged lands were conquered, plants were classed into: bryophyta, that include hepatics, anthocerote and mosses and vascular plants, i.e. all higher plants.
The structure of bryophyta is very simple and it is made up of individuals that are generally shorter than 20 cm. Bryophyta do not have roots, but they have rhizoids, i.e. long cells or cell filaments, that stick to the substrate. Many bryophyta have a leaf-like structure, made up of few cell layers through which they carry out the photosynthesis. As they have no roots to absorbe the water, they have to take the water from aerial structures, therefore they grow maily in wet and dark areas, or in marshes.
The vascular tissue of bryophytes is not divided into xylem and phloem, therefore liquids flow through central elongated cells . Bryophytes consist of haploid gametophytes, which are the dominant generation. On the top part of some of the leaflets, the antheridia which produce male germinal cells, and the archegonia which produce egg cells, form. The male gamete swims in the droplets of water, pushed by two flagella. The sporophyte grows on the gametophyte, and in the capsule of a mature sporophyte meiosis takes place. When the capsule opens, around its opening is a ring of teeth. The teeth remain bent towards the spores that have just formed when the atmosphere is dry. When, instead, there is humidity, the teeth straighten out due to hygroscopy, helping the dispersion of the spores in the air, which find optimum conditions for germination.
Special reports
-
2 July 2014
A hoax? No thank you, I prefer to find out myself!
In Italian, bufala: a hoax, also means a female buffalo...
10 October 2022
Spider lullaby
There are spiders that weave a classic web, that one we all know, to catch prey. There are others who…
-
19 September 2022
Double blow to dinosaurs
The Main Asteroid Belt is between Mars and Jupiter, an enormous ring consisting of millions of large and small rocks…
24 May 2022
Amphibians in peril
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) warns: the extinction rate of amphibians is about 200 times greater than…
8 March 2022
8 March. We remember Rosalind Franklin, the great female DNA scientist.
DNA was first isolated by Friedrich Miescher, a Swiss biochemist in 1869. It was a brilliant, but not complicated operation:…
-
27 February 2022
In search of the riders of icebergs
International Polar Bear Day, set up by Polar Bears International, a non-profit organisation, was held on 27 February. The aim…
12 February 2022
A naturalist’s voyage around the world
Charles Darwin was just 22 years old when he set sail on board HMS Beagle...
18 December 2021
The Christmas Star Tradition
Let's discover together stories and legends about the Christmas Star...
-
2 July 2014
A hoax? No thank you, I prefer to find out myself!
In Italian, bufala: a hoax, also means a female buffalo...
-
10 October 2022
Spider lullaby
There are spiders that weave a classic web, that one we all know, to catch prey. There are others who…
19 September 2022
Double blow to dinosaurs
The Main Asteroid Belt is between Mars and Jupiter, an enormous ring consisting of millions of large and small rocks…
-
24 May 2022
Amphibians in peril
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) warns: the extinction rate of amphibians is about 200 times greater than…
8 March 2022
8 March. We remember Rosalind Franklin, the great female DNA scientist.
DNA was first isolated by Friedrich Miescher, a Swiss biochemist in 1869. It was a brilliant, but not complicated operation:…
-
2 July 2014
A hoax? No thank you, I prefer to find out myself!
In Italian, bufala: a hoax, also means a female buffalo...
-
10 October 2022
Spider lullaby
There are spiders that weave a classic web, that one we all know, to catch prey. There are others who…
From the Multimedia section
Facts
-
Flour from forests
Bread and flour are staple foods for many cultures around the world. It is possible to produce flour from cereals…
-
Energy from palm trees
Oils that are obtained from palm trees can be used as alternatives to fossil fuels and their use is about…
-
17 May 2011
Myths and legends of the forest
The dark and mysterious shadows of the forest are populated by...
-
16 May 2011
The forest has its own seasons
Even if the temperature of this ecosystem is stable all...
17 May 2011
Flour from forests
Bread and flour are staple foods for many cultures around the world. It is possible to produce flour from cereals…
-
17 May 2011
Myths and legends of the forest
The dark and mysterious shadows of the forest are populated by...
-
16 May 2011
The forest has its own seasons
Even if the temperature of this ecosystem is stable all...