Life cycle of mosses: a sequence of stages

In order to occupy new spaces, ancient plants had to adapt to absolutely new conditions of life. For example, the permanent loss of moisture through evaporation contributed to the emergence of a protective wax layer. The lack of support in the air, unlike water, caused the formation of a sufficiently rigid body, it changed the principle of plant respiration, gas exchange. Temperature and biochemical conditions are different, and plants have successfully adapted to them. Consider this article the life cycle of mosses.

What is moss?

Mosses – is a group of ancient organisms. Under some assumptions, they are the ancestors of extant land plants. Water on our planet – the source of life, in which originated all living things, including plants. About 420 million years ago the descendants of green algae began to develop the land.

The Most obvious such mechanisms of adaptation can be traced in the mosses. For example, the main condition for successful breeding of algae is the presence of water. Moss also can reproduce only with the help of moisture.

The Life cycle of mosses is very interesting. Out of the entire group of higher plants, they are the most primitive organisms. Bryophyta or mossy plants is multicellular plants, practically devoid of conductive fabric. Therefore, the size of these living organisms is very small-from 1 mm to 50 cm of mosses Have no roots, they are attached to the surface of the earth by a thread-like outgrowths, the rhizoids, which these plants suck in water. The rhizoids are, at times, from a single cell. Unlike the roots of all other plants that have a multicellular conductive fabric. Other parts of the body moss can be roughly defined as the stem and leaves. However, they are actually quite similar to the stems and leaves of all other plants on the planet in their structure.

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Where?

Moss has successfully adapted to life in the most different temperature and climatic conditions and are found almost all over the planet: from polar regions to the tropics. They perfectly exist in conditions of high humidity – in the forests, mountains. Meet moss, also in the drylands. The survival of mossy plants strikes – they can withstand very high temperature up to 70 degrees Celsius. In dry climates, mosses have adapted to fall into a state of suspended animation due to seasonal climate variations. When it rains and the temperature decreases, the soil moistened, and moss “comes alive”, begins the cycle of reproduction. Consider the value of the dispute in the life cycle of mosses.

The lives of mosses

Moss grows successfully in places with lack of sunlight, for example, in caves, cracks and crevices of rocks, occupying the environmental niches, which can not exist other plants.

The Only place where mosses are not able to exist – saline soils near the sea.

Extraordinarily resilient spores of mosses. With the wind, they can travel great distances. The viability of spores maintained for decades.

Mosses accumulate significant amounts of moisture, so using them is the regulation of water balance of a landscape. Therefore, the ecosystem, the moss is extremely important. In addition, for some species the moss is the main food supply.

On earth today there are about 30 thousand kinds of mosses. Scientists klassificeret these plants on morphology, structure of spore boxes and distribution methods of the dispute.

Mosses are able to reproduce with using spores and vegetative way. In the life cycle of mosses is dominated by the generation of sexual over asexual.

Leafy mosses or bryopsida

This is a rather numerous class of plants, which are 15 thousand species of mosses. They are extremely diverse in appearance, size and shapes. This plant is a stalk covered with leaves, which are arranged in a spiral around the stem. The most vital stage is called the gametophyte. The method of reproduction of deciduous mosses-spores. Most often these plants are found in wet places, swamps, and tundra. Kukushkin flax and sphagnum moss – the typical representatives of bryopsida.

Hepatic mosses

The Liverworts are represented by two subclasses: jungermanniae and marchantiidae. These plants, many – 8,5 thousand species. In the same way as deciduous mosses, the gametophyte-stage their greatest vitality. The plant is a thick stalk with leaves, which are arranged along the stem. Method of reproduction-spores that spread with the help of a special device, a sort of “spring”, which is called Altera. These plants are well-established in the tropical and temperate climates. Among representatives – marchantia polymorphic, ciliated ptilidium, blepharostoma volatility, and others.

Anthocerotophyta mosses

This class is not so numerous and represented 300 species of plants. Sporophyte-the most important life stage in the development cycle of this plant. Look anthocerotophyta mosses like thallus – a body which is not is divided into root, stem and leaves. These mosses grow intropical forests and temperate zones. Anthoceros – a typical representative of this class.

The Life cycle of a cuckoo flax will be described below. Moss Kukushkin flax is a perennial plant. Its structure is a well developed structure. Primary horizontal stem brown color without leaves and secondary stems, standing straight, branched or solitary.

Secondary stem covered with dark green stiff, like an awl, leaves. These stems can reach a height of from 10-15 to 40 cm Lower leaves represent scales. The plant has a primitive conductive system that is able to move water and minerals to stem to the leaves. Its rhizoids are able to reach a length of almost 40 cm

Places of growth of moss Kukushkin flax

Kukushkin flax usually grows well in wet places, swamps, wet meadows and spruce forests, like sunlight. In open areas it grows very powerful, capturing all the new territory. Its stems so tightly “wrap” the soil that the seeds of other plants to germinate not. This plant olubowale felling or fire. This moss is extremely absorbs water. The density of the plants retains moisture in the soil. Which occurs due to waterlogging of the area.

People have long used this plant as insulation. Caulk with it, the walls of log homes. Sometimes used as a medicinal herb for colds.

Kukushkin flax is involved in the formation of peat. It is a valuable fertilizer, good raw material for the chemical industry.

Life cycle of moss Kukushkin flax

Moss Kukushkin flax – a dioecious plant. This phenomenon, when individual stems per plant are formed opposite-sex organs-female and male.

Kukushkin flax develops through the alternation of two generations-sexual and asexual. Sporophyte-this is the life cycle of mosses, the result of which is the formation of asexual cells. They contain a diploid set of chromosomes. Gametophyte-the other life cycle the same plant, which culminates in the formation of gametes, sex cells that contain only a single chromosome set is haploid.

Now I understand why in the life cycle of mosses is dominated by the generation of sexual over asexual.

Boxes with disputes, according to the people, like the cuckoo, sitting on the pole. In General, outwardly moss Kukushkin flax plant looks like a miniature flax, hence its name. The thin hairs on the cap, covering the capsule with the spores are also similar to linen yarns.

The box is a few parts – arnoczky, neck and lid. Inside it is a little column. It just contains sterile cells, which as the result of meiotic division haploid spores ripen. Wrecka ends with a ring. After completion of the ripening process is a ring under the breath of the wind easily separates orinocco and the cap from the stem. Spores fall on the ground, and important life cycle of a plant begins again.

Stage of the life cycle of moss

Asexual spores in the process of “maturation” spores become haploid (containing half set of chromosomes) as a result of indirect reduction division.

When the moist soil falls haploid dispute, it begins to sprout, forming protonema – filamentous preprosto. It is formed into the gametophyte-female or male.

On top of different stems of gametophytes develop Kukushkin flax instead and arhegonii – male and female sex organs. In archegonia Mature egg, and anteridiâmi – biflagellate sperm. Externally, the male plants have large leaves yellowish-brown color on top. Female plants have such leaves do not exist.

For successful fertilization required drops of moisture that carry the sperm from antheridia to archegonia where the egg. This process is helped usually rain or heavy dew.

The merger of sperm and egg at the top of the female plants formed diploid zygote. From it grows a new generation of plants, the sporophyte or sporogony. And is a capsule-the sporangium in which the spores Mature.

We examined the sequence of the stages of the life cycle of a moss.

The structure of the moss Kukushkin flax

The Body of mosses in the structure like algae, since it also consists of a thallus. However, it may have a structure that resembles stems and leaves. Attached to the soil with rhizoids. These plants are able to absorb water and minerals than the rhizoids, but the whole body.

The Value of moss in nature

In General, mosses – a critical component in the ecological system of our planet. Life cycle of mosses is different from the cycle of other higher plants. They survive well in nutrient-poor soils. Inhabit the places that were subjected to adverse anthropogenic impact. Thus preparing the ground for recovery. After all, wilt, moss forms a useful soil substrate, which will later grow other plants.

Mosses – indicators of environmental pollution, particularly of the atmosphere. Because some species of mosses grow in places where the air exceeded the concentration of sulfur dioxide. In the absence of the traditional habitats of certain species of mosses can judge about the pollution of the atmosphere. However, also the mosses indicate changes in the soil, and much more.

Mosses cherish the fragile balance in permafrost areas, shielding the ground from sunlight. Keeping thus the ecological balance.

Now, if you are asked: “describe the life cycle of a moss”, you will easily be able to do it.