Title: Bryophyte - Definition, Characteristics, Life Cycle and Examples
Headings: Bryophyte
Bryophyte
Bryophyte Definition
Bryophyte Characteristics
Bryophyte Life Cycle
Bryophyte Examples
Liverworts
Mosses
Hornworts
Quiz
References
Cite This Article

Content: the mosses, hornworts, and liverworts. Bryophyte Characteristics
The following characteristics are exhibited by bryophytes: Bryophytes are non-vascular land plants. Although they do exhibit specialized structures for water transportation, they are devoid of vascular tissue. Bryophytes grow primarily in damp environments but can be found growing in diverse habitats ranging from deserts, the artic, and high elevations. Since bryophytes do not depend on root structures for nutrient uptake like vascular plants, they are able to survive in environments that vascular plants cannot (e.g., on the surface of rocks). All bryophytes have a dominant gametophyte stage in their life cycle. During this stage, the plant is haploid and the sex organs that produce the gametes are developed. Bryophytes are unique compared to many other plant species in that they remain in this stage for long periods. The sporophytes (the diploid form of the plant) of bryophytes are unbranched, producing a single spore-producing capsule ( sporangium ).