Plant Kingdom: Bryophytes and Liverworts

Vocabulary flashcards covering the biological characteristics, reproductive structures, and ecological significance of bryophytes and liverworts.

Amphibians of the plant kingdom

A term for bryophytes because they can live in soil but are dependent on water for sexual reproduction.

Gametophyte

The main plant body of the bryophyte which is haploid and produces gametes.

Rhizoids

Unicellular or multicellular structures that attach the thallus-like plant body of bryophytes to the substratum.

Antheridium

The multicellular male sex organ in bryophytes that produces biflagellate antherozoids.

Archegonium

The flask-shaped multicellular female sex organ in bryophytes that produces a single egg.

Sporophyte

A multicellular body derived from the zygote that is attached to the photosynthetic gametophyte for nourishment and undergoes meiosis to produce spores.

Sphagnum

A species of moss that provides peat, which is used as fuel and as packing material for trans-shipment of living material due to its water-holding capacity.

Liverworts

A group of bryophytes that usually grow in moist, shady habitats and possess a thalloid plant body, such as Marchantia.

Gemmae

Green, multicellular, asexual buds that develop in small receptacles called gemma cups and detach from the parent body to form new individuals.

Dorsiventral

The physical orientation of the thallus in liverworts, which is closely appressed to the substrate.