Monday, July 6, 2009

Bryophytes (Mosses & Liverworts)

Let us continue with my discovery through my hike. I think I forgot to mention about the altitude of this place. From the base of this hill it is about 780 m a.s.l and the highest is 1116 m a.s.l.

It is quite tough trail to reach the highest place because at some part the slope is very steep. Okay, it is not what I want to share today since we all know that hilly area is tough.

Along the hill ridge I was attracted by the varieties of bryophytes. Based on the information I get from the book written by Frahm et al (1990), most of the bryophytes of the world occur in tropical forests where 5000 species are found in tropical rainforest over 15, 000 species of the world. Let me share a little bit info about bryophytes. The bryophytes comprise of two sharply different groups (classes): liverworts (Hepaticae) and mosses (Musci). They are separated by various different morphological and anatomical features of the gametophyte (the green plant, vegetative phase), as well as the sporophyte (reproductive phase). The plant may consist of a thallus, showing no differentiation into stem or leave (e.g. in some liverworts) or it may show a definite stem with leaves (e.g. mosses and the major part of the liverworts). Within the mosses, two major groups can be distinguished according to their habitat: acrocarpous mosses and pleurocarpus mosses. Both groups can be easily recognized in the field. In acrocarpous mosses, the main singular axis is erect, little branched, and the sporophyte grows at the end of the main axis, whereas pleurocarpous mosses are creeping, are branched irregularly or pinnate, and the sporophyte originate at the sides of the stem.

This is liverworts (please correct me if i am wrong).


This is also liverworts (again, please correct me if i am wrong).


This is mosses (i am sure i get it right for this one).

Alright, too much information and I am not sure if non-botanist understand what I am trying to tell about this bryophytes. By the way, at least some of you will aware of the difference between mosses and liverworts.

I have a few pictures that I have taken and I hope I am right about what is it.

Okay, that’s it for today. Till tomorrow.

3 comments:

Rick (Ratty) said...

I don't know much about plants, so this is helpful to me. I have been trying to learn more about plants recently. I have to talk about some things other than animals sometimes. So even though I don't know much yet, I pay very close attention.

rainfield61 said...

You have cleared some of my doubts, at least between mosses ans liverworts.

Bornean Rose said...

Ratty--Me too. I failed my botany course and resit the paper during my uni. But now i have to learn about it too. Especially herbs. That's why i need to write a posts about them and hopw i will gain my interests in plants.

rainfield61--Glad that my posts helps you.