1. Nonvascular Plants
Caitlin Anderson

2. History The first land plants were nonvascular.
Started appearing about 460 million years ago.
Ancestor is green algae.
They used to all be classified under Bryophyte, but now there are three divisions.

3. How they are similar to other Plants
All plants need:
Water
An energy source (mostly the sun)
Spreading out of young plants to eliminate competition with parent plants

4. Characteristics Lack Vascular tissues
Move water by osmosis and diffusion
Grow only 1-2 cm high
Grow in large groups
Don’t produce seeds or flowers
Not typical plant stems or leaves
Rhizoids instead of roots (they
don’t absorb water or nutrients)
No stomata

5. Reproducing Sexual and Asexual Sexual is more common
Gametes are formed within gametangia
Males’ have antheridium and make flagellated sperm
A female has archegonium and makes one egg
Water is needed for the sperm to reach the egg (rainwater or dew usually works)

6. continued
The egg is fertilized and the diploid zygote splits by mitosis and turns into an embryonic sporophyte.
This grows into a long stalk that stays attached to the female plant.
A little capsule, sporangia, forms at the end and haploid spores are created by meiosis here.
The spores are dumped out andeventually grow into mature plants.

7. Alternation of generations
Alternation of generations- the cycle in which a plant creates two multicellular generations
Diploid generation is called the sporophyte
Haploid generation is called the gameophyte
The gameophyte is the dominant
generation in nonvascular plants
The sporophyte depends on it for
support

8. Bryophyta Mosses Most common nonvascular plants
At least 10,000 species
Some vascular tissue
The sporangia is more complex than other plants
Use each other to stay standing
Have “stems” and “leaves” that are similar to vascular plants

9. continued Seven types of mosses More than 95% of mosses are Bryidae
Andreaeidae
Sphagnidae
Tetraphidae
Polytrichidae
Buxbaumiidae
Bryidae
Archidiidae
More than 95% of mosses are Bryidae

10. Sphagnum fuscum Tayloria mirabils Holomitrium crispulum

11. Hepatophyta Liverworts (hepatics) Around 8,000 different species
About 1mm to 50mm
Simplest plants
Coil shaped sporangia
Can form gemmae cups that
hold cells that are released
with rain to form new plants
(asexual reproduction)

12. continued Ancient people thought they cured diseases of the liver
Often confused with Hepatica
plants because of the hepatics
name.
Two types: leafy and thallose
Thallose is more common

13. Leafy Liverworts About one cell thick Easily identified as mosses
Two or more sections
Two rows of leaves usually
A third row of smaller leaves often occurs (only visible by microscopes)

14. Thallose Liverworts No stem-leaf structure at all
Surface is like a flat plate
Can be several cells thick
Can be divided into sections that vary in size
Some have pores

15. Metzgeria furcata Tritomaria quinquedentata Conocephalum conicum

16. Anthocerophyta Hornworts About 100 species
Have one Chloroplast per cell
Hornworts get the name from the sporophytes
Look similar to thallose liverworts

17. Commonly found Damp and shady areas Rocks Trees Near rivers
Mostly wet regions

18. In Our Area Floating Liverworts and Umbrella
Liverworts are very common in Minnesota
Hornworts are rare in Minnesota
St. Paul and Minneapolis
Near White Bear Lake, Lake Calhoun, Lake
Osakis, and Alexandria

19. Moss in Minnesota Little Saw Moss Bud-headed thread moss
Egg-leaf true moss
Bug-on-a-stick moss
Hair-pointed thread moss
Mowed mosquito moss
Pigmy plume moss
Extinguisher moss
Cave moss
Red twisted bog moss
Cushion peat moss
Shortleaf chalk moss
Swan moss
And more

20. Why Nonvascular Plants are Important
They are first plants to colonize a region.
Once mosses die, they decompose and create soil for new plants.
They can be food for some animals.
Peat mosses can be used by humans for fuel.

21. Other info
They help indicate how pure an environment is. They are very sensitive to air and water pollution. That is why they are more common in country areas.
Mosses are often used in decorating a garden.
They are so small that they don’t have much impact on their surroundings.

22. Questions A. Thallose, Musky, Bryophytes B. Leafy, vascular, moss
1. What are the three divisions of nonvascular plants?
A. Thallose, Musky, Bryophytes
B. Leafy, vascular, moss
C. Bryidae, Sphagnidae, Hepatica
D. Bryophyta, Anthocerophyta, Hepatophyta
2. What is the most common type of moss?
A. Mossy
B. Buxbaumiidae
C. Archidiidae
D. Tetraphidae
E. Bryiade
3. What is not true about liverworts?
A. There are two types
B. Ancient people thought they could cure diseases of the heart
C. They are part of the Hepatophyta group
D. Often confused with the Hepatica

23. more 4. What is true about alternation of generations?
A. Gameophytes are always dominant
B. Sporophytes are always dominant
C. The gameophyte is dominant in nonvascular plants
D. The gameophyte is dominant in vascular plants
5. What nonvascular plants are found in Minnesota?
A. Lots of hornworts, umbrella and floating liverworts, and no mosses
B. Few hornworts, umbrella and floating liverworts and, tons of mosses
C. Few hornworts, puddle and sinking liverworts, and a few mosses
D. There are absolutely none in Minnesota

24. The last few
6. Which kind of nonvascular plant is considered the simplest in structure?
A. Liverworts
B. Mosses
C. Bryiade
D. All of the above
E. None of the above
7. Explain how nonvascular plants differ from vascular plants
8. Explain briefly how plants reproduce

25. Resources
files.dnr.state.mn.us/input/rules/ets/mosses.pdf