In mosses it develops from spores. Bryophyte department. What is moss

Tests

620-1. The accumulation of which group of plants contributes to waterlogging of the soil?
A) lycophytes
B) horsetails
B) bryophytes
D) fern-like

Answer

620-2. A stem with leaves in the process of evolution first appeared in
A) algae
B) bryophytes
B) horsetails
D) fern-like

Answer

620-3. Mosses represent a dead-end branch in the evolution of plants, since
A) more highly organized ferns evolved from them
B) they did not give rise to more highly organized plants
C) more highly organized horsetails evolved from them
D) they originated from unicellular algae

Answer

620-4. What characteristic is characteristic of mosses?
A) adventitious roots develop from the stem
B) spores are formed in a capsule
C) they have no escape
D) pollination precedes fertilization

Answer

620-5. In mosses it develops from spores
A) a box on a leg
B) seed
B) green thread
D) outgrowth

Answer

620-6. The adaptability of sphagnum moss to life in conditions of excess moisture is manifested in the presence
A) rhizomes with adventitious roots
B) cells with chloroplasts
B) dead cells
D) rhizoids

Answer

620-7. Representatives of which division of the Plant kingdom are shown in the picture?

Answer

620-8. What plants belong to the Bryophytes department?
A) living on land and reproducing by seeds
B) leafy, rootless, reproducing by spores
B) all plants in wet habitats
D) all herbaceous plants

Answer

620-9) What adaptations to absorbing large amounts of water appeared in the process of evolution in mosses?
A) rhizoids - outgrowths on the stem
B) large dead cells
B) spore capsules
D) cells of thin integumentary tissue

Answer

620-10. In green mosses, unlike algae,
A) cells have large and small nuclei
B) fertilization occurs in the presence of water
C) the thallus is divided into tissues and organs
D) sexual and asexual reproduction occurs

Answer

620-11. To which division of higher plants does the plant shown in the figure belong?

A) Angiosperms
B) Gymnosperms
B) Ferns
D) Bryophytes

Answer

620-12. By what characteristics are bryophytes distinguished from other plants?
A) in the process of their development there is an alternation of generations
B) reproduce by spores
B) have leaves, stem and rhizoids
D) capable of photosynthesis

Answer

620-13. Ferns, unlike green mosses, have
A) rhizoids
B) roots
B) leaves
D) stems

Answer

620-14. Cuckoo flax develops from the spores of green moss
A) a prothallus in the form of a green plate
B) pre-teen in the form of green threads
B) plants with leaves
D) seeds of the future plant

Answer

620-15. Of the higher plants there are no roots
A) Tsvetkov
B) Conifers
B) Mkhov
D) Ferns

Answer

620-16. Ferns are much more widespread on Earth than mosses, since they
A) have a developed root system and reproduce more efficiently
B) appeared earlier in the course of evolution and managed to adapt better
C) are widely grown by humans for their needs
D) are successfully spread by various animals

Answer

620-17. Mosses have the simplest structure among higher plants, since
A) they have no roots
B) their stem is unbranched, with narrow leaves
C) they form organic substances from inorganic ones
D) they have air cells

Answer

620-18. Why do mosses represent a dead-end branch in plant evolution?
A) they have not mastered the ground-air habitat
B) they came from algae
C) they have no roots and reproduce by spores
D) they did not give rise to more highly organized plants

Answer

620-19. A representative of which division of the Plant kingdom is shown in the figure?

A) Ferns
B) Gymnosperms
B) Moss-moss
D) Bryophytes

Answer

620-20. Which group of organisms includes green plants that have no roots, reproduce by spores, and whose life cycle is dominated by the sexual generation?
A) bryophytes
B) ferns
B) gymnosperms
D) lycophytes

Department Bryophytes is a unique group of plants occupying an intermediate position between algae and terrestrial plants themselves. The name "moss" is erroneously applied to a number of nonbryophyte plants: moss growing on the bark of northern trees is actually an algae, "deer moss" is a lichen, and "Spanish moss" hanging from trees in the southern United States , is a seed plant close to the pineapple.

Bryophytes or bryophytes- very ancient land plants. They appeared almost simultaneously with rhyniophytes, but have survived to this day. These are the most primitive modern higher spore plants. All representatives of bryophytes are perennial, fairly small plants, the height of which is usually 10-20 cm. The body of mosses is in the form of a thallus or divided into stems and leaves. Mosses do not have real typical roots: the role of roots is played by thin hairs called rhizoids.

Mosses have chlorophyll, photosynthesize, live on land, in damp places, and less often in water. The body of mosses consists of tissues, but does not have real vessels.

Reproduction in mosses occurs in three ways: asexual (spores), sexual and vegetative. Asexual and sexual modes of development alternate.

A common small green leafy plant called moss, is the gametophytic (sexual) generation. The gametophyte consists of a single central stem surrounded by leaves and held in the soil by rhizoids that absorb iodine and salts from the soil. Leaf cells synthesize all the other compounds necessary for plant life; therefore, each gametophyte is an independent organism.

The asexual generation (sporophyte) grows on the gametophyte (plant of the sexual generation) and feeds on it. It has no independence, is poorly developed and is represented by a leafless brown stem, at the end of which there is a capsule with spores, for example, like in cuckoo flax. When the capsule ripens, spores spill out of it. Once in favorable conditions, a multicellular filament grows from the spores, from which several gametophytes develop by budding.

When the growth of the gametophyte ends and it is ready for reproduction, the genital organs develop at the top of the stem - in the middle of the rosette of leaves: antheridia(from the Greek “anteros” - blooming) - male genital organs in which motile gametes develop - sperm and archegonia(from the Greek “arche” - beginning and “gone” - birth) - female genital organs, in which the immobile female gamete is formed - egg.

During periods of high water or heavy rain, male sperm cells swim to the egg, where they merge. After fertilization, a zygote is formed (from the Greek “zygotos” - united together), the initial stage of embryo development. From the fertilized zygote, the next year a capsule develops on a long leafless stalk - a sporogon. It is covered with a cap in which spores are formed.

When the cap falls off, spores fall out of the ripe capsule and, once in favorable conditions, sprout into a green branched thread - a pre-sprout. Buds form on it, and from them grow male and female specimens of cuckoo flax. Thus, in the life cycle of moss development there is an alternation of sexual and asexual generations.

The bryophyte department includes about 35,000 species throughout the globe. We have more than 500 species of mosses. The most common one is Marchantia. It can be found in swamps and wetlands, on river banks. This is a thallus plant. Leafy mosses include cuckoo flax And sphagnum moss. Cuckoo flax has a stem, leaves and rhizoids. Sphagnum does not have rhizoids. Kukushkin flax is a dioecious (dioecious) plant. The alternation of generations in its life cycle is discussed above. Sphagnum also has an alternation of generations, but it is a monoecious plant, on which antheridia develop between the leaves on the side branches, and archegonia on the tops. After fertilization of their zygote, an almost spherical capsule is formed where spores develop.

Sphagnum absorbs moss with special water-bearing cells that are capable of accumulating 20-30 times the mass of the moss itself.

Aquifer cells are called dead. The color of sphagnum depends on them, which is why it is often called white moss. In addition to dead cells, the body of sphagnum also contains living cells with chloroplasts; they are small, green, and narrow. They can only be seen with a microscope. Sphagnum grows very slowly, up to 3 cm per year.

Bryophytes play an important role in nature. Settling on stones, sand, etc., they act as pioneer plants, preparing the ground for other plants. Mosses are important in ecosystems, acting as regulators of water regimes. The great importance of bryophytes in the formation of peat. Sphagnum moss plays a special role in this. Sphagnum turf absorbs a large amount of water, so the soil surface, overgrown with this moss, becomes waterlogged and swampy. The lower sections of the turf darken and become compacted, turning into peat - a mineral formed by the accumulation of plant remains that have undergone incomplete decomposition due to waterlogging. Peat is used as fuel and fertilizer. Sphagnum mosses secrete substances that have a detrimental effect on bacteria, and therefore delay the decay processes of all dead remains. Dried sphagnum mosses were used as a dressing material instead of cotton wool during the First and Second World Wars, as they have antibacterial properties and are very hydroscopic (able to absorb moisture).

Bryophytes, general characteristics. If lower plants (algae) lacked tissues and organs, then mechanical, integumentary and conductive tissues appeared in the air environment among psilophytes of the Silurian period of the Paleozoic, providing the possibility of life in the air environment. The appearance of tissues led to the emergence of higher land plants, the most primitive group of which are the bryophytes. Bryophytes and vascular plants are thought to have evolved independently from different groups of green algae. The relationship of green algae and higher plants is confirmed by the same set of photosynthetic pigments and the accumulation of nutrients in plastids, and not in the cytoplasm of cells, as in other groups of algae.

Bryophytes, like algae, have no roots; their function is performed by thread-like outgrowths in the lower part of the stem - rhizoids. They absorb water poorly, water is captured by the entire surface of the body, so they prefer habitats with high humidity and life forms of bryophytes - annual and perennial herbaceous plants.

The main feature that distinguishes bryophytes from higher spore-bearing plants is the predominance in the life cycle of the haploid gametophyte, on which the diploid sporophyte develops. The “stem” and “leaves” of mosses are not real stems and leaves, they are formations of the gametophyte; the sporophyte (pod on a stalk) develops on the gametophyte and is completely dependent on it. In all other higher vascular plants, the diploid sporophyte dominates in the life cycle; haploid gametophytes are increasingly reduced.

Conductive tissues are the most primitive among all higher plants; true xylem and phloem are absent. Only the most complex bryophytes developed cells resembling the conducting tissues of xylem and phloem.

Class Leafy mosses. Kukushkin flax. Kukushkin flax is one of the most widespread representatives of the Green mosses subclass (Fig. 66). Grows in damp places, swamps, and swampy forests. This is a perennial plant, reaching a height of 15-40 cm. It grows in groups, forming large cushion-shaped sods. The stem of the moss is erect, non-branching. In the center there are more elongated cells corresponding to xylem and phloem. The “stem” is densely covered with narrow linear-lanceolate “leaves.” They consist of several layers of cells. At the base of the stem, multicellular filamentous analogues of roots, rhizoids, develop.

Kukushkin flax is a dioecious plant (Fig. .). On the male gametophyte, at the apex, between the reddish “leaves” forming a rosette, the male genital organs are located - antheridia, in which biflagellate spermatozoa are formed. Antheridia look like oblong or round sacs on a stalk. On the female gametophyte, female gametangia (genital organs) are formed - flask-shaped archegonia. An egg develops in the abdomen of the archegonium. Like antheridia, archegonia are located at the top of the plant. When the archegonium matures, the cervical and abdominal cells mucus, and in their place a narrow channel is formed through which sperm can penetrate to the egg. Fertilization occurs in rainy weather, since the movement of sperm requires an aquatic environment.

Spermatozoa have positive chemotaxis to the mucus contents of the archegonium; moving through water, they penetrate into the archegonium, in which one of them merges with the egg.

After a few months, a sporophyte grows from the zygote. The cuckoo flax sporophyte consists of haustoria, legs and boxes. The haustorium (sucker) serves to penetrate the gametophyte into the body. At an early stage, the sporophyte is green and capable of photosynthesis; later it turns yellow, then becomes orange and, finally, brown and completely switches to feeding at the expense of the gametophyte. There is a cap at the upper end of the box before ripening, calyptra. It develops from the abdominal wall of the archegonium and remains haploid. In the capsules, spores are formed by meiotic division (sporic reduction). All spores are morphologically identical, but physiologically different.

Sphagnum peat moss. Sphagnum mosses include over 300 species of the single genus sphagnum, distributed mainly in the north of Eurasia and America. Here they occupy vast areas, being the main formations of peat bogs.

Sphagnum moss is a small plant (up to 15-20 cm), whitish in color, the side shoots of which are densely covered with narrow long leaves (Fig. 68). It usually grows in dense turf. The stem of an adult plant does not have rhizoids. It grows annually at the top, while its lower part constantly dies off. Compressed layers of dead sphagnum form peat deposits.

Sphagnum leaves are ovoid, without a midrib. They are formed by one layer of cells of two types: narrow, long, living, containing chloroplasts - assimilating, forming a kind of net and wide dead hyaline aquiferous cells with spiral thickenings located between living ones.

Dead cells have holes, pores and are able to accumulate and retain large amounts of water (25-37 times their weight).

Sphagnum is a monoecious plant; antheridia and archegonia form on lateral branches in the upper part of the stem. Fertilization of eggs by biflagellate sperm occurs in the presence of water.

From the zygote a sporophyte develops, represented by a round capsule. The haustorium of the sporophyte grows into a support made of gametophyte tissues - the false leg.

By the time the spores mature (as a result of meiosis), the supports lengthen and the capsules rise above the leafy part of the stem.

In humid weather, air penetrates through the stomata; when the box dries, the stomata close, the pressure in the box increases and with a distinct pop the lid breaks off, and a cloud of spores rises above the box. Once in favorable conditions, the spores germinate into a single-layer lamellar protonema, on which buds appear, giving rise to new shoots of moss.

Sphagnum is four times more hygroscopic than cotton wool and contains a substance - sphagnol, which has a bactericidal effect. In addition, sphagnum not only waterlogs, but also acidifies the soil to a pH below 4. In the acidic bactericidal environment, rotting bacteria die, and plant remains settle to the bottom and are compressed, turning into peat.

The meaning of mosses. In nature, bryophytes often settle on such substrates and in such habitats that are inaccessible to other plants. In this case they act as pioneer vegetation, playing a large role in soil-forming processes. Bryophytes play a significant role in regulating the water balance of land. They regulate the evaporation of moisture from the soil.

In meadows, mosses prevent seed regeneration of grasses, and in forests - the germination of tree seeds. By accumulating water, mosses cause waterlogging of soils. Sphagnum and green mosses are the main peat formers. The presence of moss cover is one of the main stabilizing factors in permafrost conditions.

Economic importance. Animals do not eat mosses. Peat is used as fuel, bedding for domestic animals, and fertilizer. By dry distillation of peat, methyl alcohol, saccharin, wax, paraffin, paints, etc. are obtained. Paper and cardboard are made from peat. In construction, peat is used as a heat-insulating and sound-proofing material. Sphagnum also has medical value - it is used as an excellent dressing material.

Key terms and concepts

1. Kukushkin flax. 2. Haustoria. 3. Equisporous bryophytes. 4. Protonema. 5. Dioecy of cuckoo flax. 6. Sphagnum. 7. Assimilating and water-bearing cells of sphagnum. 8. Pioneer vegetation.

Basic review questions

1. General characteristics of bryophytes.
2. The structure of gametophytes and sporophyte of cuckoo flax.
3. Haploid formations and structures of cuckoo flax.
4. The structure of the gametophyte and sporophyte of sphagnum.
5. Diploid formations and structures of sphagnum.

Comparative analysis of the life cycle of mosses (cuckoo flax) and mosses (annual moss)

Life cycle of cuckoo flax

Kukushkin flax - Polytrichum commune - is a characteristic representative of deciduous mosses. The body of cuckoo flax moss is divided into a thin, round, reddish stem and narrow, green leaves. There are no roots, they are replaced by well-developed rhizoids. Compared to other types of mosses, cuckoo flax has a large height; it reaches a height of 20-40 cm.

Cuckoo flax reproduces by spores. He has a well-expressed generational change. This is a dioecious plant. The reproductive organs are formed at the top of the stems.

Male specimens of cuckoo flax have a characteristic arrangement of leaves at the top of the stems. Here larger leaves are formed, they sit much denser in the form of a rosette and have a reddish color. By this arrangement of leaves it is easy to recognize male specimens. Antheridia form on the expanded upper part of the stem. Antheridia have a slightly elongated shape; spermatozoa with two flagella develop in them.

Archegonia are flask-shaped and located at the top of the stem of the female plant, which, unlike the male one, does not end with a rosette of red leaves.

Fertilization occurs in early spring, when low places where mosses grow are filled with water. One of the sperm penetrates the egg through the mucous canal of the archegonium neck and fertilizes it. From the fertilized egg, a sporophyte grows in the form of a long thin stalk ending in a box of complex structure. The sporophyte of cuckoo flax has a special name - sporogony. The sporogon capsule has an elongated cap with a pointed end. Outwardly, it is similar to a cuckoo, which is where the name of this moss comes from.

The cap is a calyptra, this is the upper modified part of the archegonium. Under the cap is the lid of the box. Inside the box there is a central rod - a column; a spore sac is attached to it, in which spores develop. Initially, the spores are connected into tetrads, i.e. four pieces together.

Before maturation, the tetrads break up into individual spores. The cap of the box falls off first, then the lid. The capsule ends with denticles; in dry weather they bend outward and thereby open the exit for mature spores.

The spore, falling to the ground, germinates in the presence of a sufficient amount of moisture, forming a protonemum, or pregrowth. The protonema consists of thin branched filaments filled with chlorophyll.

The protonema, growing, forms an apical bud from which adult cuckoo flax plants grow, and some protonemas form only male plants, and others only female plants.

Although there is no external difference between the spores, they are physiologically different. After fertilization, the egg grows into an asexual generation in the form of a sporogon growing on the female gametophyte. In cuckoo flax, the gametophyte is larger in size than the sporophyte.

The cuckoo flax moss has different requirements for environmental conditions on the part of the sporophyte and the gametophyte. The sporophyte (sporogon) of cuckoo flax, growing on the female gametophyte, has a clearly expressed adaptability to life in the air, and it does not need water, since it receives the required amount from the gametophyte.

A dry environment prevents spores from germinating in the capsule. The sexual generation of this moss cannot live without free water, since it does not yet have roots and therefore receives the bulk of it not from the soil, but from the atmosphere.

Free water is necessary for the sexual generation of cuckoo flax and for the sexual process, for the movement of sperm.

Cuckoo moss flax is a perennial plant. After being freed from sperm, male specimens do not die; they continue to grow and the next year antheridia form at the top of them again.

The female specimens do not die either; after the spores are dispersed, the sporogon falls on them, and the plants continue to grow, and the next spring archegonia are formed again at the top of the stem.

Diagram of the development cycle of cuckoo flax. Explanations in the text

The development cycle of green moss Kukushkin flax. Explanation in the text

In order to occupy new spaces, ancient plants had to adapt to completely new living conditions. For example, the constant loss of moisture through evaporation contributed to the appearance of a protective waxy layer. The lack of support in the air, unlike water, caused the formation of a fairly rigid body, and the principle of gas exchange changed. The temperature and biochemical conditions became completely different, and the plants successfully adapted to them. Let's look at the life cycle of mosses in this article.

What is moss?

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

Such adaptation mechanisms can be most clearly observed in mosses. For example, the main condition for success is the availability of water. Mosses can also reproduce only with the help of moisture.

The life cycle of mosses is very interesting. Of the entire group, they are the most primitive organisms. Bryophyta or bryophytes are multicellular plants with virtually no conducting tissue. Therefore, the sizes of these living organisms are very small - from 1 mm to 50 cm. Mosses do not have roots; they are attached to the surface of the earth by thread-like outgrowths, rhizoids, with which these plants absorb water. Rhizoids sometimes consist of one cell. Unlike the roots of all other plants, which have multicellular conducting tissue. Other parts of the moss body can be roughly defined as the stem and leaves. However, in fact, they are completely different from the stems and leaves of all other plants on the planet in their structure.

Where do they meet?

Mosses have successfully adapted to life in a wide variety of temperature and climatic conditions and are distributed almost throughout the planet: from the polar regions to the tropics. They thrive in conditions of high air humidity - in forests and mountains. Mosses are also found in dry areas. The survival rate of bryophytes is amazing - they can withstand very high temperatures, up to 70 degrees Celsius. In dry climates, mosses have adapted to enter a state of suspended animation associated with seasonal climatic fluctuations. When the rains fall and the air temperature drops, the soil becomes moist and the moss “comes to life”, the reproduction cycle begins. Let's consider the importance of spores in the life cycle of mosses.

Living conditions of mosses

Moss grows happily in places with a lack of sunlight, for example, in caves, cracks and crevices of rock, occupying those ecological niches where other plants cannot exist.

The only place where mosses are unable to exist is in saline soils near the sea.

Moss spores are unusually tenacious. With the wind they can travel great distances. The spores remain viable for decades.

Mosses accumulate significant reserves of moisture, so they help regulate a particular landscape. Therefore, moss is extremely important for the ecosystem. In addition, for some animal species, moss is the main food source.

About 30 thousand species of mosses grow on earth today. Scientists classify these plants according to their morphology, the structure of the spore capsules, and the methods of spore distribution.

Mosses are able to reproduce both by spores and by vegetative means. In the life cycle of moss, the sexual generation predominates over the asexual one.

Deciduous mosses or bryopsids

This is a fairly numerous class of plants, which is represented by 15 thousand species of mosses. They are incredibly varied in appearance, size and shape. This plant consists of a stem covered with leaves that are arranged in a spiral around the stem. The very stage of their development is called gametophyte. The method of reproduction of deciduous mosses is through spores. Most often, these plants are found in damp places, swamps, and also in the tundra. Kukushkin flax and sphagnum are typical representatives of bryopsids.

Liver mosses

Liverworts are represented by two subclasses: Jungermanniaceae and Marchantiaceae. These plants are also numerous - 8.5 thousand species. Just like in deciduous mosses, the gametophyte is the stage of their greatest viability. The plant itself is a thick stem with leaves that are located along the stem. The method of reproduction is spores, which are spread using a special device, a kind of “spring” called elatera. These plants do well in humid tropical and temperate climates. Among the representatives are marchantia polymorpha, ptilidium ciliata, blepharostroma pilafolium, and others.

Anthocerotic mosses

This class is not so numerous and is represented by 300 plant species. The sporophyte is the most important life stage in the development cycle of this plant. Anthocerote mosses look like a thallus - this is a body that is not divided into roots, stems and leaves. Such mosses grow in tropical rainforests and temperate climate zones. Antoceros is a typical representative of this class.

The life cycle of cuckoo flax will be described below. Cuckoo flax moss is a perennial plant. Its structure is a fairly developed structure. The primary horizontal stem is brown without leaves and the secondary stem is erect, branched or single.

The secondary stem is covered with dark green, harsh, awl-like leaves. These stems can reach a height of 10-15 to 40 cm. The lower leaves are scales. The plant has a primitive conducting system that is capable of moving water and minerals along the stem to the leaves. Its rhizoids can reach a length of almost 40 cm.

Places where cuckoo flax moss grows

Kukushkin flax usually grows well in damp places, in swamps, damp meadows and spruce forests, and loves sunlight. In open areas it grows very powerfully, capturing more and more new territories. Its stems “envelop” the soil so tightly that seeds of other plants are unable to germinate. This plant loves cleared forests or fires. This moss absorbs water extremely well. The density of the plant retains moisture in the soil. Due to this, the area becomes swamped.

People have long used this plant as insulation. They use it to caulk the walls of log houses. Sometimes used as a medicinal plant for colds.

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

Life cycle of cuckoo flax moss

Cuckoo flax moss is a dioecious plant. This is a phenomenon when different-sex organs - female and male - are formed on separate stems of one plant.

Kukushkin flax develops by alternating two generations - asexual and sexual. Sporophyte is the life cycle of mosses that results in the formation of asexual cells. They contain a Gametophyte - another life cycle of the same plant, which ends with the formation of gametes, sex cells containing only one set of chromosomes - haploid.

Now it is clear why the sexual generation predominates over the asexual generation in the life cycle of mosses.

Spore boxes are popularly believed to look like a cuckoo sitting on a pole. In general, the appearance of cuckoo flax moss resembles a miniature one, which is where it got its name. The fine hairs on the cap covering the spore capsule are also similar to linen yarn.

The box itself consists of several parts - an urn, a neck and a lid. There is a small column inside it. It contains infertile cells, from which haploid spores mature as a result of reduction division. The urn ends with a ring. After the ripening process is completed, this ring easily separates the urn and cap from the stem under a blow of wind. The spores fall to the ground and the important life cycle of the plant begins again.

Moss life cycle stages

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

When a haploid spore lands on moist soil, it begins to germinate, forming a protonema - a filamentous precursor. A gametophyte is formed from it - female or male.

At the tops of different gametophyte stalks of cuckoo flax, antheridia and archegonia develop - male and female reproductive organs. Oocytes mature in archegonia, and biflagellate spermatozoa mature in antheridia. Externally, male plants are distinguished by large yellowish-brown leaves at the top. Female plants do not have such leaves.

For successful fertilization, drops of moisture are needed to transport sperm from the antheridia to the archegonia, where the eggs are located. This process is usually facilitated by rain or heavy dew.

As a result of the fusion of sperm and egg, a diploid zygote is formed at the top of the female plant. From it grows a new generation of this plant, a sporophyte or sporogon. And it is a sporangium box in which spores ripen.

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

The structure of cuckoo flax moss

The body of mosses is similar in structure to algae, since it also consists of a thallus. However, it may have a structure resembling stems and leaves. Attached to the soil using rhizoids. These plants are able to absorb water and minerals not only directly through the rhizoids, but throughout the body.

The value of moss in nature

In general, mosses are an essential component of the ecological system of our planet. The life cycle of mosses differs from that of other higher plants. They survive well in nutrient-poor soils. They inhabit places that have been subjected to adverse anthropogenic impacts. Thus preparing the land for restoration. After all, when moss dies, it forms a useful soil substrate on which other plants will subsequently grow.

Mosses are indicators of environmental pollution, in particular the atmosphere. Because some types of mosses do not grow in places where the concentration of sulfur dioxide in the air is exceeded. The absence of certain types of mosses in traditional habitats can also indicate air pollution. However, mosses also indicate changes in soils, and much more.

Mosses protect the fragile balance in permafrost areas, covering the soil from the sun's rays. Thus maintaining ecological balance.

Now, if you are asked: “Characterize the life cycle of moss,” then you can easily do it.