Bryopsida | |
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Arthrodontous capsule of Dicranella varia | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Division: | Bryophyta |
Subdivision: | Bryophytina |
Class: | Bryopsida (Limpr.) Rothm. |
Subclasses [1] | |
The Bryopsida constitute the largest class of mosses, containing 95% of all moss species. It consists of approximately 11,500 species, common throughout the whole world.
The group is distinguished by having spore capsules with teeth that are arthrodontous; the teeth are separate from each other and jointed at the base where they attach to the opening of the capsule. [2] Consequently, mosses in the Class Bryopsida are commonly known as the “joint-toothed” or “arthrodontous” mosses. [3] These teeth are exposed when the covering operculum falls off. In other groups of mosses, the capsule is either nematodontous with an attached operculum, or else splits open without operculum or teeth.
The Bryopsida can be simplified into three groups: the acrocarpous (pinnate), the pleurocarpous (side-fruited), and the cladocarpous (branching) mosses. This is based on the position of the perichaetia and sporophytes.
Acrocarps are generally characterized by an upright growth habit that is unbranched or only sparingly branched. Branching is usually sympodial with the branches similar to main shoot where they originate. Branches below the perichaetium are called subfloral innovations.
Pleurocarps are generally characterized by creeping shoot systems and extensive lateral branching. The main stem is indeterminant and offshooting branches may be dissimilar. The perichaetia in pleurocarps are produced at the tips of extremely reduced, basally swollen lateral branches that are morphologically distinct from the vegetative branches.
Cladocarps are mosses which produce perichaetia at the tips of unspecialized lateral branches. Such branches are themselves capable of branching.
Although acrocarps, pleurocarps, and cladocarps generally have different branching habits, it is the morphology of the perichaetia which defines the groups. [4]
Among the Bryopsida, the structure of the capsule (sporangium) and its pattern of development is very useful both for classifying and for identifying moss families. Most Bryopsida produce a capsule with a lid (the operculum) which falls off when the spores inside are mature and thus ready to be dispersed. The opening thus revealed is called the stoma (meaning "mouth") and is surrounded by one or two peristomes. A peristome is a ring of triangular "teeth" formed from the remnants of specially thickened cell walls. There are usually 16 such teeth in a single peristome, and in the Bryopsida the teeth are separate from each other and able to both fold in to cover the stoma as well as fold back to open the stoma. This articulation of the teeth is termed arthrodontous.
There are two basic arthrodontous peristome types. [5] The first type is termed haplolepidous and consists of a single circle of 16 peristome teeth. This type of peristome is characteristic of subclass Dicranidae. The second type is the diplolepidous peristome found in subclasses Bryidae, Funariidae, and Timmiidae. In this type, there are two rings of peristome teeth—an inner endostome (short for endoperistome) and an exostome. The endostome is a more delicate membrane, and its teeth are aligned between the teeth of the exostome. There are a few mosses in the Bryopsida that have no peristome in their capsules. These mosses still undergo the same cell division patterns in capsule development, but the teeth do not fully develop.
In the past, the group Bryopsida included all mosses. Current circumscriptions of the group are more limited. [2] [6] [7]
class Bryopsida
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The current composition and phylogeny of the Bryopsida. [6] [8] |
A detailed phylogeny to the level of order, based on the work by Novíkov & Barabaš-Krasni 2015; Cole, Hilger & Goffinet 2021; Fedosov et al. 2016; Ignatov, Fedosov & Fedorova 2016; Bechteler et al. 2023. [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]
Bryopsida |
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Unassigned Dicranidae:
Peristome is an anatomical feature that surrounds an opening to an organ or structure. Some plants, fungi, and shelled gastropods have peristomes.
Andreaeaceae is a family of mosses which includes two genera, Andreaea, containing about 100 species, and the genus Acroschisma. The Andreaeaceae prefer rocky habitats ranging from tropical to arctic climates, on which they form tufted colonies, typically with reddish to blackish shoots. The capsules lack the peristome mechanism and dehisce longitudinally to release the spores, resulting in a paper-lantern appearance.
Buxbaumia is a genus of twelve species of moss (Bryophyta). It was first named in 1742 by Albrecht von Haller and later brought into modern botanical nomenclature in 1801 by Johann Hedwig to commemorate Johann Christian Buxbaum, a German physician and botanist who discovered the moss in 1712 at the mouth of the Volga River. The moss is microscopic for most of its existence, and plants are noticeable only after they begin to produce their reproductive structures. The asymmetrical spore capsule has a distinctive shape and structure, some features of which appear to be transitional from those in primitive mosses to most modern mosses.
Bryidae is an important subclass of Bryopsida. It is common throughout the whole world. Members have a double peristome with alternating tooth segments.
Grimmiales is an order of mosses in the subclass Dicranidae. It comprises four families: Grimmiaceae, Ptychomitriaceae, Seligeriaceae, and Saelaniaceae.
Polytrichaceae is a common family of mosses. Members of this family tend to be larger than other mosses, with the larger species occurring in particularly moist habitats. The leaves have specialized sheaths at the base and a midrib that bears photosynthetic lamellae on the upper surface. These mosses are capable of sustaining high rates of photosynthesis in the presence of ample light and moisture. Unlike all other mosses, the hydroid-based vascular system of these mosses is continuous from stem to leaf and can extract water from the soil through transpiration. Species in this group are dioicous, though some are monoicous. In most species, the sporophytes are relatively large, the setae are rigid, and the calyptrae are hairy. Most species have nematodontous peristomes with 32–64 teeth in their sporangium; some early-diverging genera instead have a stopper mechanism, which consists of the apical section of the columella, that seals the mouth of the capsule shut prior to dehiscence.
The Funariidae are a widespread group of mosses in class Bryopsida. The majority of species belong to the genera Funaria and Physcomitrium.
The Dicranidae are a widespread and diverse subclass of mosses in class Bryopsida, with many species of dry or disturbed areas. They are distinguished by their spores; the peristome teeth are haplolepideous with a 4:2:3 formula, and an exostome is absent.
Tetraphidaceae is a family of mosses. It includes only the two genera Tetraphis and Tetrodontium, each with two species. The defining feature of the family is the 4-toothed peristome.
Bryales is an order of mosses.
Gigaspermaceae are a family of mosses in the monotypic order Gigaspermales. The order is placed in subclass Gigaspermidae of the class Bryopsida. They were previously placed in subclass Funariidae.
Ptychomitriaceae is a family of mosses in the subclass Dicranidae.
Pseudoditrichales is an order of haplolepideous mosses in the subclass Dicranidae. It comprises two families, Pseudoditrichaceae and Chrysoblastellaceae. Pseudoditrichaceae was previously placed in Bryales, while Chrysoblastellaceae is a new family erected for Chrysoblastella, which was previously placed in Ditrichaceae.
Rhabdoweisiaceae is a family of haplolepideous mosses (Dicranidae) in the order Dicranales. It consists of 16 genera.
Flexitrichum is a genus of haplolepideous mosses (Dicranidae) in the family Flexitrichaceae.
Distichium is a genus of haplolepideous mosses (Dicranidae) in the monotypic family Distichiaceae.
Timmiellaceae is a family of haplolepideous mosses (Dicranidae). It contains two genera, Luisierella and Timmiella, that were formerly place in family Pottiaceae.
Catoscopium is a genus of haplolepidous mosses (Dicranidae) in the monotypic family Catoscopiaceae .
Saelania is a genus of mosses in the monotypic family Saelaniaceae in subclass Dicranidae. The genus was previously placed in family Ditrichaceae. Saelania is named after Finnish botanist Thiodolf Saelan.
Wijkia extenuata, commonly known as spear moss or spiky wiki, is a species of moss from the family Pylaisiadelphaceae. It can be divided into two varieties Wijkia extenuata '-var. caudata and Wijkia extenuata var. extenuata. It is commonly found throughout the tropical, subtropical, and temperate forests of eastern Australasia and New Zealand.