Tetraphis

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Tetraphis
Tetraphis pellucida.jpeg
Tetraphis pellucida
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Bryophyta
Class: Tetraphidopsida
Order: Tetraphidales
Family: Tetraphidaceae
Genus: Tetraphis
Hedw.
Species
Synonyms

GeorgiaMüller Hal.

Tetraphis is a genus of two species of mosses (Bryophyta). Its name refers to its four large peristome teeth.

Reproduction

The sex of Tetraphis shoots can transform depending on the shoot density. When a colony is sparse female—gemmae-producing—shoots dominate. When the colony is sufficiently dense they transform into male shoots. [1]

This density-dependent sexual reproduction strategy is common in fish but Tetraphis is the first moss in which this has been documented. [1]

References

  1. 1 2 Robin Wall Kimmerer (2003). Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses. ISBN   9780870714993.