Overview
The Bryopsida constitute the largest of mosses, containing 95% of all moss species. It consists of approximately 9,500 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.[1] 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.
Capsule Structure
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.[2] The first is termed haplolepidous and consists of a single circle of 16 peristome teeth. The second type is the diplolepidous peristome fround in subclass Bryidae. 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.
Photos
Taxonomy
The Class Bryopsida is further organized into finer groupings including:
- Subclass (4): Biddulphiophycidae · Bryidae · Polytrichidae · Tetraphidae
- Order (23): Andreales · Archidiales · Bryales · Buxbaumiales · Dawsoniales · Dicranales · Encalyptales · Fissidentales · Funariales · Grimmiales · Hookeriales · Hypnales · Hypnobryales · Isobryales · Leucodontales · Not Assigned · Orthotrichales · Polytrichales · Pottiales · Seligeriales · Splachnales · Tetraphidae · Tetraphidales
- Species: ZipcodeZoo has pages for 19,512 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in the Class Bryopsida.
Orders
Andreales
Archidiales
Archidium is a genus of about 35 species of ; it is the only genus in the family Archidiaceae and order Archidiales. [more]
Bryales
Bryales is an or mosses, including the following families: [more]
Buxbaumiales
Dawsoniales
Dicranales
Dicranales is an of mosses in the subclass Dicranidae. [more]
Encalyptales
Encalyptaceae is a of mosses in order Encalyptales. It includes three genera. [more]
Fissidentales
Fissidentales is an of mosses. [more]
Funariales
Funariales is an of mosses. [more]
Grimmiales
Grimmiales is an of mosses in the subclass Dicranidae. [more]
Hookeriales
Hypnales
Hypnales is an of moss. [more]
Hypnobryales
Isobryales
Leucodontales
Not Assigned
Orthotrichales
Orthotrichaceae is a family of , order Orthotrichales, many of which are epiphytic. [more]
Polytrichales
The Polytrichaceae is a common family of . Members of this family tend to be larger than other mosses with a thickened central stem and a rhizome. The leaves have a midrib that bears lamellae on the upper surface. Species in this group are dioicous. [more]
Pottiales
Pottiales is an of mosses in the subclass Dicranidae. [more]
Seligeriales
Seligeriales is a of mosses in the subclass Dicranidae. [more]
Splachnales
Tetraphidae
A Subclass in the Kingdom Plantae. [more]
Tetraphidales
At least 11 species and subspecies belong to the Order Tetraphidales.
More info about the Order Tetraphidales may be found here.
References
- ^ Buck, William R. & Bernard Goffinet. 2000. "Morphology and classification of mosses", pages 71-123 in A. Jonathan Shaw & Bernard Goffinet (Eds.), Bryophyte Biology. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press). ISBN 0-521-66097-1.
- ^ Edwards, S. R. 1984. "Homologies and inter-relationships of moss peristomes", pages 658-695 in R. M. Schuster (Ed.) New Manual of Bryology. (Japan: The Hattori Botanical Laboratory). ISBN 4-938163-3045.
Sources
- The text on this page is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It includes material from Wikipedia retrieved Friday, November 14, 2008.
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