Mosses in biotechnology

Spore liberation in mosses revisited

The ability to perform hygroscopic movements has evolved in many plant lineages and relates to a multitude of different functions such as seed burial, flower protection or regulation of diaspore release. In most mosses, spore release is controlled by hygroscopic movements of the peristome teeth and also of the spore capsule. Our study presents, for the first time, temporally and spatially well-...

CHROMOSOME COUNTS IN SOME MOSSES OF IRAN

Cytological information is absolutely lacking for the Iranian moss flora (Bryophytes). The present research, dealing with cytological studies on the following five species (including two expressions and one variety) of Iranian mosses, namely, Amblystegium riparium (Hedw.) B.S.G. “brevipes” expression(n=20), A. riparium (Hedw.) B.S.G. “pennellii” expression (n=9, 9+m, 9+2m), A. serpens (Hedw.) B...

Microarthropods mediate sperm transfer in mosses.

Among flowering plants, animals commonly act as pollinators. We showed that fertile moss shoots attract springtails and mites, which in turn carry moss sperm, thereby enhancing the fertilization process. Previously, fertilization of mosses was thought to depend on the capacity of individual sperm to swim through a continuous water layer. The role of microarthropods in moss fertilization resembl...

Morphology of Mosses (Phylum Bryophyta)

With over 12,000 species recognized worldwide (M. R. Crosby et al. 1999), the Bryophyta, or mosses, are the most speciose of the three phyla of bryophytes. The other two phyla are Marchantiophyta or liverworts and Anthocerotophyta or hornworts. The term “bryophytes” is a general, inclusive term for these three groups though they are only superficially related. Mosses are widely distributed from...

Heavy Metals in Mosses and Soils