Non-vascular plants do not have many different types of specialised tissue. Phyllids are leaf-like structures found in mosses and leafy liverworts. They are composed of single sheets of cells with no internal air spaces, no cuticle or stomata, and no xylem or phloem. As a result, phyllids are classified as poikilohydric because they are unable to control the rate of water loss from their tissues. Marchantia, for example, has a cuticle, and moss sporophytes contain both cuticles and stomata, which were significant in the evolution of land plants. [3]
Characteristics of non-vascular plants
- All land plants have a life cycle that alternates between a diploid sporophyte and a haploid gametophyte generation, however the gametophyte generation is dominant in all non-vascular land plants. Sporophytes rely on gametophytes for water and mineral nutrients, as well as the provision of photosynthate, the product of photosynthesis, in these plants.
- Vascular plants, also known as tracheophytes, are terrestrial plants having lignified tissues that transport water and minerals throughout the plant’s body. These lignified tissues, also known as vascular tissue, are composed of water-conducting xylem tissue and food-conducting phloem tissue.
- For the transmission of various chemicals, vascular tissue forms a central column, also known as a stele, across the plant axis. Because vascular tissues are present, vascular plants are said to have a genuine stem, leaves, and roots.
- The root is a genuine root that helps the plant to attach to the soil and absorb nutrients. Stomata in the broad leaves aid in gas exchange and transpiration. Vascular tissue is stratified in the stems of vascular plants, which aids in the protection and transfer of food and water.
- Depending on the pattern of cell division, these issues may be organised differently in various plant families. The xylem is made up of non-living components, tracheids, and vesicles that are hardened by lignin to give the tissue a robust structure.
- The phloem, on the other hand, is made up of non-lignified living sieve components. Vascular plants can thrive on land because they can carry food, water, and minerals to different parts of the plant by applying pressure to the tissues. They’ve also made a few tweaks that make it easier for them to exist on land.
- Another distinguishing trait of vascular plants is that their primary generation phase is the sporophytic phase, during which they produce diploid spores. When compared to non-vascular plants, vascular plants are tall and gigantic in size because of their ability to transport critical compounds to all regions of the body via vascular tissue.
- Vascular plants are regarded to be a more evolved version of non-vascular plants that arose later in the evolutionary process.
Size of non-vascular plants
Non-seed plants, also known as lower vascular plants or cryptograms, and seed plants, sometimes known as higher vascular plants or phanerogams, are the two types of vascular plants.
Plants like ferns, for example, are lower vascular plants that, although having adapted to life on land, maintain some characteristics of their aquatic forebears. These plants are classed as Pteridophyta.
The higher vascular plants are numerous and diverse, and they are further classified into multiple subgroups. Maize, mustard, rose, cycad, ferns, clubmosses, grasses, and other vascular plants are examples.
Mosses, liverworts, and hornworts are all nonvascular plant members of the Bryophyta division. Because these plants lack vascular tissue, they are unable to retain water or transport it to other regions of the plant.
Despite the fact that the plant body is separated between leaflike and stemlike components, bryophytes lack true roots, stalks, and leaves. Rhizoids are root-like structures seen in a variety of species.
Because they lack vascular tissue, bryophytes cannot hold water for extended periods of time. As a result, water must be extracted directly from the atmosphere or from a nearby source. This explains why mosses grow in moist habitats such as marshes and bogs, as well as on the shaded slopes of trees.
The moss’ life cycle is similar to that of bryophytes. Archegonia, which are flask-shaped and situated among the top leaves of female gametophytes, each produce one egg cell.
Conclusion
Non-vascular plants do not have many different types of specialised tissue. Phyllids are leaf-like structures found in mosses and leafy liverworts. They are composed of single sheets of cells with no internal air spaces, no cuticle or stomata, and no xylem or phloem.