AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Bryophytes thrive in damp, shady environments, but they can also be found in diverse and even extreme habitats, from deserts to arctic areas. Globally there are around 11, 000 moss species, 7, 000 liverworts and 220 hornworts. As they are not flowering plants, bryophytes reproduce by spores instead of seeds.

Detailed explanation-2: -Like all cryptogams, bryophytes require water for their male gametes or sperm to swim and reach the female gamete during fertilization. Hence, they flourish in moist and shady environments and are known as the amphibians of the plant kingdom.

Detailed explanation-3: -Because they don’t have roots and stems to transport water, mosses dry out very quickly, so they are usually found in moist habitats. The only place they don’t grow is in salt water.

Detailed explanation-4: -Solution : Mosses grows in moist and shady place because they require water for the transport of gametes/fertilization.

Detailed explanation-5: -They can be found growing in a range of temperatures (cold arctics and in hot deserts), elevations (sea-level to alpine), and moisture (dry deserts to wet rain forests). Bryophytes can grow where vascularized plants cannot because they do not depend on roots for uptake of nutrients from soil.