Salient Features of Bryophytes

1. Presence of a distinct and well-defined heteromorphic alternation of generation in the life history that is gametophyte and sporophyte generations which follow one another in regular succession. Gametophyte is independent while sporophyte is dependent on gametophyte.
2. In their vegetative structure they have become completely adapted to land habit. However, they still require water for fertilization and hints to complete their life cycle. They are called the amphibians of plant Kingdom.
3. The plant body lacks true root, stem, and leaf. In lower bryophytes the plant body is thalloid containing rhizoids (Example: Riccia). In higher bryophytes, however, the gametophytic plant body is differentiated into roots like (rhizoids), stem like (caulid), and leaf like (phyllid) structures (Example: moss).
4. The bryophytes (like thallophytes) lack vascular bundles (which is characteristic feature of higher plants). However, vascular bundle-like structures in form of a strength maybe present in higher bryophytes like Pogonatum.
5. Sexual reproduction is highly oogamous. The sex organs are jacketed and multicellular (in contrast to algae where sex organs are unicellular and non-jacketed).
6. Female sex organ in form of archegonium appears for the first time in the bryophytes.
7. Sperms are biflagellate and both the flagella are whiplash type.
8. The fertilized egg is retained within the venter. It neither becomes independent of the parent gametophyte, nor passes into resting period (unlike algae).
9. The zygote divides to form embryo. The first division of the zygote is transverse, and the apex of the embryo develops from the outer cell. Such an embryogeny is called exoscopic (Embryo is absent in thallophyta).
10. The venter enlarges with the developing embryo into a protective multicellular structure called calyptra.
11. The embryo develops into sporophyte. It is differentiated into foot, seta, and capsule. In some species Seta is absent (Example: Corsinia).
12. The sporogonium is concerned with the production of wind-disseminated, non-motile, cutinized spores which belong to the category of gonospores or meiospores. This meiospores are of one kind, i.e. they are homospores.