Question

About 80% of all known land plants are angiosperms. In comparison, bryophytes account for less than 10% of land plants. a. Identify three traits that angiosperms have but that bryophytes lack. Explain in detail how these traits have enabled flowering plants to dominate the landscape. b. If flowering plants have so many advantages, why do mosses still exist?

Answer 1

a. Angiosperms are the flowering plants but bryophytes are lack of flowers. The body of angiosperms are divisible into root, stem and leaf but bryophytes don't possess such structures. Angiosperms are characterised with well developed water vascular system but bryophytes don't possess water vascular system.

Angiosperms produce flowers as well as seeds. Those seeds are easily carried out by several types of carriers such as bird. Well developed root helps them to absorb water from soil and well developed leaves enables them to carry out photosynthesis in large scale. By using the food, produced in photosynthesis, they can increase their biomass, the number of flowers and the number seeds. The well developed vascular bundle help them to carry water and the sap along their body.

b. Angiosperms mainly reproduce through sexual reproduction by means of seed production. In some case, vegetative reproduction could be seen. In adverse condition, angiosperms can't produce seed (if the carrier of cross pollination is missing) but bryophytes remains unaffected in such cases. Nature also select them in evolutionary perspective. So, mosses still exist.