Difference between mosses and lichens

Mosses and lichens are 100% space pioneers. They were the first to "come out" on land, adapted to life on it, and also became the material for the formation of humus. In addition, mosses and lichens are at the core of plant evolution.

Definition

Mosses - these are the highest spore plants that belong to the Mossy department of the plant kingdom.

Lichens are lower plants formed by the symbiosis of fungi and bacteria.

Comparison

Mosses appeared on Earth at the end of the Devonian - at the beginning of the Carboniferous period. Mosses are found on all continents, including Antarctica. The only condition necessary for the life of mosses is the presence of a sufficient amount of moisture required to organize the reproduction process.

Javanese moss in an aquarium

Lichens appeared in the early Devonian. They are common on all continents and were able to adapt to life and rise to the maximum height for plants in mountainous regions.

Mosses are miniature plants. They have no roots, so they are attached to the substrate with the help of multicellular hair-like processes - rhizoids. In addition to being fixed in the soil, rhizoids play the role of delivering water and nutrients to the body. But these same substances can enter the plant through the stem and leaves. The leaves and stems of mosses contain chlorophyll, becoming a site for photosynthesis.

Lichens are amazing plants. Their body - thallus - is formed by the coexistence of fungi and algae. But forcibly separated components of the body of lichens are able to exist independently. In the lichen thallus, fungal hyphae form the upper and lower crust. And in the middle, like the filling in a pie, there are algae. They are engaged in photosynthesis, possessing the pigment chlorophyll. Lichens have no roots. As a result of life processes, fungal hyphae release acid, destroying the substrate to which they are attached.

Mosses are dioecious plants. Females have organs containing eggs at their tops, and males have organs containing sperm. These are sporophytes, one of two generations that predominates in the life cycle of mosses. After pollination, a sporangium is formed on the female plant. Spores ripen in it, which, falling into a humid environment, germinate. From this green thread - gametophyte - new females and males grow over time.

Lichen on a tree

Lichens can reproduce vegetatively, asexually and sexually, forming characteristic fruiting bodies.

Moss retains water in the soil, sometimes swamping it. Mosses were the first dressing material and are the basis for the formation of peat.

By not carrying air pollution, lichens have become ideal indicators of the state of the air. Lichens are considered biological destroyers of rocks and the basis of the process of soil formation.

Conclusions TheDifference.ru

  1. Lichens appeared on Earth earlier than mosses, and have a wider area of ​​distribution.
  2. Moss is a single organism, lichen is a conglomerate of organisms capable of independent existence.
  3. Mosses are at a higher evolutionary stage of development than lichens.
  4. Both plants have different biological and economic values.
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