Non+Vascular+Plants



Nonvascular is a term generally used for plants without a vascular system, and therefore without Xylem and Phloem. Many of these plants have specialized tissues used for the internal transport of water due to the fact that they do not contain veins within their walls. Non vascular plants to not have any roots, stems, or leaves because each of these structures consists of vascular tissues. Like all other plants, Non vascular plants share the characteristic of having an Alternation of Generations life cycle, which is where the plants switches between stages of being diploid and stages of being haploid, The only difference between non vascular plants and other plants in terms of their life cycle is that non vascular plants include only plants that have a dominant gametophyte generation. The gametophyte is the dominant, recognizeable stage of the life cycle and is the stage that carries out most of te plant's photosynthesis. Non vascular plants grow from spores and can be separated into two major groups: Bryophytes and algae. Both of these groups are generally referred to as the "lower" plants because they were some of the earliest plants to evolve and due to their not having a vascular system, they are not able to grow to the full height that most vascular plants can reach. Bryophytes have life cycles that depend on water for reproduction. Lacking vascual tissue, these plants can draw up water by osmosis only a few centimeters above the ground. For the most part, Bryophytes include mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. Lastly, although non vascular plants may appear leafy, the lack true stems, roots, or leaves.