Question

It may look soft and squishy, but the liverwort is actually fairly rigid. What process, described in the station notes, is responsible for the way the liverwort is supported?How is water distributed throughout the body of the liverwort?

Answer 1

Liverworts come in two very distinct forms: leafy and thalloid. Leafy liverworts are obviously, leafy, and look very much like the mosses. Thalloid liverworts, on the other hand, do not look anything like mosses. They do not have stems or leaves; instead their main body is flat, like a green pancake.

Most liverworts must be near water to survive, and are very rare in the park. Mosses and liverworts are small, primitive, non-vascular plants. They lack the conductive tissue most plants use to transport water and nutrients. Instead, moisture is absorbed directly into cells by osmosis.