Development of Bryophytes as a New Model System to Understand the Phenomenon of Terrestrialization with Environmental Changes

Abstract

Bryophytes are earliest diverging lineages of the extant land plants with around 25,000 species distributed all over the world. Bryophytes can be further classified into three main classes viz. Liverworts, Hornworts and Mosses that grow on a wide range of habitats. Bryophytes, with high ecological and economic values, occupy a very important position in the evolution of terrestrial plants. During the transition of aquatic to terrestrial habitat (terrestrialization), bryophytes got exposed to global climate changes as well as dehydrating atmosphere of terrestrial habitats that led to the desiccation of plant tissues. In order to tolerate the environmental alterations and to protect themselves from abiotic stresses, bryophytes must have enabled themselves to develop certain adaptive strategies. In order to understand these adaptive strategies at molecular level, attempts have been made to develop certain bryophytes as new model system such as Physcomitrella patens and Marchantia polymorpha. In the current chapter we will addresses how does these model systems have been used to address the uniqueness of bryophytes in terms of their capabilities behind the conquering the land i.e. terrestrialization. © 2019, Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.