Now we are going to discuss the economical and ecological importance of bryophytes but before we study about it we should know some basic information about bryophytes like characteristics of bryophytes and classification of bryophytes and their modes of reproduction.
Table of Contents
Economic Importance of Bryophytes:
Used As Bandages:
In medical sciences cotton is mostly used for dressing of serious wounds but due to high absorption power and antiseptic properties sphagnum are used as absorptive bandages in dressing of wounds.
Other Medicinal Use of Bryophyta:
Members of bryophytes are used to treat others diseases like certain bryophytes are known for their antibiosis property, peat tar has antiseptic properties, some Polytrichum species are able to dissolve kidney and gall bladder stones, dried sphagnum is useful for eye infection, Marchantia are used for some liver disease and to treat tuberculosis.
Bryophytes are Used as Packaging Material:
Dried moss are able to absorb shock so they can be used for packaging the material which can break easily like the glass material and due to their high water absorption capacity and high water retention capacity they are used in transportation of seedlings which gives continuous water supply to the seedlings.
Used As Animal Foods:
Some mosses are used as food for herbaceous animals like birds, mammals like straw and grasses used for herbaceous plants.
Bryophytes are Used In Research:
Members of bryophytes are used in the field of research in the field of genetics, especially mosses and Liverworts are used for research purposes.
Bryophytes are used in Seedbed Production:
Sphagnum is known for its great water retention capacity which is very useful to prepare the seedbed in nurseries, greenhouses for maintaining plants in hydrated conditions.
Bryophyta Act As Natural Indicators:
Some bryophyta grow rapidly in acidic soil while some bryophyta grow rapidly in basic soil so they can be used for indication of acidity or basicity of soil for example, Polytrichum is used as indicators of acidic soil because they grow in acidic soils.
Bryophytes are used for Peat Formation:
Peat is partially decomposed and carbonised dark colour substances and sphagnum can be used to peat formation and some portion of peat form coal and peat also used for production of different types of dye.
Other Economic Importance of Bryophytes:
Dried bryophyta can be used as fuel, food for cattle, plant hydration, in horticulture to form soil texture.
Ecological Importance of Bryophytes:
- In a bare rock lichens and mosses grow first and they make the rock suitable for other plants by their activities for soil formation. The mosses decompose the rocks and make different minerals present in rocks available for the higher plants and dead mosses secret some chemicals which helps in soil formation from the rock.
- Bryophytes are very helpful to prevent soil erosion in bare land because they produce a dense covering over the soil which protects the soil from external Factors like rainwater.
- They do not allow the water to run off because of their high water retention capacity and they help in recycling the nutrient cycle.
- Mosses form humus and due their high water retention capacity they can be used for bog formation and they give suitable conditions for seed germination by providing required water and humus.
- Bryophyta can decompose the bicarbonate ion which helps in precipitation of insoluble calcium carbonate which spreads over large areas and for rock so bryophyta have a great role in rock formations.
So we can say that bryophytes have a lot of economic and ecological importance because they can treat some serious disease, they can be used for hydration of any substance like seedlings, they can be used for shock absorber for transportation of fragile substances, they can be used as indicators for acidity and basicity of soil, they take part in soil formation, they can be used as fuel and food for domesticated herbivorous animals.
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