A diagram indicating current understanding of cladistic relationships of the major lineages of green algae and land plants. Abbreviations as follows: Chloro. = Chlorophytes; Pleur. = Pleurophytes; Ulvo. = Ulvophytes; Charop. = Charophytes; Micromonad. = Micromonadophytes; Liv. = Liverworts; Horn. = Hornworts; Trach. = Tracheophytes. (Modified from Mishler, B. D. et al. (1994) Phylogenetic relationships of the "green algae: and "bryophytes." Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 81: 451-483.)
The roughly 18,000 species of bryophytes are generally classified into three coordinate phyla, the Bryophyta (mosses), Jungermanniophyta (liverworts) and Anthocerotophyta (hornworts). Phylogenetic analyses such as those of Mishler et al. (1994) suggest that these phyla are nested among the embryophytes and are paraphyletic with regards to each other. In many such analyses the mosses appear to be a sister group to the tracheophytes or vascular plants, while the liverworts and hornworts are more remote.
Anthocerotophyta (Hornworts)
Bryophyta
(Mosses)
Marchantiophyta (Liverworts)
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URL: http://www.science.siu.edu/bryophytes/class.html
Last updated: 19-October-1999/ jrb, res