Examine the pictures of mosses and liverworts. The liverworts have flattened leaf like structures and the mosses look more like small shrubs. Mosses and liverworts require moist living conditions. During sexual reproduction the sperm swims to the egg through water. Also, each leaf like structure is able to absorb water directly from the environment through pores. The pores do not close, so the plant will dehydrate if the soil dries. Mosses and liverworts stay anchored to the soil with small thread-like structures called rhizoids.

Figure 1. Moss gametophyte liverwort gametophyte

Figure 1. Moss & liverwort gametophytes.

Figure 2. Spores developing inside a moss sporophyte capsule, 40X magnification.

Figure 2. Spores developing inside a moss sporophyte capsule, 40X magnification cross-section.

On the liverworts occasionally small cup-like structures appear on the upper surface. These are gemma cups. They are used in asexual reproduction. Rainwater splashes the gemma out from the cups and they grow into liverworts that are genetically identical to the parent.

Figure 3. Liverwort gemmae cups. This are used in asexual reproduction.

Figure 3. Liverwort gemmae cups. They are used in asexual reproduction. Photo credit: R. Wagner.