Moss (Bryophytes) - Bryophyta

Japanese: コケ植物(苔植物) - こけしょくぶつ（英語表記）Bryophyta

Also known as bryophytes, bryophytes are phylogenetically intermediate between aquatic algae and terrestrial vascular plants. They are small plants that generally prefer damp environments and are also called amphibians of the plant kingdom. They differ from algae in that their reproductive organs are multicellular, the fertilized eggs remain inside the mother, and subsequent development occurs by absorbing nutrients from the mother. They also differ from vascular plants in that the gametophyte dominates their life cycle, while the sporophyte is simple in structure, parasitic on the gametophyte, and lacks vascular bundles. The oldest fossils date back to the Upper Devonian period, but there are few fossils from later periods, making it difficult to trace their evolution paleontologically.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

蘚苔類（せんたいるい）ともいい，系統上は，水中に生活する藻類と陸上に生活する維管束植物との中間に位置し，一般に陰湿な環境を好む小型の植物で，植物界の両生類ともいわれる。生殖器官が多細胞で，受精卵が母体内にとどまり，その後の発生も母体から養分を吸収して行われる点で，藻類と異なる。また，配偶体が生活史の主体を占め，胞子体は構造が単純で配偶体に寄生し，維管束を欠く点で維管束植物と異なる。最古の化石は上部デボン紀にさかのぼるが，その後の化石はわずかで古生物学的に進化の跡づけを行うことは困難である。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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