Economic importance of bryophyte.

Economic importance of bryophyte.       

          Bryophytes are the amphibian member of plant kingdom, which are also known as moss.Unlike most of the higher plants bryophytes are found in groups of individual  and they never form any mechanical tissue.Bryophyte often play in the economy of nature, as ecological indicator, medicinal raw materials and many other aspects. The economic importance of  bryophytes are grouped in to following headings ...........................

A.   Ecological Importances:

           Bryophytes are important constituent of ecosystem in temperate and tropical region  of earth.They are ecologically important because of following reasons

1.Bryophytes and plant succession: Among the bryophytes the mosses are considered to potent forms of successional process. They colonize over  the nutrient poor  sides, where no other plant can survive. After death and decay they form humus and increase  the soil fertility.Some important species under this category are- Cephalozia media, Lepidozia septans, Pellia epiphylla etc.      

2.Bryophytes and anatomical succession:In association of plant succession, they participate in faunal succession.For  example moss cushions developing  on rock, first colonized by Rhizopods, Rotifers, Nematodes and Ciliates. As a thicker decomposition of the fauna become similar  to that of the soil fauna.

3.Bryophytes a ovipositor: The animals which feed on bryophyte also deposits their egg in bryophyte thallus.  Slugs and snails are frequently depositing their eggs upon gametophores. Some water beetles spent their dormancy period  within the leaves of bryophytes.

4. Bryophytes as ion exchanger: The cell wall of  Sphagnum, functions  as ion exchanger . They  rapidly absorb cation such as Ca⁺², Mg⁺² etc, supplied by rain water and in exchange  release hydrogen ions in to the water. Hydrogen ion make the soil acidic and maintain the acidic  environment of soil.

5.Maintanance  of water balance in forest: In forest, especially in the tropical forest Sphagnum and few other bryophytes absorb huge  amount of water and maintain humidity over dry period and thus preventing rapid run off  and folding.

6.Conservation of soil and prevention of soil erosion: On bare and disturbed soil, bryophytes act as pioneer community and they have the ability to stabilize soil.The soil in semi arid regions are held in place by crusts predominantly composed of  bryophytes and thus preventing the soil from blowing  away. N. G. Miller (1981) found that bryophytes increase the buffering capacity of soil, particularly against the changes normally caused by addition of fertilizer. The slow decomposition of many bryophyte taxa makes them suitable for long-lasting mulch. When Sphagnum is spread over the ground or mixed with soil, it retains moisture and prevents weed growth; it also discourages damping-off fungi (H. Miller and N. G. Miller 1979).

 

7.Nitrogen Fixation:Nitrogen is often a limiting nutrient for plant growth, especially in agriculture. Bryophyte crusts, endowed with nitrogen-fixing Cyanobacteria, can contribute considerable soil nitrogen, particularly to dry rangeland soils. Some of these Cyanobacteria behave symbiotically in Anthoceros (D. K. Saxena 1981), taking nitrogen from the atmosphere and converting it to ammonia and amino acids. The excess fixed nitrogen is released to the substrate where it can be used by other organisms. K. T. Harper and J. R. Marble (1988) found that bryophyte crusts not only help protect soil from wind and water erosion, and provide homes for nitrogen-fixing organisms, but they facilitate absorption and retentionof water as well.

 

8. UV-B Radiation: The moss Bryum argenteum is being used to monitor the thickness of the ozone layer over Antarctica (L. Hedenas 1991). As the ozone layer decreased, increased exposure to UV-B radiation stimulated production of flavonoids in this species. But, as with ozone exposure, responses vary considerably among species. In Sphagnum magellanicum there were no significant differences in chlorophyll or carotenoid concentrations following UV-B exposure; nevertheless, exposure increased its growth in height without a corresponding increase in voltric density, resulting in no effect on biomass (P. S. Searles et al. 2002).

          

           B.Source of  food

 Peat mosses are used as a famine food in China. Sphagnum and some related genera  are used as an ingredient in the preparation of bread. Few moss capsule constitute the cheap diet of  Norwegian grouse chicks. Except that few  bryophytes are used as vegetables.

 

             C.Antibiotic production:

Sphagnum probricense and Sphagnum strictum, inhibited the growth of  Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The petroleum ether extract of  Barbula and Tumella, are antibiotically active against 33 bacterial specieses , which includes gram positive, gram negative and acid fast bacteria.

 

            D.Medicinal use:

Bryophytes have several medicinal importances, which are as follows------------

             i. Marchantia polymorpha has been use to cure pulmonary tuberculosis and affection of liver.

             ii.Extract of Marchantia polymorpha, Marchantia stellata, Polytrichum commune etc posses antihaemaragic and anti tumour properties.

             iii.The decoction of dried Sphagnum is used in the treatment is use in the treatment of accute haemorrhage and eye disorder.

             iv. Polytrichum commune helps to dissolve stones of kidney and gall bladder.

             v. “Peat Tar” , one of the bi-product of peat has antiseptic properties and is used as a preservative treatment of skin disorder.The Sphagnum thallus is also used  for making absorbent bandages in the treatment of  boils and discharging wounds.

 

          E. Anti-tumor Properties: M. Belkin et al. (1952) found that extracts of Polytrichum juniperinum had anticancer activity against Sarcoma 37 in mice. Y. Ohta et al. (1977) isolated ent-eudesmanolide, diplophylline, from Diplophyllum albicans and D. taxifolium. Diplophyllin showed significant activity (ED50 4–16 μg/ml) against human epidermoid carcinoma (KB cell culture). Y. Asakawa (1981, 1982b) isolated the sesquiterpenoids costunolide and tulipinolide, tumor growth-inhibiting substances also known from higher plants, from Conocephalum supradecompositum, Frullania monocera, F. tamarisci, Marchantia polymorpha, Porella japonica, and Wiesnerella denudata, to which A. Matsuo et al. (1980, 1981, 1981b, 1981c, 1981d, 1984) added Lepidozia vitrea and Plagiochila semidecurrens. These substances have

demonstrated activity against carcinoma of the nasopharynx, at least in cell culture.

 

            F.Indicatation of pollutants:

The investigation with  bryophyte in relation to different pollutant, prove their  potentiality as bioindicator. Some  bryophytes  are very sensitive to pollutans and show visible  symptoms of injury even in the presence of  minute quantities of pollutants.Some bryophytes have the capacity to absorb and retain pollutants in quantities much higher than those absorb by other plant growth present in the same habitat.Some pollution indicator bryophytes are-

   *Air pollutant indicator-Leucobryum glaucum    

   *Water pollutant indicator-Marcharntia gigantia, Pogonatum aquaticuqam

   *Heavy metal indicator- Mnium sp.

   *Low pH indicator- Sphagnum sp.

 

        G.Use in experimental biology: The bryophytes have played an important role in research tools in the various phases of plant science such as genetics,  experimental morphology, cytology, biochemistry and physiology. For example

          i.The mechanism of sex determination was discovered first time in a liverwort, known as Sphaerocarpos.

          ii. Experimental studies  on polyploidy was done in liver-worths.

          iii.Corelation between growth form and habitat was first studied in bryophyte

 

        H.Horticultural Uses:Horticulture enjoys a long tradition involving bryophytes (F. Perin 1962; C. B. Arzeni 1963; L. Adderley 1964) as soil additives, ground cover, dwarf plants, greenhouse crops, potted ornamental plants, and for seedling beds (H. Sjors 1980). Sphagnum is used in making totem poles to support climbing plants (at the Mossers Lee Plant, horticultural supplier) and moss-filled wreaths, popular in southeastern U.S. Other decorative horticultural uses include making baskets and covering flower pots and containers for floral arrangements (J. H. Thomason 1994), and one company advertises a birch-bark pedestal topped by a moss globe. Nurserymen typically use wet Sphagnum for shippinglive plants. A lesser known use of Sphagnum in horticulture is that of burning it to produce a smoke screen against frost (J. W. Thieret 1954).