Economic importance of bryophytes
- 1. ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF BRYOPHYTA Presented by : Panchal Ritaben C. M.SC. : Sem - 1 CBO - 402
- 2. Introduction Direct use of Bryophytes Indirect use of Bryophytes CONTENT
- 3. INTRODUCTION • Bryophytes is traditional name used to refer to all embryophutes that do not have true and are therefore call vascular plants.
- 4. A. Direct use of Bryophytes • Sphagnum and the peat • Medicinal use of Bryophytes • Antibiotic activities of Bryophytes • Use of bryophytes in experimental Botany • Bryophytes as a source of food • Bryophytes as pollution indicators
- 5. • Sphagnum and the Peat • The pieces of dead vegetable matter partially decomposed by water in the bog and gradually compressed and carbonized under pressure of the overlapping late deposits and water is called the peat. • Some peats however consist mainly of the remains of Sphagnum.
- 6. • The compacted, partially decomposed and carbonized dead plant deposits are called the peat. • Peat used as a fuel.The thick deposits of peat are cut into bloks and dried. • Being rich in carbon the dried peat are used as fuel.
- 7. • Preparation of ethyl alcohol. Odell and Hood(1926) reported that by chemical treatment cellulose in peat is broken down into sugar which through fermentation is converted into alcohol. • The other products of industrial use of peat are peat tar ammonia and paraffin.
- 8. • Sphagnum and peat are also of great use in horticulture. • Peat is added to heavy soils to improve their texture as it keeps them porous and prevents caking. • Davis(1910) suggested that peat has a certain food value and thus has been used as a stock food in mixture with molasses.
- 9. • Medicinal use of Bryophytes • Information on medicinal use of bryophytes is scanty. • Watt(1891) had reported to the medicinal use of Marchantia polymorpha, Anthoceros and Riccia.
- 10. • However, the use of mosses in the treatment of ailments is more pronounced. • Shiu - ying (1945) reported that dried Sphagnum is boiled in water.The decoction is used in the treatment of acute haemorrhage and disease of the eye. • The use of Sphagnum for making absorbent bandages in the treatment of boils and discharging wounds has been described above.
- 11. • Antibiotic activities of Bryophyta. • There is scanty information about the occurrence of antibiotics substance in the bryophytes. • Pates and Madsen(1955) tested the antibiotic activities of four species namely Conocephalum conicum, Sphagnum strictum.
- 12. • Atrichium , Mnium , Polytrichum and Sphagnum showed pronounced antibiotic activity , 18 species were moderate to strongly active against one or both bacteria. • Gupta and Singh (1971) reported that the petroleum ether extracts of two species of mosses namely Barbula and Timely are antibiotically active against 33 bacterial species which include gram negative, gram positive and fast bacteria.
- 13. • Use of bryophytes in experimental Botany • The liverworts and mosses have played an important role as research tools in the various phase of botany such as genetics ,experimental , morphology and physiology. • The mechanism of sex determination in plants was discovered for the first time in a liverwort Sphaerocarpos.
- 14. • Bryophytes as a source of food • Bryophytes are not directly used as human food. • Haines(1877) recorded Laplanders having made use of Sphagnum as an ingredient in the preparation of bread. • There are however examples of animals useful to man which use bryophytes as a food source.
- 15. • Bryophytes as pollution indicators. • Rubling and Tyler (1979) Ferguson et al (1978) showed that both alive and air dried mosses particularly Sphagnum can absorb metals. • The accumulation of heavy metal cations mosses enable them to be used as atmospheric and aquatic pollution indicators and in mineralogical surveys.
- 16. B. Indirect use of Bryophytes. 1. As aids in soil conservation. 2.Formation of soil and development of vegetation cover. 3.Bog succession. 4.Role as rock builders.
- 17. • As aids in soil conservation. • The mosses prevent sheet erosion of soil.they grow in dence stands forming a mat or carpet like structure. • Firstly it bears the impact of the falling rains drops and secondly it holds much of the water that falls. • Grout(1912) held that even the moss protonema mat checks soil erosion.
- 18. • Formation of soil development of vegetation cover. • The lichen and mosses play an important role in soil formation.Both are slow but efficient soil formers. • The lichen thallus secrete organic acids which gradually dissolve and disintegrate the rocks to which they cling. • The rock particle together with the dead and decaying older parts of the lichen thallus form fertile soil.
- 19. • Bog succession. • Weaver and Clements remarked that mosses play an important role in bog succession from open water to climax forest. • The mosses especially the peat mosses established on the banks of lakes and other shallow bodies of water extend inwards and grow over the surface of water with their stems intertwined to form thick mats.
- 20. • Role as rock builders. • These plants grow in shall waters of lakes streams and springs which contain a large amount of calcium bicarbonate. • The plants bring about decomposition of bicarbonic ions by abstracting free carbon dioxide.
- 21. Reference Botany For Degree Students Bryophytes by :- B. R. Vashistha A. K. Sinha V. P. Singh https://en.m.wikipedia.org https://www.slideshare.net
- 22. Thank You