Bryology (from

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

, a moss, a liverwort) is the branch of

botany Botany, also called plant science (or plant sciences), plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "bot ...

concerned with the scientific study of

bryophyte The Bryophyta s.l. are a proposed taxonomic division containing three groups of non-vascular land plants ( embryophytes): the liverworts, hornworts and mosses. Bryophyta s.s. consists of the mosses only. They are characteristically limited ...

s (

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta ('' sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and ...

es, liverworts, and hornworts). Bryologists are people who have an active interest in observing, recording, classifying or researching bryophytes. The field is often studied along with lichenology due to the similar appearance and ecological niche of the two organisms, even though bryophytes and lichens are not classified in the same kingdom. Bryophyte 1

History

Bryophytes were first studied in detail in the 18th century. The German botanist Johann Jacob Dillenius (1687–1747) was a professor at

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...

and in 1717 produced the work "Reproduction of the

fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except ...

s and mosses." The beginning of bryology really belongs to the work of Johannes Hedwig, who clarified the reproductive system of mosses (1792, ''Fundamentum historiae naturalist muscorum'') and arranged a taxonomy.

Research

Areas of research include bryophyte taxonomy, bryophytes as bioindicators, DNA sequencing, and the interdependency of bryophytes and other plant and animal species. Among other things, scientists have discovered parasitic bryophytes such as '' Cryptothallus'' and potentially carnivorous liverworts such as ''

Colura zoophaga ''Colura zoophaga'' is a species of epiphytic liverwort that is endemic to the African highlands, specifically parts of Kenya. It belongs to the genus ''Colura'', which has been hypothesized to be carnivorous as early as 1893. It is a recently de ...

'' and '' Pleurozia''. Centers of research in bryology include the

University of Bonn The Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (german: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn) is a public research university located in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the ( en, Rhine ...

in Germany, the University of Helsinki in Finland and the New York Botanical Garden.

Journal

'' The Bryologist'' a scientific journal began publication in 1898, and includes articles on all aspects of the biology of mosses, hornworts, liverworts and lichens and also book reviews. It is published by ''The American Bryological and Lichenological Society''.

Notable bryologists

Miles Joseph Berkeley Miles Joseph Berkeley (1 April 1803 – 30 July 1889) was an English cryptogamist and clergyman, and one of the founders of the science of plant pathology. Life Berkeley was born at Biggin Hall, Benefield, Northamptonshire, and educated a ...

(1803–1889) * Elizabeth Gertrude Britton (1858–1934) * Margaret Sibella Brown (1866–1961) * Agnes Fry (1869 - 1957/8) * Heinrich Christian Funck (1771–1839) * Robert Kaye Greville (1794–1866) * Wilhelm Theodor Gümbel (1812–1858) * Inez M. Haring (1875–1968) * Hiroshi Inoue (1932–1989) * Kathleen King (1893–1978) * Mary S. Taylor (born 1885) *

Frances Elizabeth Tripp Frances Elizabeth Tripp (1 August 1832 – 26 December 1890) was a British bryologist, botanical illustrator, philanthropist and writer. She is best known for her two volume work ''British Mosses, their homes, aspects, structures and uses' ...

(1832-1890) * Carl Friedrich Warnstorf (1837–1921)

References

Literature

* Meylania, ''Zeitschrift für Bryologie und Lichenologie'' * Limprichtia, ''Zeitschrift der Bryologischen Arbeitsgemeinschaft Deutschlands''

External links

*
Bryologie at the University of Bonn
*
International Association of BryologistsAmerican Bryological and Lichenological SocietyBritish Bryological Society
Branches of botany * {{botany-stub