Life of the forest. Bryophytes

[Music] Bopites are a fascinating and despite their simple internal and external structure, very diverse group of [Music] plants. Due to their usually small size and the environmental niches they occupy, we often do not see them or overlook [Music] them. However, they are a very important group and an indispensable component of our forests whose flora is constantly changing with the increasing impact of humans on the natural environment. [Music] Life of the forest. Bryophites. [Music] Usually when we walk through the forest, we notice the big things. We see the trees and notice the flowers and ferns growing in the undergrowth. However, we rarely pay attention to the tiny things. And this is exactly the world of mosses and liver warts. These small plants are hidden under our feet, growing on tree trunks, branches, deadwood, and rocks. But to really get to know this world, you have to bend down, pick up a magnifying glass, and take a closer look at what is growing there. For example, if we take a close look at this fragment of a root, we will see at least a dozen different species of mosses and liver warts. [Music] The general term bryophites covers a whole range of different species currently belonging to three systematic groups. Mosses, liver warts and [Music] hornwarts which are characterized by certain common features. These are mainly the dominance of the hloid generation over the diploid that is the gamitoy over the sporopyte. Therefore, it is currently a traditional term, not a scientific one. Bryes are plants that are characterized by their great adaptability to life in different, often extreme environmental conditions. [Music] They can be found on all continents and in every climate zone from dry deserts to areas of the Arctic and Antarctic that are not covered by ice sheets. The only places they cannot be found are in the seas and oceans. In Poland, we have species that occur in a wide ecological spectrum when it comes to ecosystems, from dry grasslands to fertile repairarian forests. Ending with alder forests or even further wetter in pete [Music] bogs. It is estimated that there are over 20,000 species of broites in the world. In Poland, there are over 900 of them, including about 700 species of mosses, 250 liver warts, and four species of hornwarts. Here we see a specific group of mosses and liver warts, the so-called epipitic species,