Tetraphis
Appearance
Tetraphis | |
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Tetraphis pellucida | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Division: | Bryophyta |
Class: | Tetraphidopsida |
Order: | Tetraphidales |
Family: | Tetraphidaceae |
Genus: | Tetraphis Hedw. |
Species | |
Synonyms | |
Georgia Müller Hal. |
Tetraphis is a genus of two species of mosses (Bryophyta). Its name refers to its four large peristome teeth.
Reproduction
[edit]The sex of Tetraphis shoots can transform depending on the shoot density. When a colony is sparse female—gemmae-producing—shoots dominate. When the colony is sufficiently dense they transform into male shoots.[1]
This density-dependent sexual reproduction strategy is common in fish but Tetraphis is the first moss in which this has been documented.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Robin Wall Kimmerer (2003). Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses. ISBN 9780870714993.