Question

Which one of the following is of considerable economic importance?
A. Riccia
B. Funaria
C. Marchantia
D. Sphagnum

Answer 1

Hint: Peat moss is a bryophyte that provides peat. This peat can be used as a fuel or as a packing material for trans-shipment of leaving material because of their high water holding capacity.

Complete step by step answer:
Sphagnum is a genus present in division bryophyta. It is also known as peat moss. It comprises approximately 150-300 species of mosses. These species are of considerable economic importance as they are used as a packaging material to pack seedlings and bulbs for consignment. The peat mosses act like a sponge. They can soak up and hold the water. The peat mosses due to their high water holding capacity can be widely used in greenhouses and seed beds. Moreover, high soil acidity which is required by certain plant species can also be maintained by the Sphagnum or the peat mosses. Dried peat can also be used as a fuel as it is a prospective resource of coal. The Sphagnum plants also have excellent absorptive characteristics due to which it can also be used in hospitals for filling absorbent bandages instead of using cotton. Also, Sphagnum produces sphagnonal which is an antibiotic. Mosses along with lichens can dissolve rocks by colonizing them and hence helps in starting the process of succession.
Other bryophytes, namely, Riccia, Funaria and Marchantia are of little economic importance as compared to sphagnum.
So, the correct answer is option “D” that is Bryophyte Sphagnum is of considerable economic importance.

Note:
Bryophytes include various mosses and liverworts. They are also considered as amphibians of the plant kingdom because they depend on water for their sexual reproduction.