• Plants (Kingdom Plantae)

• Mosses (Phylum Bryophyta)

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Phylum Bryophyta comprises the mosses, a group of small, non-vascular land plants that are among the oldest living plant lineages, with an evolutionary history extending back more than 450 million years. Mosses occur worldwide, from tropical rainforests and temperate woodlands to deserts, alpine tundra, and even Antarctica, although they are most abundant in moist, shaded environments. Unlike vascular plants, bryophytes lack true roots, stems, and leaves, instead possessing simple root-like structures called rhizoids that anchor them to the substrate. They absorb water and nutrients directly through their surfaces and reproduce by spores rather than seeds or flowers.