Question

How does a lack of lignin limit the height of bryophytes?

Answer 1

Bryophytes are a plant division that comprises all land plants that are non-vascular. It is possible to classify these into three groups: mosses, hornworts and liverworts. Although each group is somewhat different genetically, they each share certain similar adaptations that have allowed them to clump together as bryophytes. There are a number of general characteristics of bryophytes that help to differentiate them from all other land plants.

Complete answer:
-The absence of lignin in bryophytes reduces their height because cell walls are not reinforced without lignin, meaning that a tall plant body can not be sustained. There is still no way of supporting the tubes bringing water upwards.
-Most higher plants vascular tissues (xylem and phloem) are composed of sclerenchyma cells, which are largely dead plant cells with thick lignified cell walls, the key purpose of which is to transport water or substrates. Bryophytes lack this arrangement and thus, they would have no way of providing water and nutrients into their structures if they had the height of a typical plant.
-These plants' minute height and scale help them thrive because their organs are very close to the source of water and a distribution mechanism is also redundant (since they are very small, they do not need much support and so the need for lignin is also minimized).

Note: A vital connection between aquatic and land plants, bryophytes possess a range of adaptations typical of both land and aquatic plants. They have cuticles, gametangia and embryonic development, all of which are characteristics of land plants that are more mature. On the other side, for reproduction, they also need water and lack vascular tissue. In piecing together the evolutionary past of life on Earth, this relation is crucial.
-Bryophytes can offer a variety of significant resources that help preserve a landscape's dignity. They are important because of their function in the filtration of water, primary development and habitat provision for insects and other invertebrates. Bryophytes have also been used by humans, both traditionally and nowadays, for a variety of purposes. They have historically been used for insulation, padding and as heat. More recently, in the florist trade, they are mostly used.