CB80762: Cryptogams

The aim of this module is to introduce students to the spore producing plants (the ‘lower plants’, also known as thallophytes or cryptogams): algae, lichen, bryophytes (mosses and liverworts and hornworts) and pteridophytes (ferns and horsetails). The study of this group helps students understand diverse plant-specific traits, better comprehend evolutionary process, and untangle genetic and metabolic networks. 'Cryptogams' make up around 84 % of the worlds ‘botanical' diversity. The module covers evolution and taxonomy of cryptogams and their importance.