REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY IN BRYOPHYTES THE CHALLENGE AND THE OPPORTUNITIES

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  Current evidence suggests the occurrence of major differences among bryophytes in features such as frequency of sporophyte production, facility for establishment from spores, and mating patterns, as well as in levels of ploidy and of intraspecific genetic variability. It is not clear from the limited evidence so far available how these features correlate among themselves, with habitat characteristics, and with other life history parameters such as gametophyte longevity, reproductive effort, and spore size in controlling microevolutionary patterns. Further empirical evidence is required about reproductive biology in specific groups of bryophytes, and could best be obtained from studies combining traditional observations and experiments with cytological and molecular analyses, in which electrophoresis and genetic fingerprinting are viewed as complementary approaches. A rigorous conceptual framework is also required, drawing on principles already established in the population biology of other organisms.