Expert: Dana Krempels, Ph.D. - 1/6/2010

Question
I know the phylum hepatophyta reproduces sexually and asexually but i don't understand the process. So can u help me?

Answer
Dear Harpreet,

I can't do your homework question for you, but I can tell you that liverworts reproduce sexually with sperm and eggs produced in their antheridia (males) and archegonia (females), respectively.  You can see a life cycle diagram here:

http://www.bio.miami.edu/dana/pix/marchantia_lifecycle.jpg

Notice the small cycle at the bottom of the diagram that shows the asexual life cycle.  The male or female thallus may produce small cups on their surface that contain small "plantlets" produced by mitosis (asexual cell division).  When it rains, the plantlets (called gemmae) splash out, and then grow as new thalli, genetically identical to the parent.  That's the asexual part.

For a complete (and silly) explanation of the sexual life cycle (and alternation of generations), I created this for my botany class.  It's an analogy of what animals might look like and do if they had an alternation of generations.  Hope it helps you understand.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/dana/dox/altgen_new.html

Good luck!
Dana