Are Bryophytes Shade Plants? Photosynthetic Light Responses and Proportions of Chlorophyll a, Chlorophyll b and Total Carotenoids

Abstract

Bryophytes include but are not inherently shade plants. Light-saturation levels for species of open sun-exposed habitats are lower than for vascular sun plants and are probably limited by CO2 diffusion into unistratose leaves; this limit can only be exceeded by bryophytes with ventilated photosynthetic tissues which provide increased area for CO2 uptake.