Distribution and Ecology
Although these plants are almost entirely restricted to regions with high humidity or readily available moisture, the group as a whole is widely distributed, and occurs on every continent except Antarctica.
One simple thalloid liverwort is not photosynthetic. The species Cryptothallus mirabilis is white as a result of lacking chlorophyll, and has plastids that do not differentiate into chloroplasts. This species is a myco-heterotroph that obtains its nutrients from fungi growing among its tissues. These plants grow in bogs and are typically found under peat moss near birch trees.
Read more about this topic: Metzgeriales
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