Physcomitrella patens

Image Credit:

Pirex at English Wikipedia,Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons using CommonsHelper., Public Domain.

Scientific name: Physcomitrella patens

Common name(s): Moss

Name as shown in Phylogenes: P. patens

Ploidy: Diploid

Description:

Physcomitrella patens is a moss or Bryophyte, an ancient clade that sits between unicellular algae and flowering land plants. As such it is an important model for understanding adaptations to the land such as the loss of flagella, and responses to temperature and water stress. In Bryophytes, the dominant life cycle is the haploid or gametophytic generation in contrast to higher plants with a dominant sporophyte. P. patens is an excellent experimental model and can be easily modified due to its high frequency of homologous recombination.

Reference(s): 

1. Rensing SA, et al. The Physcomitrella genome reveals evolutionary insights into the conquest of land by plants. Science. 2008 Jan 4;319(5859):64-9. doi: 0.1126/science.1150646

Genome Database(s):

PHYSCObase

Physcomitrella patens - Phytozome