Pleurozia

Evolution Timeline

Why Explore?

Travel through time to see when liverworts and other plants first appeared on Earth. Our interactive Evolution of Plants Timeline uses fossils, molecular evidence, and phylogenies to illustrate the story of plant evolution across more than 400 million years.

Specimen Explorer

Dive into the Field Museum’s Bryophyte Collections, one of the largest in the world, with more than 200,000 bryophyte specimens documented. The Specimen Explorer links directly to our digitized catalog:

Median cells of the leaf-lobe of the liverwort genus Pleurozia

Discover the hidden beauty of liverworts at the microscopic level. Using high-resolution images, explore the diversity of tiny structures—leaf cells, oil bodies, underleaves, and reproductive organs—that make each species unique. These fine details are essential for identification and provide clues to how liverworts have adapted to different environments over millions of years.

Microscopic Morphology

Did You Know - Liverwort Oilbodies, biologically active compounds

Did You Know - Liverwort

Some liverwort cells contain specialized “oil bodies” that are found in no other plant group. These contain chemicals that have many interesting biological properties such as activity against microbes.

Did You Know?

Travel the globe through interactive maps, galleries, and collections that bring liverwort diversity to life.

Explore LivLINK

Research Cover Page

Research Highlight: Digital imaging by Campbell of Amanda NEIU intern in lab

Digital Imaging

See how liverwort research connects to bigger scientific questions. These case studies bring data and taxonomy to life:<ul><li>Conservation: liverwort checklists identify rare and endangered species, guiding conservation priorities in biodiversity hotspots.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </li><li>Evolutionary Biology &amp; Ecological: phylogenetic research on model genera like Marchantia reveals how early plants adapted to life on land</li><li>Forensic &amp; Applied Uses: liverworts have even been used in forensic science to help solve cases by linking plant evidence to locations.&nbsp;</li></ul> SUBSECTION: Why This Matters By highlighting how datasets and taxonomy are applied in practice, we show how liverwort research impacts conservation, climate science, and human society.

Research Highlights & Case Studies

By highlighting how datasets and taxonomy are applied in practice, we show how liverwort research impacts conservation, climate science, and human society.

Why This Matters

Data Access, Collections Club 2022

Data Access

Resarch labels

Always cite both the data portal (e.g., GBIF, Bryophyte Portal) and the original source collections when using datasets.

Pro Tip!

Taxonomy hub: Frullania apiculata, von Konrat 21736, Cook Islands

Frullania apiculata

Taxonomy Hub

Did You Know - Blanka, Research Picture 071

Did You Know - Research

New liverwort species are described every year, often from regions that are still underexplored.

Access species checklists, publications, and tools that keep you connected to the latest in liverwort science.

For researchers, specialists, and advanced students LivLINK provides access to the tools, references, and datasets that support liverwort taxonomy, nomenclature, and global biodiversity research.

Research & Data

Community & Networking Cover Page, Collections Club

Community & Networking

Community Network group photo at the joint conference of international association of bryologists

Community Network Group Photo

Connect, ask, learn, and share with the global bryophyte community.

Forum & Discussion Boards

A long-running, global email forum for news, questions, and discussion about bryophytes (mosses, liverworts, hornworts). Open to educators, students, researchers, and enthusiasts.How to Subscribe <ul><li>Send an email to <a href="mailto:jmglime@mtu.edu">jmglime@mtu.edu</a></li><li>Type Subscribe bryonet-L in the subject line </li><li>Include your name (as you want), and your country/state affiliation in the message body. </li></ul>

Bryonet (International Association of Bryologists)

<ul><li>Be kind and respectful. </li><li>Cite your sources when sharing data or images. </li><li>Respect licenses for photos and media. </li><li>No spam or unrelated promotion.</li></ul>

Social Media & Community Guidelines

Social Media List

Opportunities

Meet the people behind the work—scientists, students, interns, and volunteers. Profiles highlight individual interests (taxonomy, ecology, and education), recent projects, and ways to collaborate.

Research & Volunteer Profiles

Did You Know - Community Figure 4, Schuster 3-color

Did You Know - Schuster

Many important liverwort records and identifications have been made thanks to volunteers and community scientists.

Join a worldwide network of learners and researchers—share ideas, find opportunities, and connect with others who love plants.

Join a worldwide network of liverwort learners and researchers, ask questions, find opportunities, and connect through BryoNet and more!

Sporophyte and gametophyte of the liverwort genus Schistochila

Life Cycle of Schistochila

The dominant generation in liverworts is the gametophyte, which produces gametangia (antheridia and archegonia). Fertilization requires free water for motile sperm to reach the egg within the archegonium. The resulting zygote develops into a sporophyte, a short-lived, nutritionally dependent structure composed of a foot, seta, and capsule. Spores produced meiotically are dispersed, germinating to form new gametophytes. Elaters, hygroscopic cells unique to liverwort sporophytes, aid in spore release and dispersal.

Life Cycle

<ul><li>Some liverworts are so small you’d need a hand lens to spot them. </li><li>The largest liverworts, in the tropics, can grow up to 20 cm across!</li></ul>

Ecology - Isla Darwin, January 2012

Ecology

<ul><li>Some liverwort capsules open explosively, flinging spores into the air. </li><li>A single capsule can release tens of thousands of spores </li><li>Liverwort sperm actually swim—they need a thin film of water like a tiny pool!</li></ul>

Why Liverworts Matter

Why They Matter

<ul><li>Fossil evidence suggests liverworts helped cool Earth’s climate millions of years ago.</li><li>Some species grow only in the cleanest mountain air, making them great pollution detectors.</li></ul>

Bring liverworts into your classroom with ready-to-use lessons, teacher tools, and playful activities. From worksheets and modules to scavenger hunts, badges, and virtual explorations—discover creative ways to make liverworts come alive for students of all ages.

Classroom Resources

Habit of a liverwort of the genus Pleurozia, Fiji

Habit of a Pleurozia liverwort

Perianth with young sporophyte of the liverwort genus Frullania

Frullania perianth

Microscopic images of the branching and stems of the liverwort genus Frullania

Frullania branching and stems

Dorsal view, or topside of the liverwort genus Lopholejeunea

Did You Know - Learn LivLink - stem of Lopholejeunea

Ventral view, or underside, of a stem of the liverwort genus Pleurozia

Pleurozia stem

this is the media gallery for the What Are Liverworts page.

Media Gallery

Discover the hidden world of liverworts with easy guides, classroom-ready activities, and fun facts for all ages.

Liverworts are some of the oldest land plants on Earth, appearing more than 400 million years ago. They’re tiny green plants you might walk past without noticing—like leafy mats on logs, or flat green ribbons clinging to damp rocks.

What Are Liverworts?

Classroom Resources: Winnie and Gwen, Best science class ever during collections club

Check out some of Chile's amazing liverworts, hornworts, and mosses, watch how the team collects these bryophytes, and get a brief overview of the team's mission.

Vimeo URL for Video Journal #1: Expedition Overview--Early Land Plants of Chile

Expedition Overview--Early Land Plants of Chile

Check in on Laura and her team members as they prepare to pack up and ship out from the port at Punta Arenas, Chile.

Vimeo URL for Video Journal #2: Packing up in Punta Arenas

Packing up in Punta Arenas

Trace the travels of Charles Darwin as you sail through the Beagle Channel with Laura—and her dolphin escort!

Vimeo URL for Video Journal #3: Heading out to Sea

Heading out to Sea

Tag along with Laura as she tours the Don Jose Miguel, and find out what it's like to live and work aboard a crab-fishing boat during a scientific expedition.

Vimeo URL for Video Journal #4: Touring the Ship

Touring the Ship

Prepare yourself for spectacular views of the Serka Glacier as you saddle up and head out on horseback to collect liverworts, hornworts, and mosses with Laura.

Vimeo URL for Video Journal #5: Horseback Riding to the Serka Glacier

Horseback Riding to the Serka Glacier

Enjoy a brief moment of camaraderie around the campfire as Laura and her colleagues take a break from collecting specimens to share a meal of spit-roasted lamb.

Vimeo URL for Video Journal #6: Lamb Roast!

Lamb Roast!

Find out how scientists prepare and store so many specimens aboard ship as Laura demonstrates the team's handy-dandy plant dryer.

Vimeo URL for Video Journal #7: Drying Specimens

Drying Specimens

Join Laura and her colleagues as they board inflatable Zodiacs and make a beach landing on Isla Nueva—where they're shocked to find a surprising amount of bryophyte diversity scattered among the remnants of human disturbance!

Vimeo URL for Video Journal #8: Fieldwork

Fieldwork

Get a glimpse of gorgeous Southern Beech (Nothofagus) forests absolutely coated with bryophytes, and witness Laura's discovery of what may be a new liverwort species.

Vimeo URL for Video Journal #9: New Discoveries

New Discoveries

Engage with scientists through videos that bring to life the process of fieldwork, research, and curation of liverworts and hornworts. Join scientists as they journey through the forests of southern Chile, documenting the remarkable diversity of mosses and liverworts. Follow the process from the field to the Field Museum, and gain insight into how field collections become part of global biodiversity research through a series of video journals<a href="https://vimeo.com/79872958"> </a>

Explore Our Videos

Fun Fact, Learn LivLink Zoopsis (40x), C0312502F

C0312502F

Some liverworts are so tiny they are less than 1/4th of a mm wide and in some cases even look like a bug or invertebrate animal. In this case the genus name is even called Zoopsis because of its animal-like appearance.

LivLINK Fact!

This is a  digital activity pdf  that highlights plant specimens from the Field Museum for elementary students

Plant Structures and Function - ThingLink Digital Version

Plant Structure and Function: ThingLink Digital Version

Biodiversity and Ecosystems

Middle school-aged students will demonstrate their understanding of biomimicry by designing a solution to a human problem using plant-inspired ideas.

Plant Biomicry

Plant Biomimicry

Pixels and Petals highlights the digital imaging process and the impact of herbarium specimens.

Pixels and Petals

Adventures in the Herbarium: Pixels and Petals

Museums and Medicines highlights the impact plant specimens have had on human health and why their conservation is so important.

Museums and Medicines

Adventures in the Herbarium: Museums and Medicines

Digital Tour of the Field Museum's herbarium collections and digital process.

The Digital Herbarium

Digital Herbarium Tour

Travel back in time to discover how plants changed the face of this planet, forever!

Botanical Timeline

Go where others can't, and explore our botanical collections at the Field Museum of Natural History.

Herbarium Behind the Scenes Tour

Herbarium Behind the Scenes Tour - Fruit Edition

Travel approximately 3 hours west of Chicago to the Nachusa Grasslands. Learn about the different topographical features of this area, and explore the different plants you can find here.

Nachusa Grasslands

Ready-to-use modules for all levels, from Grade 4 plant structure lessons to middle school biodiversity and biomimicry projects, plus university-level modules in evolution and taxonomy.

Lesson Plans & Activities

Community Scientists

Pair classroom lessons with a Digital Herbarium Tour or Botanical Timeline interactive so students can see real specimens in action.

Teacher Tip!

Bring liverworts into your classroom with ready-to-use lessons, teacher tools, and playful activities. From worksheets and modules to scavenger hunts, badges, and virtual explorations—discover creative ways to make liverworts come alive for students of all ages.

The Field Museum in Chicago houses one of the world’s largest herbaria, with over 3.5 million specimens. Its bryophyte collections (mosses, liverworts, and hornworts) are globally significant, representing centuries of collecting and ongoing discovery. These collections serve as both a scientific reference and a living library, supporting taxonomy, conservation, climate research, and education.Explore the collections online: Field Museum Bryophyte Collection

Field Museum Bryophyte Collections

Alicularia lescurii Austin, U.S.A., C. L. Lesquereux s.n., Type [status unknown], F

C0000021F

Some specimens in this collection are more than 100 years old, offering scientists rare insights into environmental change over time.

GBIF full green logo

GBIF - Global Biodiversity Informatics Facility

Official NSF Logo

National Science Foundation (NSF)

Chicago Community Trust Logo

The Chicago Community Trust, which administers the Searle Family Funds, providing critical support for collections and digital projects.

The Chicago Community Trust

ELPT logo

ELPT Project

This is the default Field Museum Science Image

Consortium of Bryophyte Herbaria

About Us

Megalembidium

Bryophytes Habitat

Tiny plants, big stories, big impact! Liverworts are some of the earliest land plants on Earth, with a history stretching back over 400 million years. Small and often overlooked, these plants thrive in forests, wetlands, and even urban cracks in the pavement.

Discover Liverworts

Liverworts play important roles in ecosystems, helping to stabilize soil, retain water, and provide habitat for countless microorganisms. They also give scientists insights into plant evolution and climate change, making them a fascinating group for both researchers and nature enthusiasts.

Despite their size!

Global

Building a Global Consortium of Bryophytes and Lichens: Keystones of Cryptobiotic Communities,” The project will image and digitize almost 1.2 million bryophyte and lichen herbarium specimens while providing students with professional training in digitization and collections management. Imaging the physical specimens of these organisms and integrating data from comparative genomics, nucleotide sequence data, and other resources is unprecedented on this scale.

GLOBAL: Building a Global Consortium of Bryophytes and Lichens: Keystones of Cryptobiotic Communities

Connecting people and liverwort knowledge worldwide

LivLINK (Liverwort Learning, Information, Networking & Knowledge) connects people everywhere to the science and wonder of liverwort, making knowledge, resources, and discovery accessible to students, educators, researchers, and the public alike.

Explore LivLINK

Discover liverworts through time, space, and scale.

The Explore section takes you on a journey into the hidden worlds of liverworts: their evolutionary story, their global diversity preserved in collections, and the microscopic details that make each species unique.

Why Explore?

Did You Know?