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Why do mosses and liverworts usually grow in moist, shady places?

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Tall baobab trees with thick, cylindrical trunks and broad canopies line a dirt road in Madagascar, surrounded by green vegetation under a blue sky. — Plant Grandidier's baobas (*Adansonia grandidieri*) in Madagascar.

Mosses and liverworts, which are types of bryophytes, generally grow in moist, shady places primarily because they lack specialized vascular tissue for internal water conduction and a well-developed cuticle to prevent dehydration. Consequently, they rely on their immediate environment to maintain an adequate supply of moisture.1

Furthermore, these plants possess motile, flagellated sperm that require external water to travel and achieve fertilization. This dependence on water for reproduction is considered a vestige of their aquatic ancestry. While some species have adapted to survive in varying conditions, the lack of structural adaptations for water retention makes moist and shaded habitats essential for the survival and reproductive success of most mosses and liverworts.12