Growth Forms and Life Forms
Bates (1998) concluded that life form is a useful
concept in bryophyte ecology because of the "exceptionally
high dependence of bryophytes on transient external water
supplies." He points out that for bryophytes it is not the
individual that forms the ecological unit, but rather the
clonal or colonial life form (Figure 1). The life form is so
constructed as to minimize evaporative loss while
maximizing photosynthetic light capture. In the Taymyr
Peninsula, Siberia, differences in life form can reduce
evaporative rate by 5.3-46 times, depending on the species
and site conditions (Vilde 1991).