In non-vascular plants, water and dissolved materials can move by
In non-vascular plants, such as mosses and liverworts, water and dissolved materials can move by a process called osmosis. Osmosis is the movement of water molecules across a membrane from an area of low solute concentration to an area of high solute concentration. In the case of non-vascular plants, the membrane involved is the cell membrane of the plant cells.
Water and dissolved materials are absorbed by the plant cells through their cell walls. The cell walls are porous, allowing water molecules and dissolved materials to enter the cells through the process of diffusion. Diffusion is the movement of molecules from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration.
Once inside the plant cells, water and dissolved materials can move from cell to cell through plasmodesmata. Plasmodesmata are small channels that connect the cytoplasm of adjacent plant cells. These channels allow for the transport of water and dissolved materials between cells.
Since non-vascular plants lack specialized tissues like xylem and phloem found in vascular plants, they rely on osmosis, diffusion, and the interconnectedness of their cells to transport water and dissolved materials throughout their body. This method of transport is slower and less efficient compared to the vascular system found in higher plants, but it is sufficient for the relatively small size and simple structure of non-vascular plants.