Being desiccation tolerant, bryophytes exhibit different water and carbon relations than vascular plants. The unique dynamics are illustrated graphically showing net carbon assimilation through time beginning with a wetting event at the origin. Initially, plants have a burst of respiration where they upregulate metabolism and repair damaged tissues. Plants then engage in a period when they are sufficiently wet and photosynthetically active and show positive carbon balance. This is followed by the plant entering the desiccated state, where once again respiration dominates. In the figure this graph is surrounded by bryophytes illustrating the variation in pigmentation with the absence of blue. From Hanson, DT and SK Rice (eds.) 2014. Photosynthesis in Bryophytes and Early Land Plants. Springer, Dordrecht.
