Non-vascular plants are simple plants that do not have specialized tissues for transporting water and nutrients. This group includes mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. Because they lack vascular systems, non-vascular plants are usually small and grow in moist environments where they can absorb water directly through their surfaces. These plants reproduce using spores instead of seeds, which helps them thrive in various habitats. Non-vascular plants play a crucial role in ecosystems by helping to prevent soil erosion and providing habitats for small organisms. They are also important for studying the evolution of plants, as they are some of the earliest land plants on Earth.