Abstract: Spore germination and protonema development have been considered to be one of the important characters in the phylogeny and evolution of major groups of the bryophytes and other plant groups. This article reviews domestic and abroad studies on the types of spore germination，characteristics of protonema development and effects of environmental factors . It also presents the latest progress in this field from 1990s, such as the action mechanisms of Ca2+·CAM signal system, plant hormones and light signal system in spore germination and protonema development of the bryophytes.