Slide 1
A small plant absorbs its surroundings
Mosses are non-flowering plants that often absorb water across their surfaces. Their small shoots can form a dense living carpet.
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They lack the true roots of flowering plants. Threadlike rhizoids mainly provide attachment, while the close contact among shoots helps retain moisture in the surrounding miniature spaces.
Slide 2
Small size suits the system
Mosses do not use the same extensive water-transport tissues as trees. Staying small keeps much of the plant close to available moisture.
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A moss patch nevertheless creates a three-dimensional habitat. Tiny invertebrates can move among its shoots, where humidity differs from the exposed rock or bark nearby.
Slide 3
A capsule releases spores
Moss reproduction includes spore-bearing capsules raised on stalks. Spores disperse and can begin new growth when conditions allow.
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The capsule-producing stage remains attached to the leafy stage. That relationship differs from a mature fern, whose large spore-producing plant usually lives independently of its earlier gametophyte.
Slide 4
Wet and dry change activity
Many mosses can reduce activity as they dry and resume when rewetted. Their tolerance varies with species and habitat.
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This does not mean every moss thrives on bare dry rock. Shade, surface chemistry and the frequency of wetting help determine which species occupies a particular wall, tree or soil patch.
Slide 5
A carpet influences water
Moss growth can hold moisture near the ground and slow its loss. Small plants can therefore alter conditions beyond their own tissues.
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Disturbance can remove that surface structure quickly. A patch's contribution comes from many closely packed shoots, so the ecological effect is larger than the size of an individual moss suggests.
Sources
- 7 interesting things about moss
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
- Moss
National Park Service