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Moss, The green fuzzy stuff we love to touch in the woods and admire on rocks. But there is so much more than meets the eye when it comes to these little green mats on the forest floor. Mosses are extremely important during the early stages of ecological succession. As a new environment is being formed such as sand dunes in Presque Isle or huge boulders made of igneous granite rock in the Adirondacks that were left behind by deglaciation.        In these examples the surfaces becomes inhabited through the process of succession, during which various different plant communities dominate and take over the site such as lichens and then once they have lived and died and eat away at (lets use the granite as an example) enough for something else to take root, mosses come along and then the process continues through time and the species get bigger and more complex. “Because of their ability to reproduce  A sexually by fragmentation and gemmae combined with sexual reproduction, which produces enormous numbers of tiny spores, mosses play a vital role in being among the first colonizers of disturbed sites.” Mosses play an important part in stabilizing soil, reducing erosion, and because of their ability to retain water and being able to maintain humidity in their environments, they in turn reduce the evaporation of water, making more available for succeeding plants. They make soils fertile for maintaining life. Peat moss comes to mind. We add it to our fertilizer for added nutrition in our gardens. Peat mosses are found throughout the northeastern  wetland areas, and are what makes up the majority of bogs. Peat mosses are an important source of fuel in some countries. Peat is abundant in the northern hemisphere and embodies a vast amount of potential energy. In northern Europe, peat is often dried, and compressed into briquettes for use in fireplaces and stoves. In Ireland, peat is still used often as a heating source to cook with. One great advantage of peat as a fuel is that it burns clean. About 95% of peat harvested in Ireland is burned to generate electricity. Because it has the ability to absorb large amounts of water, peat improves the water-holding capacity when added to soil. Peat mosses are acidic which prevents the growth of a lot of bacteria. So they have been used by indigenous peoples for diapers, and during the World Wars, when soldiers ran out of bandages, peat mosses were a great substitute antiseptic dressing for wounds. Sphagnum moss also has antiseptic properties. "The plant’s cell walls are composed of special sugar molecules that “create an electrochemical halo around all of the cells, and the cell walls end up being negatively charged,” “Those negative charges mean that positively charged nutrient ions [like potassium, sodium and calcium] are going to be attracted to the sphagnum.” As the moss soaks up all the negatively charged nutrients in the soil, it releases positively charged ions that make the environment around it acidic. For wounded humans, the result is that sphagnum bandages produce sterile environments by keeping the pH level around the wound low, and inhibiting the growth of bacteria."
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; float:right; margin-left: 10px;
|+ !colspan="2" style="min-width:12em; text-align: center; background-color: rgb(153,255,153)|'''Bryophyta'''
|-
|colspan="2" |[[File:Sphagnum cuspidatum .jpg|300px|thumb|center|''Sphagnum'' peat moss]]
|-
!style="min-width:6em;background-color: rgb(180,250,180) |Kingdom:
|style="min-width:6em;text-align: left; |[[Plantae|Plantae]]
|-
!style="min-width:6em; |Phylum:
|style="min-width:6em;text-align: left; |Bryophyta
|-
!style="min-width:6em; |Classes:
|style="min-width:6em;text-align: left; |[[Andreaeobryopsida|Andreaeobryopsida]]
[[Andreaeopsida|Andreaeopsida]]


[[Bryopsida|Bryopsida]]


[[Oedipodiopsida|Oedipodiopsida]]
[[Polytrichopsida|Polytrichopsida]]
[[Sphagnopsida|Sphagnopsida]]


[[Takakiopsida |Takakiopsida ]]


[[Tetraphidopsida|Tetraphidopsida]]


|-
|colspan="2" |Source: Integrated Taxonomic Information System<ref name="ITIS">[https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=977384#null "Integrated Taxonomic Information System - Report"], ''ITIS'' USGS Open-File Report 2006-1195: Nomenclature", ''USGS'', n.d.. Retrieved 3/10/2023.</ref>
|}
==Physical Characteristics==
[[File:mossstructure.png|left|Basic moss structure.|thumb|150px|]]
===Structure===
Mosses (Bryophyta) are non-vascular plants in the broader parent group Bryophyta, which includes Liverworts and Hornworts.<ref name="Raven2013" >Raven, P. H., R. F. Evert, and S. E. Eichhorn. 2013. ''Biology of plants''. Eighth edition. W.H. Freeman and Company Publishers, New York.</ref> They are the most specious of the three divisions of bryophytes, with over 12,000 species worldwide. <ref>Crandall-Stotler, B. J., and S. E. Bartholomew-Began. 2007. Morphology of Mosses (Phylum Bryophyta). ''Flora of North America'' 27.</ref> Mosses are herbaceous photosynthetic plants that absorb water and nutrients through their leaf-like structures. They are non-vascular, as they lack lignified water- and nutrient-conducting tissue called xylem and phloem. <ref>Ligrone, R., J. G. Duckett, and K. S. Renzaglia. 2000. Conducting tissues and phyletic relationships of bryophytes. ''Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London'' Series B: ''Biological Sciences'' '''355''':795–813.
).</ref> Additionally, mosses lack true roots, instead, they have multicellular thread-like structures called rhizoids that anchor the plant to the substrate.<ref name="Raven2013" /> Like other bryophytes, mosses are dominated by their haploid, gametophytic generation and reproduce using spores.




[[https://basicbiology.net/plants/non-vascular/mosses/
===Life Cycle===


https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-humble-moss-helped-heal-wounds-thousands-WWI-180963081/#48rLVhQdlQOrXyb4.99
[[File:Moss_3.png|Moss Life Cycle.|thumb|left|450px]]
 
Like vascular plants, mosses exhibit alternating heteromorphic generations. The gametophyte generation is typically larger and independent, while the sporophyte generation is smaller and nutritionally dependent on the parent gametophyte. <ref name="Cove2016">Cove, D., M. Bezanilla, P. Harries, and R. Quatrano. 2006. Mosses as Model Systems for the Study of Metabolism and Development. ''Annual Review of Plant Biology'' '''57''':497–520.</ref>
The life cycle begins when haploid spores are released from the capsule of the mature sporophyte and germinate into protonemata, and then later into male and female gametophytes. The gametophytes have either male (antheridia) or female (archegonia) reproductive organs. <ref name="Reski 1998">Reski, R. 1998. Development, Genetics and Molecular Biology of Mosses. ''Botanica Acta'' 111:1–15.</ref> Haploid sperm are released from the mature antheridia and swim in the water to the archegonia which house the non-motile egg. Fertilization occurs in the archegonium to produce a diploid zygote, which divides mitotically to form a young sporophyte. As it matures, the archegonium enlarges to protect the sporophyte until maturation is reached. The mature sporophyte consists of the stalk and capsule (sporangium). Meiosis occurs within the sporangium, producing haploid spores which will be released to form the gametophytic generation. <ref name="Raven2013" />
 
==Environmental Role==
:Mosses play a vital role in combating erosion by stabilizing [[soil]] and reducing the risks of flooding by absorbing excess water. Their rhizoids can hold on to substrates such as [[clay]], [[gravel]], and [[sand]]. Mosses are an important carbon sink and could potentially play an important role in combating climate change. Additionally, mosses can filter other pollutants like excess sediment and salt used on roadways. Within the local environment, mosses also have the ability to create humid microhabitats. <ref name="Crooks2021">PerezJI. 2021, February 22. Bryophytes. Text, ''Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute''. https://stri.si.edu/story/bryophytes.</ref> In some boreal and arctic ecosystems, mosses are the primary plant type and are responsible for establishing soil layers, providing nutrients and habitats for new seeds to germinate, and providing areas for microinvertebrates to thrive. <ref name="Turetsky2012">Turetsky, M. R., B. Bond-Lamberty, E. Euskirchen, J. Talbot, S. Frolking, A. D. McGuire, and E.-S. Tuittila. 2012. The resilience and functional role of moss in boreal and arctic ecosystems. New Phytologist 196:49–67.</ref>
 
==References==
{{reflist}}

Latest revision as of 16:23, 4 April 2023

Bryophyta
Sphagnum peat moss
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Bryophyta
Classes: Andreaeobryopsida

Andreaeopsida

Bryopsida

Oedipodiopsida

Polytrichopsida

Sphagnopsida

Takakiopsida

Tetraphidopsida

Source: Integrated Taxonomic Information System[1]

Physical Characteristics

Mossstructure.png

Structure

Mosses (Bryophyta) are non-vascular plants in the broader parent group Bryophyta, which includes Liverworts and Hornworts.[2] They are the most specious of the three divisions of bryophytes, with over 12,000 species worldwide. [3] Mosses are herbaceous photosynthetic plants that absorb water and nutrients through their leaf-like structures. They are non-vascular, as they lack lignified water- and nutrient-conducting tissue called xylem and phloem. [4] Additionally, mosses lack true roots, instead, they have multicellular thread-like structures called rhizoids that anchor the plant to the substrate.[2] Like other bryophytes, mosses are dominated by their haploid, gametophytic generation and reproduce using spores.


Life Cycle

Moss Life Cycle.

Like vascular plants, mosses exhibit alternating heteromorphic generations. The gametophyte generation is typically larger and independent, while the sporophyte generation is smaller and nutritionally dependent on the parent gametophyte. [5] The life cycle begins when haploid spores are released from the capsule of the mature sporophyte and germinate into protonemata, and then later into male and female gametophytes. The gametophytes have either male (antheridia) or female (archegonia) reproductive organs. [6] Haploid sperm are released from the mature antheridia and swim in the water to the archegonia which house the non-motile egg. Fertilization occurs in the archegonium to produce a diploid zygote, which divides mitotically to form a young sporophyte. As it matures, the archegonium enlarges to protect the sporophyte until maturation is reached. The mature sporophyte consists of the stalk and capsule (sporangium). Meiosis occurs within the sporangium, producing haploid spores which will be released to form the gametophytic generation. [2]

Environmental Role

Mosses play a vital role in combating erosion by stabilizing soil and reducing the risks of flooding by absorbing excess water. Their rhizoids can hold on to substrates such as clay, gravel, and sand. Mosses are an important carbon sink and could potentially play an important role in combating climate change. Additionally, mosses can filter other pollutants like excess sediment and salt used on roadways. Within the local environment, mosses also have the ability to create humid microhabitats. [7] In some boreal and arctic ecosystems, mosses are the primary plant type and are responsible for establishing soil layers, providing nutrients and habitats for new seeds to germinate, and providing areas for microinvertebrates to thrive. [8]

References

  1. ↑ "Integrated Taxonomic Information System - Report", ITIS USGS Open-File Report 2006-1195: Nomenclature", USGS, n.d.. Retrieved 3/10/2023.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Raven, P. H., R. F. Evert, and S. E. Eichhorn. 2013. Biology of plants. Eighth edition. W.H. Freeman and Company Publishers, New York.
  3. ↑ Crandall-Stotler, B. J., and S. E. Bartholomew-Began. 2007. Morphology of Mosses (Phylum Bryophyta). Flora of North America 27.
  4. ↑ Ligrone, R., J. G. Duckett, and K. S. Renzaglia. 2000. Conducting tissues and phyletic relationships of bryophytes. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London Series B: Biological Sciences 355:795–813. ).
  5. ↑ Cove, D., M. Bezanilla, P. Harries, and R. Quatrano. 2006. Mosses as Model Systems for the Study of Metabolism and Development. Annual Review of Plant Biology 57:497–520.
  6. ↑ Reski, R. 1998. Development, Genetics and Molecular Biology of Mosses. Botanica Acta 111:1–15.
  7. ↑ PerezJI. 2021, February 22. Bryophytes. Text, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. https://stri.si.edu/story/bryophytes.
  8. ↑ Turetsky, M. R., B. Bond-Lamberty, E. Euskirchen, J. Talbot, S. Frolking, A. D. McGuire, and E.-S. Tuittila. 2012. The resilience and functional role of moss in boreal and arctic ecosystems. New Phytologist 196:49–67.
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