Why is star moss strange?
By Chelsie Vandaveer
July 25, 2002
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Mosses (Division: Bryophyta) are found in every climate on Earth except in the oceans. A few species cling to seaside rocks where salt spray would kill other plants. Though tiny, in areas of the tundra or above the timberline, mosses dominate the landscape. In places of warmth and abundant moisture, mosses grow luxuriant. Mosses even survive in Antarctica where much of their
life is a state of dormancy.
There are about 9500 species of these diverse plants. Oddly, the tiny green plants are haploid having a single set of chromosomes. The green mats of moss are gametophytes which grew from spores. Each individual in a moss colony will either produce sperm or eggs. The splash of raindrops gets the sex cells together.
From the top of a female moss will grow the diploid generation, the sporophyte. One generation grows atop the other. The sporophyte is nothing more than a stalk with a capsule at the tip. The capsule produces the spores that will become more mosses. Once the spores are shed, the sporophyte withers and dies.
The gametophyte, the moss remains.
The star moss (Tortula ruralis (Hedwig) Gaertner) may be the strangest of these tiny plants. It is a desert species. Star moss tolerates complete desiccation. It revives within a minute of receiving water, resuming its moss-like shape. It begins manufacturing proteins within an hour; photosynthesis is back to normal in a couple of hours.
Some mosses cannot survive without moisture. Some can survive a few months with little moisture. Star moss survives months, years, and sometimes decades before rains revive it.
Wisconsin Bryophytes published by Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium, Department of Botany: University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point has a photograph of star moss Tortula ruralis (Hedw.) Gaertn., Meyer & Scherb. (Tortula: Latin tortus for "twisted"). To view the photograph, click on the link:
Click here to view the photograph
"Plants without Water" Project is researching the genetics of star moss. To view a desiccated star moss and then it fully rehydrated, click on the link:
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/bryolab/pww/
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