2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
The smallest plant on Earth is Moss. We trample on it, walking through the forest, and do not even think that we have living plants under our feet. But Moss is very hardy and patient, and therefore forgives our unseemly behavior and continues to increase the area and overcrowding of his rugs. Indeed, the larger and denser the moss family, the easier it is for them to resist the blows of fate
Ubiquitous moss
Due to their low stature and peaceful coexistence with their own kind, mosses have spread throughout the entire globe. They do not like only arid places, although some species have perfectly adapted to life in the desert. But they are not afraid of frost, because moss can be found where eternal snow lies.
Although mosses are rootless, they do not detach far from the surface of the earth, and therefore are in more favorable conditions than tall plants. They are not bothered by a stray gusty wind, they are not worried about a sharp change in air temperature, and humidity at the surface of the earth is a more stable phenomenon.
Mosses live in close quarters, but not in offense. Together, it is much easier to survive on Earth, making general reserves of water for future use, resisting the trampling and whims of nature.
Nature's rough attempt
Three billion Earth years, life in the ocean was preparing to land on land. Mosses were among the first to dare to leave their native ocean expanses. But they never took root into the soil, acquiring only rhizoids - small outgrowths with which they cling to the surface of the earth. That is why they are so easy to collect in the forest.
Mosses have not learned to do without their native water element, and therefore, as a rule, they choose wet places for their place of residence, since soil moisture is not available to them. They absorb water from the surface of the earth, using the services of dew, fog, rain. This does not allow them to grow in height, and therefore mosses living on the ground do not exceed 20 cm. Only one species of moss living in running water grows to almost a meter in length. By the way, for the reproduction of mosses, an intermediary is needed - water, which serves as a vehicle for sperm.
Unable to make friends with the soil and get rid of the addiction to wet places, mosses did not become the ancestors of the plants that later settled on the Earth. They remained a rough attempt by wildlife to move to land, which managed to firmly occupy its niche on the planet and be useful to it.
Useful abilities
A variety of mosses with the name"
Sphagnum Is the main participant in the creation
peat deposits … And peat is very actively used by humans for heating homes, for generating electricity. Gardeners are also friends with peat, adding it to the soil when it is required to acidify it. Peat is an excellent material for mulching the plants we grow.
In addition, peat -
excellent preservative … To preserve fruits and vegetables until spring, they are sprinkled with dry peat.
Fantastic moisture capacity mosses from this genus were used by doctors in the dashing war times. Moss replaced the lack of dressing material for the wounded, doing an excellent job of being an absorbent material. In addition, the presence of bactericidal substances in the plant helped in more successful wound healing.
Sphagnum swamps regulate
water level in rivers, saving them from overflow during the rainy season, since they vigorously absorb the rain flows, and during the dry season they share their water reserves with the rivers, preventing them from drying out. In the tundra, moss protects the layers of permafrost from the sun's rays, thereby maintaining balance in northern nature.
Sphagnum is widely used
floriststo maintain the necessary air humidity for plants that have come to our windowsills from tropical forests. Having absorbed a lot of irrigation water, they gradually give it to the plants, helping to prevent fungal diseases.
Some types of mosses have taken root well
in aquariums, being a reliable refuge for aquarium fish fry.
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