What is the survival strategy of moss? It seems to be everywhere, especially when there is shortage of resources.
In: Earth Science
Moss just needs water and low light- and when it’s too dry it doesn’t die from desiccation it just needs a little water to spring back to life
If I remember correctly moss is a stage in colonisation. Algae is sometimes first and provides a base for lichens to grow in. The lichens break down the rock and create and add to it as they decompose to make a layer of soil.
Then eventually when there is enough soil and nutrients moss moves in. They slowly take over the lichens and do well on the minimal amount of water there.
As the moss grows more soil is created and it also starts to hold more water until eventually you have an environment that more complex plants like grasses and herbs can take root in which may or may not overtake the moss eventually.
You’re thinking of it like every creature, plant, insect, etc. has a business plan. Some things like moss Judy move into spaces randomly and out-compete everything else by needing virtually nothing.
Well it depends are you talking about a moss or a lichens? Mosses tend to grow in moist environments where lichens (which are a combination between a moss and a fungus) tend to grow in dry places. Mosses will grow on the trees and ground and thats where they get their nutrients from, vs lichens that grow on rocks. Lichens breakdown the rocks that they grow on and that is where they get their nutrients. They literally eat rocks if that isn’t a neich im not sure what is.
I don’t have a degree in biology, so someone might be able to explain it better, but basically evolution has allowed this organism to thrive in environments where resources are scarce. And being able to thrive in resource scarcity actually is an advantage, as there is usually less competition. As the character Ian Malcolm so eloquently put it in Jurassic Park: life finds a way.
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