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New research reveals how mosses have become one of the most widespread plants on our planet.
Global wind systems carry them across Earth’s latitudes, over rooftops, sidewalks and lawns around the world and as far as Antarctica, the study shows. The discovery offers a better understanding of how other small organisms spread, including bacteria and airborne organisms that produce spores in the air.
For the study, researchers from the Natural History Museum of Denmark at the University of Copenhagen investigated it as one of the most widespread species of moss in the world, Ceratodon pupureus, also known as fire moss, purple horn-toothed moss, etc., has managed to inhabit every crevice and corner of the planet.
“We found considerable overlap between global wind patterns and how this moss species spread over time, which we were unaware of until now,” says evolutionary biologist Elisabeth Biersma of the Natural History Museum. of Denmark, who is the lead author of the study.
According to Biersma, this means that a large proportion of Danish mosses found mingling with lawn grass or lightly clinging to their roofs are often part of the same population as found on another continent at a similar latitude. For example, North American moss spores are likely blown by prevailing Western species across the Atlantic to Denmark.
Mosses (Bryophyta) are one of the oldest plant groups on Earth and are characterized by their lack of roots. Most groups grow in humid, shady locations, while others tolerate bright, dry environments.
“Mosses are extremely hardy organisms that can both suck up a lot of water and tolerate considerable drying. Most other plants are far from resistant to harsh environments such as roofs, sidewalks, or polar climates. Together with the wind, this has been the key to the great success of mosses all over the world ”, explains Biersma.
There are around 12,000 species of moss around the world. In the study, the researchers used moss samples from collections of dried plants called herbaria, from around the world. Using genetic samples from the mosses, the researchers built a vast evolutionary tree that helped them map various moss populations.
The researchers’ analyzes show that the current distribution model of C. purpureus it has occurred in the past 11 million years. But the fact that it took so long C. purpureus spreading to the places where it is today is a bit of a surprise.
“This can probably be explained by the fact that global wind systems can partly disperse spores over a long distance, but also limit global dispersion since wind systems are self-enclosed and isolated transport systems, thus limiting any spread to the beyond them “, explains Biersma.
This is the first time the researcher has seen such a uniform proliferation pattern across the globe, as demonstrated with C. pupureus. Knowledge can be transferred elsewhere.
“These findings could help us understand the spread of other organisms, such as bacteria, fungi and some plants, which also spread through microscopic particles carried by the wind. But only the future can tell whether this knowledge is applicable to other organisms, “says Biersma.
The research appears in the journal Frontiers in plant science.
Source: University of Copenhagen
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