Moss is something we often overlook. To the untrained eye, moss is nothing but a furry, blurry, juvenile mess plaguing the trees and ground around us. Neglected due to the lack of personality and forgotten due to our own callowness. We completely disregard the wonders of this amazing species. Would the sense of normalcy go unaffected if the image of moss were to disappear?

Moss, this primitive species has kept itself alive, even with the decaying air quality, rising environmental issues, and lack of human acknowledgement or care, through some pretty impressive means. Being so unique in structure has enabled them to develop different designs for themselves. Although, these designs are all created to achieve that one crowning goal- survival, and the most efficient survival to say the least.

Evolved to fit whatever said habitat; Moss have included necessary components into their makeup. They’ve had to ensure that the damage from desiccation and /or rehydration was limited to a minimum, maintained cellular integrity in desiccated state, and also activate or mobilize repair mechanisms upon rehydration. As non-vascular plants, they don’t have specialized conductive tissues so they take moisture in directly through their cell walls. The method or the structure of the said moss type weigh heavy on how much moisture the moss can hold, but also for how long they can hold onto it.

“The drying rate, length of desiccation, intensity of desiccation, prior dehydration and temperature, all have an effect on the ability of desiccation”.

Acclimation means the physical change that adjusts to new conditions. Moss are very susceptible to changing along with the atmosphere around them. “Depending on the relative humidity of air this can be a slow or rapid progression to equilibrium and dryness; the higher the humidity the slower the drying rate”, prior dehydration and temperature, all have an effort on the ability of desiccation”.

Although moss isn’t what most people recognize as aesthetically pleasing, there is a beauty hidden within this furry, blurry, mossy moss. The trick is looking close enough to see it.