Week 33
I have just viewed a remarkable video, and if you have not seen it, please do so. Before even reading this blog, I must recommend Jane Goodall and “A Life of Purpose”[i]. It is over in less than ten minutes, and I wager your eyes will be damp before the end.
Jane Goodall’s message is so clear, so obvious, it is a wonder that anyone doubts environmental protection at all. Yet around me I hear jets flying, diggers digging, cement mixing, engines chugging, while trees are being felled to make space. Each of those responsible appears to believe they are an exception and that they stand alone in a tiny world of selfishness. Yet ongoing events around our planet show that cannot be true, that we do not stand alone, and that anything one person does can affect many others.
One problem of renaturing is that I spend long periods thinking about the environment and wondering how the world has got things so wrong. Few seem to understand that if we oppose Nature, and what else is felling a tree, concreting open grassland, or taking a budget airline to a sunny beach, Nature will defeat us in moments. She may be patient and tolerant, but everything has a breaking point[ii] and that, to me, is where we are now.
Much as I try, I do not understand how so many others think, and how climate apathy has taken hold. Is it lack of awareness? I doubt it. Perceived distance from the problem? Maybe. Perhaps it is an attempt to spread responsibility, or possibly economic concern, political belief, lack of empowerment, even a psychological defence mechanism. The enormity of what is going on right now is so huge, how simple it is to engage in denial, apathy, or avoidance. Shame on us all, me included, as each of us can always do better.
The situation is not helped by the roughly 85% of UK inhabitants who live in urban areas, a figure that is steadily rising. There is a clear relationship between overpopulation and climate change[iii], the elephant in the room that so few wish to debate. Just over half of my fellow nationals are resident in 66 locations that have populations of 100,000 or more[iv]. Many of these people[v] have lost touch with their rural roots, some have never been beyond the boundaries of their city, while plenty have yet to see their first sheep in a field, or a horse trotting on a country lane. Astonishingly, this situation does exist. Lakeland is a popular place for day outings from urban areas, especially England’s north, and some who do venture from their urban surroundings may bring urban ideas with them. I meet such people frequently as many now seek to view my renatured land. For most my efforts are a passing fascination as I try not to become emotional about the environment. For a few I spark real interest, but a few is better than none.
Renaturing has done this to me, as I have not always been a Crusader. Yet as I walk my land, stopping to identify yet another unexpected plant, and I wonder why it has chosen now, or that specific location to grow, I am completely clear that I am one tiny part of Nature, not her Lord and Master. I must go with her, not against her, as she must only flex the tiniest muscle and instantly, I have lost. That is happening around our planet right now. Lakeland is not an exception. I try not to worry, but often fail, as what lies just around the corner can worry me sick.
For much of my thinking and reflection, I take a seat in The Mossarium[vi], that portion of my land that was once derelict with bare earth, but which I have now returned to life, lining its new paths with limestone rocks from a nearby quarry. The area is shaded by some ageing rhododendrons[vii], a plant that has a habit of sucking everything dry and dominating an area in no time, although moss can give as good as it receives.
There is some evidence that Rhododendron ponticum, one of the many roughly 1000 different species of the plant[viii], inhibits germination and growth of seeds and seedlings nearby which may be attributed to allelopathy[ix]. However, there is no evidence that this allelopathic effect is strong enough to actually kill surrounding vegetation. Suppression yes, killing no. Large rhododendrons may cast too much shade on nearby plants, as well as taking up all the water and nutrients. The leaves are large, tough, and fairly water resistant, and therefore take a long time to break down, so a thick layer of fallen rhododendron leaves on other plants' foliage does not do them much good[x]. Some folk hate rhododendrons so much they would like to see every species gone, destroyed, vapourised forever[xi]. Near my land there are those who seek to rip the plant out, whereas I love it. Hence the dilemma. With renaturing I spend much time loving plants that others seem to loathe. Rhododendron is another example. Rhododendrons adore acid soil, which is to be found throughout Lakeland and certainly on my land. Moss loves acidity as well. I would not even bother to eliminate moss in Lakeland. It will keep coming back. Best is to live alongside it or, in the case of my Mossarium, to foster and be kind to it.
Mosses are non-flowering plants which produce spores and have stems and leaves, but do not have true roots. Mosses, and their cousins liverworts and hornworts, are classified as Bryophyta (bryophytes) in the plant kingdom and date back 450 million years, well before mankind. They have survived a range of drastic climate changes and some species even predate dinosaurs[xii]. Mosses occur on every continent and in every ecosystem habitable by plants that use sunlight for energy. There are up to 25,000 species of moss. Among the world of plants, the bryophytes are the second most diverse group exceeded only by the angiosperms, the flowering plants, of which there are roughly 350,000 species. Mosses are astonishingly tough. Studies have shown that the lowest temperature they can photosynthesise (turn energy from sunlight into food) is around -15°C and the highest is around 40°C. Some mosses have even been known to survive temperature highs of 100°C when dried out, and lows of -272°C. Mosses soak up water, and so are helpful in flood-prone areas. Some families are even named after this sogginess. The family name “Moss” originated from the Old English word “mos” or bog and implied someone who lived in a boggy place[xiii]. Moss can also protect tree roots from excessive temperatures[xiv], which is definitely needed at the moment. What is there not to like about mosses?
The Mossarium on my land has become something special. The moment I walk into it I feel different, more relaxed, at peace in a world that is trying hard to oppose any chances of relaxation. The Mossarium is where I can escape and likely explains why other living things congregate there, too. Much has been written about why moss has this effect. It may be because moss absorbs noise, can change humidity levels, and has been shown to have a soothing effect[xv].
Moss has been shown to reduce noise levels[xvi] by up to 10dB and is especially good at absorbing mid and high range sounds, which is why some offices use moss to good effect for staff.[xvii] Tree bark also absorbs sound, but moss-covered bark is even better[xviii]. One of the first things I notice when I walk into the Mossarium is the dampening of sound. It is truly remarkable.
Moss also plays a critical role in protecting the environment, perhaps in a way that is not yet widely known. Mosses are an impressive carbon sink and sequester around 6.43 billion metric tons more carbon in the soil than might be stored if the soil was bare and plant-free. This is six times the annual global carbon emissions caused by changes in land use such as deforestation, urbanisation, and mining[xix].
Moss-covered soil not only exhibits enhanced carbon storage but also possesses heightened levels of vital nutrients, accelerated rates of organic matter decomposition, and fewer instances of soil-borne plant pathogens compared with plain, mossless soil. Mosses cover an area of more than 3.6 million square miles (9.4 million square kilometres), which is similar in size to Canada or China.[xx] Moss clearly has a significant impact on soil biodiversity and carbon sequestration. In fact, moss has been found to absorb more carbon dioxide than a mature tree. Some species of moss can absorb more than 20 times their dry weight in carbon dioxide[xxi], which is remarkable.
Mosses are different to flowering plants. They are nonvascular, which means they do not have xylem and phloem. Xylem tissue transports water and some nutrients from the roots to the stems and leaves. Meanwhile phloem carries the products of photosynthesis - sugars, organic compounds, minerals - around a plant, until they eventually make their way to the roots[xxii]. Mosses have only a single set of chromosomes, so are known as haploid. Meanwhile, vascular plants, the so-called angiosperms, have two sets of chromosomes and are known as diploid. However, there is a short period in the moss life cycle when it does have two sets of chromosomes, but this happens only during the sporophyte stage.
The moss life cycle starts with a haploid spore that germinates to produce a protonema, which looks like a thin green felt, and may grow on damp soil, tree bark, rocks, concrete, or almost any reasonably stable surface. This is a transitory stage in the life of a moss, frequently dug up by an enthusiastic Stripy Lawner, but from the protonema grows the gametophore that is structurally differentiated into stems and leaves.
From the tips of the gametophore stems or branches develop the sex organs of the mosses. The female organs are known as archegonia and are small flask-shaped clumps of cells with an open neck (venter) down which the male sperm swim. The male organs are known as antheridia and are enclosed by modified leaves called the perigonium. After fertilisation, a diploid sporophyte is formed, which takes several months to mature. The sporophyte body comprises a long stalk, called a seta, and a capsule capped by a cap called the operculum. Most mosses rely on the wind to disperse the spores. In the genus Sphagnum the spores are projected about 10-20 cms (4-8 ins) off the ground by compressed air contained in the capsules. When projected, the spores accelerate to about 36,000 times the earth's gravitational acceleration[xxiii].
Believe me, moss is truly remarkable.
***
Acknowledgement
Take it from me - none of this would be possible without the help of RSG Horticulture. Rufus, who runs it, has far more energy than me and is full of ideas and skills. Do contact him through https://www.rsghorticulture.com.
Hashtags
References
[i] https://youtu.be/K9TiRytw-OU. Accessed 3 August 2023.
[ii] Carrington D. World on brink of five ‘disastrous’ climate tipping points, study finds
See https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/08/world-on-brink-five-climate-tipping-points-study-finds. Accessed 5 August 2023.
[iii] Peluso C. How is population growth related to climate change? 2 December 2022. See https://www.populationmedia.org/the-latest/how-is-population-growth-related-to-climate-changehow-is-population-growth-related-to-climate-change. Accessed 3 August 2023.
[iv] Denham C, White I. Differences in urban and rural Britain. Popul Trends. 1998 Spring;(91):23-34. PMID: 9575540.
[v] See https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/townie. Accessed 5 August 2023.
[vi] See week 15 entry.
[vii] See week 2 entry.
[viii] Cullen J. Naturalised rhododendrons widespread in Great Britain and Ireland. Hanburyana 2011;5:11-29.
[ix] See week 31 entry.
[x] StackExchange. See https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/34814/are-there-any-plants-i-should-not-grow-near-my-rhododendrons#:~:text=1%20Answer&text=There%20is%20some%20evidence%20that,that%20it%20kills%20surrounding%20vegetation. Accessed 10 August 2023.
[xi] Moss S. Why I want to see every rhododendron bush wiped off the planet. See https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-4828608/Why-want-rhododendron-bush-gone.html#:~:text=The%20toxic%20effects%20of%20the,of%20our%20countryside%2C%20the%20better. Accessed 10 August 2023.
[xii] Coleman J. This moss survived 165 million years — and now it's under threat from climate change. 9 August 2023. See https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02514-8. Accessed 11 August 2023.
[xiii] FamilySearch. See https://www.familysearch.org/en/surname?surname=MOSS#:~:text=English%3A%20topographic%20name%20from%20Middle,%2C%20and%20Moze%20(Essex). Accessed 10 August 2023.
[xiv] McHale E. 7 interesting things about moss. See https://www.kew.org/read-and-watch/moss#:~:text=They%27re%20ancient%20plants&text=They%20date%20back%20450%20million,that%20use%20sunlight%20for%20energy. Accessed 13 August 2023.
[xv] Polarmoss. See https://polarmoss.fi/preserved-moss-in-commercial-interior-design/#:~:text=When%20preserved%20moss%20is%20soft,a%20sense%20of%20well%2Dbeing. Accessed 10 August 2023.
[xvi] See week 15 entry.
[xvii] PlantPlan. See https://plantplan.co.uk/latest/the-remarkable-acoustic-effects-of-moss-walls/#:~:text=Moss%20has%20been%20shown%20to,sound%20levels%20up%20to%2010dB. Accessed 10 August 2023.
[xviii] Li M, Van Renterghem T, Kang J, Verheyen K, Botteldooren D. Sound absorption by tree bark, Applied Acoustics 2020;165:107328.
[xix] Abramson C. See https://news.umich.edu/study-modest-moss-supports-billions-of-tons-of-carbon-storage/#:~:text=In%20fact%2C%20mosses%20sequester%20around,in%20global%20semi%2Darid%20areas. Accessed 10 August 2023.
[xx] Eldridge DJ, Guirado E, Reich PB, et al. The global contribution of soil mosses to ecosystem services. Nat. Geosci. 16, 430–438 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-023-01170-x
[xxi] Ground Report. Can a square meter of moss absorb more CO2 than a mature tree? 3 April 2023.
See https://groundreport.in/can-a-square-meter-of-moss-absorb-more-co2-than-a-mature-tree/#:~:text=According%20to%20a%20study%20published,their%20dry%20weight%20in%20CO2. Accessed 10 August 2023.
[xxii] Basic Biology. Xylem and phloem. See https://basicbiology.net/plants/physiology/xylem-phloem. Accessed 11 August 2023.
[xxiii] Wikipedia. Moss. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moss. Accessed 11 August 2023.
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