BIOL X425.1 - Mosses in Motion: Desert Moss Ecology and Diversity

Course Description

Introductory ecology and diversity of desert mosses and other bryophytes. You will learn:

• to develop an understanding what mosses are (evolutionary origins)
• how to distinguish them from commonly confused organisms (lichens, algae, resurrection ferns, low-lying herbs)
• where they live and how they survive in desert ecosystems (adaptations and microhabitats)
• the unique adaptive relationship of mosses to water, and how this compares to the adaptations of other desert plants (pines, cacti, grasses, flowering trees)
• why mosses matter (functional groups and their ecosystem roles)
• moss cellular diversity (beauty and functions under the microscope)
• collection/observation field etiquette, and how to become a skilled “moss hunter”
• mosses in the face of climate change