What is Takakia?

About Takakia:

• It is a rare genus of moss that adapted over millions of years to life at high altitudes. 
• Appearance: When seen from a distance, it looks like a later of moss or green algae on the rocks where it grows. But closer inspection would reveal slender turf around one centimetre in length with an arrangement of short, finger-like leaves.
• It is a genus that only has two species (T. lepidozioides and T. ceratophylla ) and both of them are found together only in the Tibetan Plateau. 
• It has developed the ability to survive frost, life-threatening UV radiation and other hazardous conditions.
• It combines features found in mosses, liverworts and green algae.
• It is a moss that separated from other mosses 390 million years ago, not long after the first land plants evolved.

Key facts about Moss

• It is a small nonvascular spore-bearing land plants.
• Mosses are distributed throughout the world except in salt water and are commonly found in moist shady locations.
• Ecologically, mosses break down exposed substrata, releasing nutrients for the use of more-complex plants that succeed them.
• They also aid in soil erosion control by providing surface cover and absorbing water, and they are important in the nutrient and water economy of some vegetation types.

Q1) What is Soil erosion?

Soil erosion is the process by which soil is moved or displaced from one location to another by natural or human-induced factors. It involves the removal of the top layer of soil, which contains valuable nutrients and organic matter that support plant growth and ecosystem health.

Source: Oldest surviving plant species saw dinosaurs come and go, humans threaten it

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