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.

 

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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