MOSS the OXYGEN provider

MOSS the ULTIMATE O2 PROVIDER. One square meter of MOSS transforms during one year the SAME QUANTITY of CO2 to OXYGEN as MORE THAN 40 AVERAGE TREES.

THE MOSS LIFE CYCLE. Mosses absorb water and nutrients in a number of ways. Some have highly absorbent surfaces that allow them to draw in moisture and minerals from the water that flows over the outside of the plant. Others are able to pull these materials up the external surface of the rhizoids and to the stem thanks to a principle known as capillary action. Once the water and minerals move into the leaves and stem, they're either transported through cells or between cells, depending on the type of moss. leaves, where photosynthesis When photosynthesis is complete, the product is sugar and oxygen.

The moss releases the oxygen into the air, but the sugar combines with the minerals to form substances that help the plant grow and reproduce. During reproduction vase-shaped archegonia, which produce eggs, develop at the tips of female gametophytes, while antheridia, which produce sperm, develop at the ends of male gametophytes. Sperm from the antheridia swims through water to fertilize eggs in the archegonia. When the egg is fertilized, a sporophyte soon develops in the female plant. The sporophyte is the structure with a tall, thin stalk supporting a little brown capsule with a hat-like operculum. The capsule produces spores, which are essentially the equivalent of the seeds found in flowering plants and trees. As the capsule dries out and matures, the operculum pops open and releases spores that are carried away by the wind. If the spore comes to rest in a nice moist spot, it germinates and grows into a new gametophyte.

We like to have contact with architects who are interested to use our year long research at the University in order to aplicate these findingsindoor buildings. - Prof. Guy Van Elsacker - www.science4thefuture.com