Moss

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/moss

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Bryophyta
2. What is the reproduction?Asexual reproduction via fragmentation and sexual reproduction requiring water for sperm transport
3. What are mosses and why are they called ancient plants?Mosses are tiny green plants that cover the ground. They are among the earliest land plants, so they are called ancient pioneers of plant life.
4. How do mosses survive when it gets very dry?Mosses can lose up to 95% of their water and go into a paused state. When water comes back, they quickly start working again in minutes or hours.

Bryophyta: A division of non-vascular plants including mosses, liverworts, and hornworts, characterized by simple structure and dependence on water for reproduction.
Poikilohydry: The physiological state of an organism that tolerates wide fluctuations in water content, including extreme desiccation.
Rhizoids: Filamentous structures in mosses that anchor the plant to a substrate and absorb water and minerals.
Ecosystem Engineers: Organisms that significantly modify their environment, influencing the availability of resources for other species.