The tiny moss that could help save peatlands from drought
‘We need these mosses to underpin effective peatland function and aid with their restoration.’
Across the vast peatlands of Scotland and parts of the UK, one of the most important players in the fight against increasing temperatures rarely hits the headlines.
Sphagnum moss may just be moss, but this carpet of green, red and gold spread across bogs is the foundation on which northern peatlands are built.
The moss helps lock away carbon, supports biodiversity and acts as a vast natural sponge, holding and regulating water across the landscape.
Now scientists in Scotland are attempting something that has never been done before, which is to breed Sphagnum moss to withstand drought.
The James Hutton Institute (JHI) is to lead a £2.7m research project aimed at accelerating the moss’s ability to adapt to climate change. The two-year project, called FutureMoss, is being funded by the Advanced Research and Innovation Agency (Aria) through its Accelerated Adaptation programme.
Researchers from the JHI, the University of the Highlands and Islands, the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and the University of Dundee will search the UK and Ireland for populations of Sphagnum that already show an ability to cope with dry conditions.
The idea is to learn from those natural survivors to then use their genetic and biological characteristics to develop mosses better equipped for a changing climate.
“Sphagnum mosses already show natural variations in how they respond to drought,” said Dr Mascha Bischoff, a peatland chemical ecologist at the University of the Highlands and Islands.
“FutureMoss will explore how we can use these differences to help peatlands adapt to climate change.”
Sphagnum is particularly important to peatlands because of its ability to absorb and retain water, researchers said. However, because of its structure and ability to do this, the moss is also exposed when water disappears. Unlike most plants, Sphagnum has no roots and no stomata – the microscopic pores that plants use to regulate gas exchange and water loss. Instead, the moss relies on the structure of its cells and tissues to capture and hold water. It means when drought strikes, the moss is more vulnerable.
“The UK is experiencing increasingly severe drought events and peat mosses are on the front line,” said Dr Tom Parker, an upland ecologist at the JHI and leader of FutureMoss.
“We need these mosses to underpin effective peatland function and aid with their restoration.”
It is widely argued that peatlands are among the world’s most important terrestrial carbon stores. Conservationists warn that keeping them wet is crucial as when peat dries out, it can lose some of its capacity to store carbon and become more vulnerable to degradation and fire.
Scientists will examine the moss’ genetics, biology and chemical responses to dry conditions, looking for characteristics that might help explain why some mosses cope better than others before developing methods to produce new drought-tolerant varieties.
Dr Parker said the project aimed to “realise climate-resilient landscapes by boosting their genetic capacity to resist and bounce back from drought”.
Dr James Cash, an atmospheric scientist at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, will lead a study into the chemical signals released by Sphagnum into the atmosphere during drought.
“By measuring the chemical cues released by mosses into the atmosphere during drought, we can identify the varieties most likely to thrive in a changing climate,” he said.
The project has received £2.7m in total, with £2m going to the Hutton and the remainder shared among its research partners.
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