The deadliest plant on Earth survived the dinosaurs but may be wiped out by humans

Over millions of years, moss has been subdivided into the genus takakia They have adapted to life at high altitudes, where the cold and ultraviolet rays create conditions that would be too extreme for many other forms of life.

This genus consists of only two species – T. lepidozioides that it T. ceratophylla. Although one or the other can be found in some remote areas of the USA and Japan, both are found only in Tibet, in the Himalayan region.

This moss, which does not grow more than a few millimeters, is considered the oldest plant that still exists on Earth to this day, and it is about 390 million years old, and it is a descendant of the first plant species that left the marine environments behind and were the first. Life forms that began colonizing Earth. Moreover, scientists believe that this living fossil is the moss with the greatest ability to quickly adapt to environmental changes, which may explain why it remains so resistant after millions of years.

Although Genome takakia It is evolving rapidly,” explains Ralf Riske, a researcher at the University of Freiburg and one of my co-authors An article published this week in “cell”Moss does not seem to have undergone any morphological changes in the past 165 million years. “This makes takakia A true living fossil,” he says, noting that “this apparent discrepancy between an unchanging form and a rapidly changing genome presents a scientific challenge for evolutionary biologists.”

a takakia It is what you would consider a born survivor. However, climate change driven by human actions on Earth may put an end to this story of adaptation. Moss has evolved over millions of years, adapting to slow environmental changes around it, but now its habitat is changing rapidly and it may not be able to handle such sudden changes.

Researchers say that over the past 20 years, the population of takakia It has decreased “significantly” in Tibet, although other plant species have benefited from the warming.

“Our study shows how valuable it is takakia To help us understand the evolution of land plants. Yikun He of Capital Normal University in China admits that the population decline we found is frightening. “Fortunately, knowing that the plant is threatened with extinction also gives us the opportunity to protect it, for example, by creating it in the laboratory,” he asserts.

“Hey takakia He saw dinosaurs come and go. witnessed the emergence of humans. Now we can learn something about resilience and extinction from this little moss.”