It's a Mossy World! A Workshop on Bryophytes in Plain Language

The Bryophyte workshop is a student-led annual gathering of nature enthusiasts, students, and faculty members interested in learning more about these amazing little plants called Bryophytes. It includes research presentations and practical exercises, and everyone is welcome to take part.

Bryophytes are a large group of simple plant forms that never flower and do not have a specialized vascular system like trees, grasses, or shrubs. Instead, they have simpler ways to transport nutrients and water in their tissues and reproduce either by spores or by fragmentation. Because they do not have tough “veins” in their bodies they cannot grow tall and instead they cover the ground in low-lying patches or more continuous layers. While their appearance may be humble and often we unwittingly step on them during our nature walks, these plants are true champions of nature, with an incredible ability to transform our environment and climate. For instance, Sphagnum mosses cover large swaths of land in Canada’s boreal and subarctic regions where they remove enormous quantities of carbon dioxide from the air – a powerful greenhouse gas.

In the broadest sense, Bryophytes comprise three categories of plants: True Mosses, Liverworts, and Hornworts each with their unique biological make-up.