SCITECHDAILY - In some of the driest places on Earth, the ground itself can be alive. What looks like a thin, dark crust on desert soil may actually be a miniature ecosystem, packed with mosses, fungi, bacteria, algae, and tiny animals. These biological soil crusts help hold fragile landscapes together, trapping dust, storing nutrients, and protecting the ground from erosion.
Mosses are among the toughest members of these communities. They can dry out until they appear nearly dead, then revive after a brief rain. Some species survive on bare rock, endure intense heat, and tolerate long stretches without water. Their durability has even led scientists to explore whether mosses could someday help support life in extreme environments beyond Earth.
Now, researchers at UC Riverside say desert mosses may have another survival tool: fungi living inside their tissues. The evidence, published in New Phytologist, points to a relationship that has not previously been documented in mosses.