Winter Residents

Day 131: Homo sap. as a species thinks of itself as the cream of creation. We have opposable thumbs. We have incredibly versatile brains. We have created technology to help us create more technology. We have imagined such concepts as "time" and "money," and we are constantly battling to come out on top of the other guy. Admirable traits? I think not. All of the above have done little except cause us grief, and would do nothing to help us survive in the same "real world" of those creatures we refer to inappropriately as "lesser." Many of the physical adaptations on which we pride ourselves are nothing to write home about when compared, for example, to a hummingbird whose countercurrent circulatory system and ability to enter a state of torpor allow it to survive sub-freezing temperatures. Would we survive with 60-70% of our cells frozen solid? Not hardly, but some frogs can, and so can many plants. The fact that I can grip a hammer, embrace a conspiracy theory, make a phone call to speak to an AI interface, race to meet a deadline, buy unimaginable numbers of things no sensible being needs, and stomp my opponents into the mud means nothing compared to a hummingbird's remarkable ability to endure despite all Nature throws at it.

Killing Frost

Day 14: We've had our first "killing frost," 26° F to be exact (that's -3.5° C to you metric types). Any delicate plants are done for, tender annuals terminated, and the coup de grace has been delivered to the vegetable garden, but over there on the fence, the bryophytes are demonstrating what it takes to survive in a harsh world. How do they manage? The secret lies in the ability of their tissues to husband sugars. When frost draws moisture out of them in a way which would kill most other plants, it serves to concentrate the sugars within mosses and lichens, thereby lowering the freezing point. Cold-hardy plants utilize this same strategy, although most of them aren't as good at it as the bryos. You can't help but admire the evolutionary process here. A bit of vegetation we deem "primitive" is better equipped to withstand climate extremes than we are. That should make you re-think your position in the scheme of things, shouldn't it?

Captive Drops

Day 11: Moss and other bryophytes are non-vascular plants. What does that mean, exactly? Unlike vascular plants which have a structure of xylem vessels to assist in the internal transport of water, mosses are comprised of specialized but simpler tissues which absorb water by osmosis. It therefore behooves the plant to husband available moisture whenever possible. Mosses can survive prolonged dry spells because of their ability to utilize even minimal amounts of atmospheric moisture. Mosses do not have true roots. They attach to their substrate by means of fine rhizines similar to those found in some lichens. These rhizines do not absorb moisture or transport nutrients as true roots do; they simply anchor the moss to a surface. While most species reproduce by solely by sporulation (the production of spores), others are known to clone themselves by means of asexual reproduction. Although primitive in nature, mosses have derived a solid survival strategy which has allowed them to be present on the Earth for at least 300 million years in forms similar to those we see today.