David CoveThe moss Physcomitrella patens often is used as a model organism for water stress studies
Recent work at Washington University in St. Louis sheds light on one of the most important events in earth history, the conquest of land by plants 480 million years ago.
No would-be colonizer could have survived on dry land without the ability to deal with dehydration, a major threat for organisms accustomed to soaking in water.
Clues to how the first land plants managed to avoid drying out might be provided by bryophytes, a group that includes the mosses, many of which retain remarkable drought tolerance. Some mosses can become so dry they crumble in the hand, but, if remoistened, will begin making proteins within minutes.
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