Mosses do not grow to be very large because they lack the supporting vascular tissue. However, in the proper environment, they may cover vast areas. Mosses play important roles in the arctic tundra, tropical and temperate rain forests.
Figure 3. This image from the Great Smokey Mountains shows a green and brown moss mats growing on rocks around a waterfall.
Mosses are interesting little plants. Their dominant physical form is the gametophyte generation. In other words, when you look at a mat of green moss, most of the greenery you see is the gametophyte generation. In mosses, there are male gametophyte plants and female gametophyte plants. The male and female plants live together in a mat of moss.
Figure 4. This close-up photograph of a mat of moss growing on a rock shows the male and female gametophytes growing together. Part of the moss has a greener appearance while other parts in more of a whitish/light green.
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