Desert mosses use quartz rocks as sun shades

Desert conditions are harsh, and mosses often spend much of the year in a dormant condition, desiccated and brown, until rain comes. Researchers discovered two species of moss that found a hiding place under translucent milky quartz where they can stay moist and green and continue to photosynthesize and grow while other mosses on the soil surface go dormant. This is the first green plant known to seek such refuge.

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