<p>To reproduce, moss unite their sperm and egg, forming a cell that grows into a stalk tipped with a capsule (seen here in cross section). Spores mature within this capsule, which then bursts and lets the spores drift away.</p>
To reproduce, moss unite their sperm and egg, forming a cell that grows into a stalk tipped with a capsule (seen here in cross section). Spores mature within this capsule, which then bursts and lets the spores drift away.
See the Plant Kingdom's Hidden Microscopic Wonders
It's not easy being green; on a cellular level, our leafy brethren are staggeringly complex.
ByMichael Greshko
Published August 7, 2018
Day to day, it might be tempting to take plants for granted. But you'd do so at your peril; our leafy brethren are staggeringly complex, as revealed when they're put under the microscope.
To give their progeny a shot, some plants get unwitting animals to act as taxis for their pollen or seeds. Plants can't get up and move to avoid their herbivorous predators, so they hunker down and fight, deploying a mind-boggling arsenal of toxins and irritants that we humans mistake as flavors. And some plants even turn the tables, using acid baths or trigger-haired cages to prey on animals.
Most impressive of all, plants have figured out how to eat sunlight. For billions of years, plants have harnessed the power
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