From the snow-capped polar regions to the scorching equator
From lush pristine rainforests to densely populated metropolises
There is a class of creatures that are everywhere, but also "small" like dust
Only when our eyes are less than 10 cm away from them
This "small world" can be clearly discovered by us
These discoveries brought shock and joy
No less than our reverence for a majestic mountain
This is an important part of nature: bryophytes
△ Associate Researcher of Zhejiang Museum of Natural History: Wang Qiang
Mr. Wang Qiang is an associate researcher at the Zhejiang Museum of Natural History
Specialized in bryophyte research and classification
From the time he began working with bryophytes to the present day
It's been years
There are as many as five or six hundred species of bryophytes known
The desk in Wang Qiang's office does not have a pot of eye-catching plants
Instead, it is occupied by a large number of botanical atlases, books and two microscopes
Stacks of shoebox-sized specimen boxes piled more than a meter high
"These boxes of bryophyte specimens have been all my efforts in the past few years."
△ Embedded specimen: East Asian peacock moss
△ Embedded specimen: Juniper leaf white hair moss
Moss is the "pioneer" of the environment and has great vitality
Be able to stand first and grow in barren places
Exposed rocks, hot and dry deserts, cold polar regions
All kinds of forests, swamps, all kinds of different bodies of water
Both have a distribution of bryophytes
They provide food and shelter for other animals
Lock in rainwater and protect the soil from loss
The role of the entire ecosystem plays an important role
But at the same time, moss because of its primitive life form
It is also extremely fragile
Its mimesis is usually a monolayer of cells with no protective layer
It is very sensitive to atmospheric and heavy metal pollution
(10 times more than seed plants)
It is widely used as an indicator of environmental change
Once the heavy metal ions, sulfur dioxide and other pollutants in the environment exceed the standard
They are the first to appear strange, even dead, to "call the police" for us.
Classified mosses are similar to angiosperms such as trees and flowers
Mainly through external morphological characteristics, ecological environment and cellular structure
The three aspects are combined to identify
Most bryophytes are small
Some species of moss have leaves that are even as large as a grain of dust
They are often studied with the help of a microscope
Every year Wang Qiang will go to all parts of the country
Moss collection in nature reserves and mountainous areas
When you see an unfamiliar moss, you take out a magnifying glass
Carefully observe the shape and characteristics of the stems and leaves
Then scrape it off with a knife and wrap it in newspaper
Record the collection time, location, latitude and longitude, habitat and other information in detail
△ In June 2017, Wang Qiang collected bryophyte specimens at the xigou side of Wuyue Ancient Road in Anhui Province
The bryophytes are harvested and dried in the shade
After soil removal, low temperature insecticidal treatment
It has become a good research object
A specimen with complete information collected
Like a diary of nature
Is the best evidence to understand the moss resources in the region
A handful of moss collected from the wild
There are often several species mixed in
I want to sort out the families, genera, and species one by one
It's a complicated and tedious thing
Sometimes it's a whole day of work
Only two or three species were divided
Hangzhou moss in macro lens △ big phoenix-tailed moss (habitat: soil wall under the forest ditch)
Hangzhou moss △ small snake moss in macro lens (Habitat: Wet soil surface or rock surface under the stream forest)
At present, there are more than 23,000 species of bryophytes in the world
There are also about 3100 kinds of bryophytes in China
Among them, there are more than 2,000 kinds of mosses, and more than 1,100 kinds of mosses and horned mosses
There are more than 70 kinds of mosses in Zhejiang, and more than 700 kinds of mosses
There are more than 50 kinds of mosses and more than 190 kinds of mosses in Hangzhou
Hangzhou moss △ curved tail moss in macro lens (habitat: saprophyll under the forest or thin soil on the rock surface)
Hangzhou moss △ dense leaf silk moss in macro lens (habitat: rock surface, soil surface tree foundation or rotten wood)
In the spring of 2013, Wang Qiang was in the process of a field expedition
Specimens of the genus White-haired Moss were collected in Qiaomo Village, Baishanzu Town, Qingyuan County, Zhejiang Province
Come back and check the relevant information to find
It is a newly recorded species of moss in Zhejiang Province
Leucobryum aduncum Dozy et Molk
For Wang Qiang, who is engaged in species classification
That's the best compliment
Leucobryum aduncum Dozy et Molk
△ A new record of curved leaf white hair moss under the autopsy
In recent years, moss greenery has become increasingly popular
Wang Qiang was glad that more people liked moss
But he also stressed it
Do not collect in large quantities in the wild
"Some bryophytes have a particularly slow growth cycle, which may grow a few centimeters in a few years. We should not be predators of nature, but protectors of moss resources. ”
Hangzhou moss in macro lens △ edge lantern moss (habitat: under the forest stone surface or soil slope)
Hangzhou moss △ ground money in macro lens (habitat: shady and wet soil slopes, under walls, swamps or rock faces)
"Plunge into" the Moss Kingdom, and several years have passed since I looked up
Wang Qiang has always been interested in this job and moss
A scientific researcher like Professor Wang Qiang, like the moss he studied, is low-key but important. They silently pay and work hard, so that the pace of human exploration continues to deepen and enrich the strange biological world, so that people and nature can better live in harmony.
Hangzhou moss △ round leaf rattle lamp moss in macro lens (habitat: stone wall or soil surface under the forest ditch)
Hangzhou moss △ creek moss in macro lens (habitat: creek side stone surface or wet soil surface)