Engineering Aspect of Bryophytes in Soil and Water Conservation

이끼의 농지보전공학적 의의(농지조성 및 농어촌정비)

Over twenty thousand types of bryohytes are existed in the world. Bryophytes are generally considered to be primitive plants and seriously neglected by even in botany area. Bryophytes includes mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. They thrive in humid environments and require water to survive. Some types, however, can recover after serious dehydration, even after years of complete dehydration. They generally absorb water and nutrients not from roots which is called rhizoid, but through entire body. The rhizoids are nonchlorophyllose fillamentous branches and attach the body to substratum such as soil and rocks. The attachment of mosses in soil surface provides a good protection from soil erosion by runoff water. In this presentation, reviewed and discussed are ecological characteristics and engineering perspectives of mosses, particularly with respect to soil and water conservation.