Question

In areas where it rains often, mosses grow on roofs. How do mosses survive on roofs without soil?

Short answer

Mosses absorb water and nutrients carried by the rain and do not need soil because they do not derive much nutrition from the soil.

Step-by-step solution

Introduction

Mosses are the most numerous of the Bryophytes, the non-vascular plants. More than 10,000 species of mosses have been cataloged. Their habitats vary from the tundra, where they are the main vegetation, to the understory of tropical forests.

Explanation

Mosses are anchored to the substrate—whether it is soil, rock, or roof tiles—by multicellular rhizoids, precursors of roots. They originate from the base of the gametophyte but are not the major route for the absorption of water and minerals. The lack of a true root system explains why it is so easy to rip moss mats from a tree trunk. The mosses, therefore, occupy a threshold position between other bryophytes and the vascular plants.

Explanation

As moss absorbs water and makes nutrients by photosynthesis through its leaves and does not require to be rooted to survive. Moses can grow in hard circumstances. Hence, with the help of their rhizoids, mosses survive on roofs without soil.