Is it possible that bacteria found in moss on older trees can actually promote the growth of forests? According to Science Daily, it is indeed a possibility. A new study conducted has found that bacteria found on old-growth trees could aid in the growth of forests.
Dr. Zoë Lindo, a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Biology at McGill University, and Jonathan Whiteley, a doctoral student in the same program, have found that bacteria living in mosses growing on tree branches in coastal temperate rainforests in the area between Southern Alaska and Northern California are better at “fixing” nitrogen than those mosses found on the ground. According to Science Daily, their findings suggest that “the link between old trees, mosses, and cyanobacteria, which contributes to nutrient dynamics,” could help sustain the productivity of these forests in the long-term range.
Cyanobacteria remove nitrogen from the atmosphere and convert it into a form that can be used by plants through nitrogen fixation – something that only a few organisms are capable of doing. Lindo’s study showed that cyanobacteria found in the mosses high above the ground are able to “fix” about twice as much nitrogen as those found on the forest floors.
We found this study to be rather interesting. You can read more on this topic at Science Daily.
Photo credit: © Piotr Skubisz / Fotolia via Sciencedaily.com.