Question

How do mosses contribute to returning nitrogen to the soil?

Mosses fix nitrogen from the air.
Mosses harbor cyanobacteria that fix nitrogen.
Mosses die and return nitrogen to the soil.
Mosses decompose rocks and release nitrogen.

Answer 1

Mosses harbor nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria that convert atmospheric nitrogen into forms usable by plants, and when they die, they further contribute to the soil nitrogen through decomposing processes.

Step-by-step explanation:

Mosses contribute to returning nitrogen to the soil predominantly by harboring nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria. These cyanobacteria are crucial for the nitrogen cycle as they convert atmospheric nitrogen into a form that plants can use. When mosses die, their decomposition by soil microorganisms further assists in releasing nitrogen back into the soil as ammonium ions through a process known as ammonification.

This ammonium can then be transformed into nitrites and nitrates by nitrifying bacteria, which become available for plant uptake, thus sustaining the ecosystem's nitrogen balance.

Answer 2

Mosses decompose rocks and release nitrogen.

Step-by-step explanation:

Mosses are very important for the functioning of life as we know it and for the nitrogen cycle in the nitrogen return stage to the soil. In addition to absorbing, like real sponges, large amounts of rainwater, keeping the soil surface moist and forming the peat used as fuel, mosses break down the rocks on which they grow, releasing nitrogen that will return to the soil.

Mosses are primitive plants that do not produce flowers, fruits and seeds and also do not produce vascular tissues. For this reason they are called avascular or non-tracheophyte plants. The absence of conductive tissue is largely responsible for the small size of these vegetables.