Models from Nature

Motivation and challenges

The physiological properties of mosses hold promising potential for improving the micro-climate of urban areas and increasing the well-being of city dwellers. How, when and why mosses grow in the wild, how the individual varieties differ and what ambient conditions they require to remain vital, however, are are fundamental and largely still open questions in targeted cultivation. A detailed and in-depth analysis natural models is therefore of central importance. The focus is on determining geometric analogies in the case of different surface properties or substrate topologies.

Project insight and perspectives

The various substrates on which mosses naturally occur in their original ecosystem (e.g. on tree bark or rocks) and on artificial structures (e.g. masonry) are being studied and investigated with respect to different environmental conditions such as precipitation, incidence of light, angle of inclination and direction of growth. This is how the initial foundations for the structuring and development of functional models are being prepared, which will enable subsequent cultivation with mosses outside of their natural ecosystems.

15, 000

moss species worldwide

Further information

Mosses form the second largest group of green land plants. Some 15,000 species are known throughout the world. The tropics, with about 8,000 species, have the richest moss flora. In Europe, there are about 1,650 species of moss and in Germany approximately 1,050. These figures cannot be clearly determined because, depending on the location and changing climate conditions, new species are constantly being added or disappearing again.

1650

moss species in Europe