Moss & Lichen: Which One Is Actually a Plant?

[@MrZawaga]

You could make a side show all about fungi called journey to mycocosmos

[@Beryllahawk]

Oh I'm lichen this idea. (grinning like an idiot now)

[@RealAlexKlett]

@@Beryllahawk I’m almosst giddy with this idea

[@rianantony]

That sounds like a lot of fungi

[@Meadows-Bound]

Ohh I would love to watch this, this fungi has some good ideas

[@frakke4579]

That would amazing I love mycorrhizal fungi

[@aakashjain4569]

It’s only a matter of time till lichen discovers fire

[@amandaspellen2113]

Is the Lichen Revolution. We need to prepare ourselves for war.

[@veeezis]

Lichen is pretty fire already.

[@matthewpollock9685]

Surely they will invent a new kind of farming in a sweet dank valley right in between these two rivers (meso [between] potamia [rivers]), and the ants will help. Guess what happens next! More food, and more lichens who came to buy the food, and you need lichens to help make the food and keep track of the sales, and now, you need moss shelters for lichens to live in and lichens to cultivate the moss shelters, and now, there's more lichens, and they invent things which makes things better, and more lichens come, and there's more farming and more lichens to make more things for more lichens, and now, there's business, money, writing, laws, power. Society! Coming soon to a dank river valley near you! - Bill Wurtz (sort of) Side note: If you've never seen "History of the entire world, I guess" by Bill Wurtz, do yourself a favor and click the link below. Never has so much information been so perfectly distilled into such a creative nugget of amazing infotainment. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rqamn2urrZeamNU

[@toothpasteman3400]

@@matthewpollock9685 continue I'm completely invested in this universe.

[@alanhyt79]

Lichens were much worse before they settled down and became agricultural. They started off as hunter-gatherers. They're much more civilized now. Let's give them a break. I left a pocketknife and a flint on a lichen-covered log. So far, the lichens are ignoring it.

[@BrianPennington]

Really missed an opportunity to say “Please lichen subscribe”

[@Chakravarti2911]

Underrated!!!

[@malusignatius]

*Sees moss with light artefacts* "Ooh, disco moss."

[@jimurrata6785]

I don't care what they are, I like them! It's like a lava lamp and it's awesome.

[@malusignatius]

@@jimurrata6785 Oh yeah, it great. Though part of my brain can't help but match it to a late night infomercial.

[@shlushe1050]

Funky

[@gregoryallen0001]

thought those were UAPs 😐

[@crpCph]

me on a hike touching lichen gently: "tell me secrets of the past, primordial friend"

[@pilgrimonthelongroad2875]

as wise mushroom once said, "can you feel your heart burning? can you feel the struggle within? The fear within me is beyond anything your soul can make. you cannot kill me in any way that matters"

[@hic_tus]

get off me laaand ye big belly algae grabber good for nothing! lol

[@crpCph]

@@pilgrimonthelongroad2875 literally my favorite picture on the internets

[@mrexists5400]

lichen: "dinosaurs have smelly farts"

[@NewMessage]

This one makes me VERY happy... bryophytes and lichens don't get enough love.

[@chrisakaschulbus4903]

that profile picture is very annoying, thank you very much :)

[@backstreetfan2887]

I heartily agree

[@TraversalScore]

I've always felt like lichens are the sort of terrestrial equivalent of corals

[@kokroucz]

That is cool comparison

[@CMZneu]

Only 6 minutes... WE NEED MORE!!! more of fungi and mosses.

[@cadr003]

Wait this was too short! I need to know more about lichens!!

[@MatthewGaydos]

That’s mostly due to us just not having a ton of samples yet. Hopefully we can talk about them more in the future!

[@zddxddyddw]

Well, for starters, it has been found that not only fungi and algae form the symbiosis, but there are bacteria involved too.

[@sakari1514]

I zoned out for about 2 minutes, this is way too relaxing

[@ariariaris]

i would LOVE to see more mosses and fungi up close on this channel!

[@thebermudaI]

For people who want more, I recommend Robin Wall Kimmerer's book GATHERING MOSS.

[@ValeriePallaoro]

I see your words and raise you with (1) it's not Hank, (2) it's not youtube,

[@alanhyt79]

Reminded me of first semester biology lab and the Biological Progression field trip. First, there's bare rock. Second, there are lichens. The lichens break down a tiny bit of the rock and leave organic material in the mix, creating a basic soil. Third, moss spores that have landed in the soil come to life, and patches of moss grow wider and make the soil layer slightly deeper. Fourth and so on, with higher plants, like shrubs, small trees, larger trees. Eventually, climax communities. We'd hiked a bit to get to that spot, the place where we could, without turning our heads, see everything in the progression from solid rock to lichen, to mosses, to shrubs, to alders, to Douglas Fir and Western Red Cedar. When I'd processed it, I must admit I was blown away by the scope and power of life on this planet and how bare minerals can eventually become covered with plants and animals. I have looked at lichen with reverence ever since. Lichens start the process of biological progression, and if it weren't for them, my region would be bare rock and not much else. I grew up amid moss-covered trees and dark, ancient forests. Lichens didn't get enough credit out there, even though the ancient rainforests of the Olympic Peninsula were all started after the ice age ended when lichens took hold of the bare rocks, and even though some folks used certain of the myriad local lichens medicinally, as well. After the eruption of Mt St Helens, I was able to reassure a few people I knew that forests would grow on again on what was left of that mountain. "Life will find a way."

[@abishekkumar05]

easily one of the best comments i've stumbled upon on youtube. it brings me such pleasure when i see people appreciating the nuances of biology and evolution and realize even the tiniest, superficially insignificant organisms do in fact have such importance in the grand scale of life and earth.

[@alanhyt79]

@@abishekkumar05 Thank you very much! Nice to know someone else appreciates biological nuances as well.

[@kdcridlpaw4852]

It’s so strange/different hearing calm, soothing Hank

[@wizzardofpaws2420]

I know. He has the best voice for something like this.

[@kellydalstok8900]

How does he do it?

[@AlexanderRoux]

Verbs...syllables...well timed pauses

[@AlexanderRoux]

All in a very satisfying timbre

[@Fly0High]

"it's the moss. Moss is the plant." Thanks XD

[@rodchallis8031]

yeah, that made me chuckle.

[@noname-kx4cu]

I literally said "Your TikTok is showing, Hank."

[@Fly0High]

@@noname-kx4cu Is that a new trend in there?

[@zJoriz]

"... wonder what other secrets they might possibly hide" This makes me remember the time when my brother and I as kids brought flashlights along on vacation -- and promptly started 'interrogating' mushrooms in the style common in crappy TV shows of the era.

[@PeridotEX]

What did they tell you?

[@B30pt87]

@@PeridotEX That they were fun guys.

[@Tahoza]

4:58 TARDIGRADE SIGHTING! MOSS PIGLET ON THE MOSS!

[@saurabhp5932]

Only if my biology lab could have been like this, you guys are amazing

[@CMZneu]

To be fair they skip the important boring parts... chemical reactions, family classifications, etc... which are actually interesting but can get a bit tedious.

[@mugishaedimon9109]

No

[@glossaria2]

Ha! It's like you guys read my mind. I just collected a bunch of lichen and mosses while I was on vacay (currently paper-bagged and awaiting spare time for me to revive, study, and try to ID them, and hopefully scope out some tardigrades).

[@dracoaestas]

What a good birthday present! And actually really appropriate. I've run a moss terrarium workshop, and one of the elderly folks remembered me as the "moss lady" afterward lol. Does anyone else here keep moss terrariums?

[@karmaarachnid8345]

A year ago I built a terrarium with moss and assorted lycophytes. The lycophytes eventually died but the moss is thriving so now it's just a moss terrarium.

[@dracoaestas]

@@karmaarachnid8345 So cool! My favorites that are still going in my terrariums are Rhodobryum and Climacium mosses.

[@robinj.p.7187]

every since I was a child climbing trees lichen has always fascinated me. thanks for making this video!

[@dstdvl]

"The tardigrade lays on its back, its belly baking in the hot sun, beating its legs trying to turn itself over, but it can't. Not without your help. But you're not helping." "Whaddya mean I'm not helping?" "I mean you're not helping. Why is that, Leon?"

[@orchdork775]

What is this a reference to??

[@Relatablename]

@@orchdork775 Blade Runner my friend. Holden: The tortoise lays on its back, its belly baking in the hot sun, beating its legs trying to turn itself over but it can't. Not without your help. But you're not helping. Leon: WHAT DO YOU MEAN, I'M NOT HELPING? Holden: I mean you're not helping! Why is that, Leon? Holden: They're just questions, Leon. In answer to your query they're written down for me. It's a test, designed to provoke an emotional response. (pause) Shall we continue?

[@pspublic13]

@@Relatablename Iconic sci-fi film. One of those rare movies that makes you sit there for a few minutes and actually think about what happened.

[@MrsBrit1]

I don't understand anyone who can walk last miss and never look at it.... But miss has always been my favorite plant. Lichens are also a beautiful, intricately shaped organism and is so many colors, yellow, green, white, pink....fascinating!

[@adrianwolmarans]

A little more about lichen micro structure please!

[@oni_chan4263]

This channel makes me feel calm, and I enjoy it a lot. Thank you for making these videos.

[@PhillyHippy]

I like how calm hank is being here as opposed to Sci Show where he is equally entertaining but much more high strung.

[@gerryk9275]

Six percent of the Earth’s surface!!! (Minus the little sample of lichen I brought home from a hike today.) More lichen and moss episodes, please!

[@Diarmuhnd]

I love growing moss and lichen and covering my potted plants soil with them. @4:57 That is such a gorgeous image.

[@johnjimbob6173]

Wow only 52k views? This channel is criminally underrated. Def gonna be sharing with my friends

[@PeterVJaspersFayer]

Your calm, measured voice is a welcome balm in these troubled times. Thank you.

[@hellishmland1530]

I thought you were going to say... live long and prosper!! Seriously. You made my day. My best things ever are mosses, lichens and tardigrades. And this was all of them. Are you going to do a longer show on said subject. Thanks again.

[@renn_frenn]

I'm back to this channel since you guys started up, and im so glad my suggestion was taken from back then!! There's a reference ruler in the corner!!! you guys are awesome

[@GhostsOfThings]

The shot of the moss and tardigrade is one of my favourites yet I think ❤️ I've bean learning about moss and more recently, fungi, so it was neat to be able to see this episode. Thank you!

[@praagyadhungel1357]

I cannot emphasize how much I love this channel. Every aspect is just amazing: the narration, the music. I felt hypnotized. I find it way more visually stunning than any CGI seen on movies and series. ❤️❤️❤️

[@cambrown5633]

4:57 Hank: Check out this moss... Water bear: Haaaay guys welcome to my crib!

[@mutbrechtasengard5210]

This is the first channel/online video content creator I consider becoming a Patreon of. I do not need a Hulu, Disney+ subscription for arbitrary shows that I will never watch. This here is my sort of entertainment.

[@oc4029]

Today's vlog Brothers episode peaked my curiosity and here I am, hearing Hank's lovely voice once again

[@ashwaryp]

My favourite channel on KZbin. Thankyou for amazing videos.

[@philmichael143]

Hank, your work is top notch. Thanks for the quality content for as long as you have.

[@MissBeeBonnet]

This makes me imagine a giant being, looking at Earth under its microscope, initially classifying Rainforests like the Amazon and the Congo Basin as Organisms… only for their species’s technology to later get better, and for another giant to look and realize that there’s loads of *stuff* in there??? And I love it!!!! The different lichens aren’t different *species*, they’re different *biomes*, and that’s so cool!!!!!!!

[@cristea_mihaela]

I love stentors and rotiferes and tardigrades, but I think this was my favorite episode of Microcosmos so far. ❤️ Thank you.

[@xenopelta240]

I am so happy you are covering lichens!!! You should definitely try to cover Microsporidia in a future video, and try to get video of a cell being parasitized. A note on the referenced study: While the 2019 study did show that lichenized fungi and their algal symbionts reached land after vascular plants, it is important to remember that the term "lichen" refers to many diverse lineages of fungi that have convergently evolved the lichenized phenotype at various times in prehistory. It's still possible and quite likely that forms of now extinct lichenized fungi colonized land well before the terrestrialization of plants. Besides Prototaxites, fungi just aren't very good at fossilization unfortunately :(

[@lordfelidae4505]

My family lives in a house in the woods surrounding a lake half of the time. Moss and lichen were everywhere. I was a bit confused by the idea people could confuse them. Discovering the symbiotic nature of lichen made a lot click for me, since I usually saw lichen on boulders and rocks, especially around water, and would wonder how it grew without roots. Moss was absolutely everywhere, on tree roots, on rocks, on bark, it found its way to every possible surface it could inhabit. It was extremely helpful for finding stable footing when crossing streams when hiking. And on the bare rocks without any soil to grow on, if moss couldn’t manage to grow on it, it always had lichen.

[@musicmancer]

Thanks to this video I finally rediscovered a sci-fi novel I read as a kid: Interstellar Pig! The spark I needed is that one of the alien races described in the book is a "carnivorous lichen".

[@johnbrady4380]

“Alice-Algae met a real Fungi, and the took a Lichen to each other.”

[@trulyinfamous]

Mosses are genuinely my favorite type of plant. They can grow in most places, they're important for the environment, and tardigrades like to live on them. Many can also survive being dehydrated for a long time, coming back when hydrated and continuing on life as usual. What's not to love about it?

[@GYANAQ]

So basically Lichen is fungi that introduced Agriculture having Symbiotic relationship with Algae(Probably Cyanobacteria) for photosynthesis and Nutrient and UV Protection in return from fungi where as Moss is Bryophyte(Non-Vascular plant that does not have Xylem to transmit water And Phoelem to Transmit Food) and it is way greener in appearance

[@liquidpza]

Mass iteration over deep time is always so woefully underestimated.

[@1414141x]

Fascinating. Next time I see moss and lichen on a walk I will certainly give them more attention, so alongside my binoculars I will also take a magnifying glass...

[@vvutangmc]

Had to watch it twice you’re voice is incredibly soothing (second time was to actually pay attention)

[@Codysdab]

I love how Fungi saved life on earth by evolving the ability to breakdown cellulose otherwise the world would have run out of CO2.

[@willowarkan2263]

Well wouldn't have run out, lots of oxygen makes things increasingly flammable. There's other ways to release that carbon, like fire or chemical weathering or even just sunlight eventually. Not to mention the odd volcano.

[@IanGrams]

Ooh I've been fascinated by lichen ever since learning about them. I think from a SciShow video, too. Thanks for teaching me some more!

[@ambergris5705]

Will you make a video on springtails one day? I'd love that, although I know they're not aquatic

[@paulex12]

Do one on liverworts and hornworts please!

[@karmaarachnid8345]

Yes! I'd like to see video of their gametes swimming in a film of water if possible.

[@flightlesschicken7769]

@@karmaarachnid8345 I'd love to see that. Do a whole episode on the different gametes thst swim around maybe?

[@rickseiden1]

"The orange blobs are just light artifacts." Whew! I thought I was tripping balls, man!

[@nobodyeverinhistory]

It's nice to have a video to accompany the new Minecraft snapshot release, which adds lichens to the game.

[@StarSong936]

@ 1:14 I happen to find mosses and lichens to be fascinating. Sadly I don't know much about either, but I do know that lichens are a symbiosis between an algae and a fungus. I'll keep watching to find out more.

[@la912]

I really like the way you narrate it

[@brendakrieger7000]

Really enjoy these videos🔬💚

[@atiger4716]

What a beatiful content this Chanel has! Thanks very much

[@carto4028]

As a forager and student of the forest i find both lichens and moss as super cool.

[@zacharyhutchison4006]

What is faster: Lichen turning stone into soil, or humans turning beef into more humans?

[@AstronautaVerdadeiro_77]

Its humans turning humans into beef in the first place :)

[@miashadows]

Love moss! And i totally didnt know that about lichens! Last week i thought of a great show idea! I would love to see the microbes in the human gut! No poo is required, you could just culture the ones in the probiotics you can buy. Would love to see what im growing inside me!

[@1TakoyakiStore]

I was hoping for lichen spores just based on descriptions of them I've read in the past. As someone who grew up in Florida Scrub lands we see lichens growing directly from the sugar sand a lot, including one that looks like the tips were dipped in red paint.

[@Theo_Caro]

This video totally put me in a trance which was super relaxing, but all I remember is that moss is a plant but only sort of vascular.

[@PieterPatrick]

The Ad from Headspace fits perfect with your narration.

[@JustinOliver08]

I have a small inverted microscope I tried making a oblique illumination filter I put it in the filter holder but it did not work. please let me know how I could fix this or explain how to make oblique illumination filter.

[@etherflows3059]

Thx, as Mary Pop said - These are a few of my favourite things

[@sunburnfm]

Woah! When did you talk about vascular plants?? We need that!

[@piteoswaldo]

This new soundtrack is amazing! Where can I find the full songs?

[@mikerphone.]

YESSSSS!! I asked for this so long ago. Am a huge lichen nerd.

[@EricFdeFreitas]

I love this channel. Just love it.

[@tammymccaslin4787]

I love mosses and lichens!

[@0therun1t21]

Moss is so nice and soft and beautiful, I love it!

[@eph_kni]

it's tight that you contracted Andrew Huang to do the music. I was listening to all the squishy filter fm and the ending grains and pitch delays and thought "damn this sounds like modular synthesis!". Lo and behold, it's Andrew Huang

[@dianahernandezmurguia8065]

I read a little bit about Lichens conquering prehistoric land in Lynn Margulis´ book Symbiotic Planet when se mentioned the Hypersea Theory of McMenamin, it sounds poetic :)

[@HeroEnCo]

can this please be ported to a podcast I need this to fall asleep to

[@AlexanderRoux]

It feels like I'm listening to Agent Smith's microbiology side hustle And it is filled with splendour!

[@Resmungo]

The music is so good.

[@Royaliize]

I really love the show. You should check up on utricularia. They are tiny carnivore plants. Id love a episode about Them.

[@rascalw.492]

It's the moss, 🤣🤣🤣🤯. Noooooo? Nice delivery. The narrators on this channel are epic.

[@alsoaclient]

@1:29 Thank you for directly answering the question posed, instead of beating around the bush! (Pun intended.)

[@FlyingJetpack1]

5:00, Moss, and tardigrade for scale ;D

[@pacha1500]

I bloody love lichen I wish I was one, cant explain how glad I am you made a video about the love of my life

[@RikaJogie]

Thank You 🤗 I like this macro/micro world...FANTASTIC it is the basic of life 💚💚💚

[@DominikJaniec]

great episode!

[@tigrecito48]

Hey, I have a question about Lichens & Mosses... I climb trees a lot & I notice a lot of trees are covered in both of these. I don't know much about them but I've heard that the healthier the air & environment the more you will get of these on walls & trees etc. What I want to know is, do they cause damage to the trees? I've noticed that they grow more on the dead branches that are still in the trees. My question is: Are they parasites or symbiotic? Or some other word? Do they take their moisture & nutrients purely from detritus on the bark & rain & dew or are they sucking moisture out of the branch and therefore taking away water needed for leaves? Which is why the smaller branches seem to die a lot? What I'm not sure of is, are they causing the branches to die or just growing more once its dead due to more available nutrients? Thanks for any info...

[@brianedwards7142]

Okay but I still say the lichen was put here to keep tabs on us for an undisclosed third party.

[@raystephens9550]

Thank you. With a note to below: the discovery of fire is only half as important as discovery of how to master plasma. In both the definitions of the word plasma.

[@sonorasgirl]

The images are always stunning, but this looked straight out of fairy land 😍

[@jan_kisan]

hell, your videos are poetry

[@a52productions]

If lichen are colonies of multiple fungi and multiple types of bacterial algae, and they don't necessarily easily form just by having the right parts in the same dish... it makes me wonder -- are the component parts the only species involved? Or is the lichen itself, the aggregate, essentially its own species?

[@alanhyt79]

Excellent question. It brings up the relationships humans have with our normal flora, the bacteria we depend on for protecting our skin from pathological bacteria, for gut bacteria that help digest our food, create a blood clotting factor, and protect us from pathological bacteria, etc. We couldn't survive in this world without our normal flora. Of course, we acquire those organisms after we're born, so how we develop a symbiotic relationship with them is no mystery at all.

[@karmaarachnid8345]

This is the first time I've heard about lichen having more than one fungus, but I understand it's often possible for the fungi in lichens to survive with different photosynthetic partners or even none at all. Changing the symbiont can change the appearance and ecology of the lichen so much that some lichens which were considered different are now regarded as being the same species. From what I gather the symbionts get their own species classifications as well. Try searching for "photobiont switch."

[@chironOwlglass]

boy howdy, those are some sick (in a good way) light artifacts

[@alanhyt79]

+1 for the "boy howdy" LOL Made my day.

[@obduliocerceno4984]

Yes!!! It was great to the little creature ( tardigrade) moving or floating next to the moss!!!!

[@sceptre1067]

cool. i’m one of those nerds that have loved lichens since grade school science class.

[@valeriog8780]

Mosses and lichens! I was hoping you’d make a video about them. The next will be "Mosses and Tardigrades".

[@user-io3xp7qx4p]

5:07 is that a tardigrade on the dead part of that moss?

[@victorb145]

I noticed some lichen growing on a stop sign the other day, so I asked it can you grow on glass to? The lycan of course didn't answer but if you have the answer I'd be happy to hear it.

[@falcychead8198]

1:35 Turning down the sound, cranking up the Floyd.

[@timelessperspective]

Love your work, Hank! You've inspired the life I chose to live. I would appreciate a short moment of your time to explain what I'm doing and why I think you will be interested to hear about what I'm doing. Even if all you have is advice, that would mean a lot to me. My idea serves our society's highest need, education. Our mindsets are so similar and I know that if I could talk to you for 5 minutes, you will understand what I mean.