Syntrichia

Although a balanced sex ratio based on sex chromosomes is expected in spores after meiosis, S. caninervis is notable for its extremely strong sex ratio bias and low frequency of sexual reproduction.

Mosses and other biocrust organisms have evolved vegetative desiccation tolerance—the ability to equilibrate to dry air, pausing all metabolic activity until rehydration—making them an excellent model system for studying stress tolerance mechanisms.

Mosses and other biocrust organisms have evolved vegetative desiccation tolerance—the ability to equilibrate to dry air, pausing all metabolic activity until rehydration—making them an excellent model system for studying adaptation to the desiccating and irradiating conditions of terrestrial life.

An NSF Dimensions of Biodiversity Project; population genetics & phylogenetics of Syntrichia

In collaboration with non-profit Blueprint Earth, an assessment of the phylogenetic diversity of a unique region of the Mojave Desert

We present a technique to determine genotypic sex in the highly clonal Syntrichia caninervis, and the results of a case study examining genotypic and phenotypic sex ratios.

Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is a major environmental stressor for terrestrial plants. Here we investigated genetic responses to acute …

Plants in dryland ecosystems experience extreme daily and seasonal fluctuations in light, temperature, and water availability. We used …

With global climate change, water scarcity threatens whole agro/ecosystems. The desert moss Syntrichia caninervis, an extremophile, …

Several species of dryland cyanobacteria are known to occur as hypoliths under semi-translucent rocks. In the Mojave Desert, these …