Mosses as model systems

Mosses hold many attractions as model organisms for research in plant science. Their position as the simplest of land plants makes them central to the study of plant evolution, particularly in shedding light on how their aquatic predecessors evolved to survive on land. The use of mosses for developmental studies hinges on the ability to observe development in living material at the level of the individual cell. However, more recently techniques for the molecular analysis of mosses have provided tools for new approaches for determining the mechanisms controlling plant development, incorporating both cell and molecular biology. Mosses hold many attractions as model organisms for research in plant science. Their position as the simplest of land plants makes them central to the study of plant evolution, particularly in shedding light on how their aquatic predecessors evolved to survive on land. The use of mosses for developmental studies hinges on the ability to observe development in living material at the level of the individual cell. However, more recently techniques for the molecular analysis of mosses have provided tools for new approaches for determining the mechanisms controlling plant development, incorporating both cell and molecular biology.