Mosses move water passively by harnessing surface forces rather than expending energy

Evidence

Plants and animals of all kinds have sophisticated means of maintaining water balance, using pumps and vessels, sweat glands and kidneys. Considerable energy is devoted to water regulation in these organisms. But mosses engineer the movement of water simply by harnessing the attraction of water for surfaces. Their forms take advantage of the adhesive and cohesive forces of water, to move the water at will over their surfaces, without expending any energy of their own. This elegant design is a paragon of minimalism, enlisting the fundamental forces of nature, rather than trying to overcome them. — Robin Wall Kimmerer, Gathering Moss, 200

Categorization

• XREF: The minimalism of enlisting rather than opposing natural forces echoes the book’s broader observational theme and could bridge toward the polyad’s method thread on attunement vs. control. — connects to: Colonial packing, not individual form, is what holds water in moss — Robin Wall Kimmerer, Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural…, 185; The still-air boundary layer near the ground is thick enough to trap kites — Robin Wall Kimmerer, Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural…, 97; Mosses stay small because they have no water-conducting vascular tissue — Robin Wall Kimmerer, Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural…, 89 (+2 more)