Responses of the moss Tortula ruralis to desiccation treatments. II. Variations in desiccation tolerance

Variations in the apparent desiccation tolerance of the moss Tortula ruralis were traced to several causes. When the moss was kept continuously hydrated for several days, desiccation tolerance tended to decrease ("dehardening"). Conversely, daily episodes of drying and rehydration induced hardening so that the moss could tolerate rapid drying to a tissue water content of 0.008 g∙g dry weight−1.Different clumps of moss showed very different degrees of desiccation tolerance. The least tolerant samples suffered severe damage after rapid drying, whereas the most tolerant suffered little damage, and did not deharden during 3 days continuous hydration.