Plant Science Research collaboration will explore key mosses critical to storing carbon

ST. LOUIS, MO., October 9, 2024 – Plant scientists at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology have been awarded a four-year National Science Foundation (NSF) Enabling Discovery through GEnomics (EDGE) grant to advance their understanding of sphagnum moss, a crucial component of peatlands and a vital player in global ecosystems. The collaborative research team will develop genetic and genomic resources to study sphagnum's life cycle, growth, and adaptation to various environmental conditions.

Sphagnum mosses are the main constituents, and engineers of peatland ecosystems. Peatland or bog ecosystems are home to various flora adapted to the waterlogged, nutrient poor, acidic conditions. The soft, spongy ground of peat bogs comprises living and decaying sphagnum moss that creates an acidic environment to prevent the decomposition of organic materials. This means that all of the carbon stored within the plant material is locked inside the bogs instead of being released into the atmosphere.  

While peat bogs constitute only about 3% of Earth's land area, they store a staggering 30 percent of the planet's terrestrial carbon - twice as much as in all the world’s forest biomass combined. This carbon, locked away for millennia, is at risk of being released into the atmosphere due to drainage, human activities and climate warming. Preserving peat bogs is essential for combating global climate change and safeguarding our planet's future. 

“Regardless of their fascinating features, impacts on global carbon cycles, and unique position in land plant evolution, studies on Sphagnum spp. are limited mostly to eco-physiological analysis, and functional genomic resources remain scarce,” said Lead Principal Investigator, Sona Pandey, PhD, member, Danforth Center. 

How Sphagnum spp. respond and adapt to climate change is a predictor of the stability and distribution of the peatlands and the future trajectory of global carbon fluxes. So, establishing sphagnum as functional genomics models will help translate its morphology, physiology and gene level knowledge to the ecosystem level effects and conversely, ecosystem level traits can be correlated with specific gene function and mechanisms. 

“Despite its clear importance to our environment, relatively little is known about the genetics and biology of sphagnum mosses, and particularly how their sex chromosomes function, as well as how the presence of different sexes of these species can alter ecosystem dynamics,” says HudsonAlpha Faculty Investigator Alex Harkess, PhD, a Co-PI on the grant. 

The project will kick off at the Danforth Center, where Pandey and her team will develop and optimize protocols for successfully and consistently growing sphagnum mosses in a lab setting. The team will study and record detailed morphology and growth patterns of sphagnum and the effects of varying conditions on the growth and decay. They will also create tools to manipulate sphagnum genes and study the functions of specific genes involved in important biological processes. The team will identify pertinent growth conditions and tissue types that are needed to create sphagnum gene expression atlas and develop additional genomics tools. 

“To accomplish this, we must have access to reliable sphagnum cultures in the lab, and we must be able to determine the growth and decay patterns, developmental transitions and physiology of these underappreciated plants. We’re excited to bring the expertise we’ve gained working with other mosses to this globally important project,” Pandey added.

“Different sphagnum species act together to engineer the peatland ecosystem,” said Danforth Center Postdoctoral Associate Boominathan Mohanasundaram, PhD. “For example, the S. fuscum forms dry mounds where growth and decay are slow, while S. cuspidatum grows submerged in bog pools and decays relatively faster. By studying these two species from the extremes of water level and decay rate spectrum, we will be able to assess the overall impact of climate factors on peatlands.”

At HudsonAlpha, Harkess and his lab will generate a comprehensive gene expression atlas for various plant tissues for sphagnum, which will provide a valuable resource for future studies. The team will also look at sphagnum moss sex chromosomes. 

“Sphagnum mosses are dioecious plants, having individuals with separate male and female reproductive organs,” says HudsonAlpha Senior Scientist Sarah Carey, PhD, who will lead the genomics projects. “A recent study in one species of sphagnum shows that genes on the sex chromosomes are potentially important to moss growth in peat bogs and how it contends with its acidic environment. We will assemble more sphagnum sex chromosomes to get a better picture of what all is controlled by interactions with the sex chromosomes.”  

By understanding sphagnum mosses more completely on a genetic level, scientists across many disciplines will gain insights into the evolution of land plants and access more tools to develop strategies to protect peatlands, which are crucial for mitigating climate change and preserving biodiversity.

About The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
Founded in 1998, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is a nonprofit research institute with a mission to improve the human condition through plant science. Research, education and outreach aim to have an impact at the nexus of food security and the environment and position the St. Louis region as a world center for plant science. The Center’s work is funded through competitive grants from many sources, including the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Energy, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and through the support of individuals and corporations.

About HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology
HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology is a nonprofit organization dedicated to innovating the field of genomic technology and science within health, agriculture, education, and commercialization. Founded in 2008 in Huntsville, the institute strives to spark scientific discoveries that impact human health and well-being while bringing genomic medicine into clinical care. HudsonAlpha fosters life sciences entrepreneurship and encourages the creation of a genomics-literate society. The campus includes nearly 50 biotech companies and consists of 152 acres nestled within Cummings Research Park, the second-largest research park in the nation. To learn more about HudsonAlpha, visit hudsonalpha.org.

Media Contact:
Donald Danforth Plant Science Center: Karla Roeber, kroeber@danforthcenter.org

HudsonAlpha: Adam Kelley, HudsonAlpha Director of Communications
akelley@hudsonalpha.org