Economic and Ethnic Uses of Bryophytes

A general lack of commercial value, small size, and inconspicuous place in the ecosystem have made the bryophytes appear to be of no use to most people. However, Stone Age people living in what is now Germany once collected the moss Neckera crispa (G. Grosse-Brauckmann 1979). Other scattered bits of evidence suggest a variety of uses by various cultures around the world (J. M. Glime and D. Saxena 1991). Now, contemporary plant scientists are considering bryophytes as sources of genes for modifying crop plants to withstand the physiological stresses of the modern world. This is ironic since numerous secondary compounds make bryophytes unpalatable to most discriminating tastes, and their nutritional value is questionable.