Hur släpps mossornas sporer?

Diaspore release is an important part of the dispersal process, which we know very little about for most species. We investigated the effects of wind speed and turbulence on spore release in the moss Atrichum undulatum using wind tunnel experiments. Spores were only released in highly turbulent wind flows, and there was a threshold in wind speed before large amounts of spores started to be released. This threshold coincided with incipient vibrations of the sporophyte. We think that the shaking caused by the vibrations successively transports spores to the capsule opening, and may separate clumped spores. Without the vibrations, spores would become arranged in such a way that they block the openings - just like salt in a salt shaker.