Mosses are reliable indicators of soil conditions because they tend to accumulate chemical elements somewhat indiscriminately. The analysis of concentrations of pollutants in older bryophyte specimens could be used to document increases in pollution levels over time. The species forms soft, compact cushions on exposed lime-rich outcrops in native prairie pastures. The outcrops are porous and charged with moisture, making them a magnet for several species of bryophytes in an otherwise hostile environment. Ozobryum underscores the fact that discoveries can still be made in areas of the country where bryophytes are poorly known.
Bryophytes occur in all types of environments, except salt water.
Many are subaquatic in swamps, bogs, and fens, and some grow submerged or emergent in streams. There are no marine bryophytes, but a few grow on coastline rocks and can tolerate exposure to salt spray. In the moss-carpeted rainforests of the Pacific Northwest, bryophytes make up a significant proportion of the biomass. Floristics and Distribution Basic information on the distribution of bryophytes is available for at least the northeastern United States, eastern Canada, and the Pacific Northwest. Some parts of the continent are less well known, chiefly remote areas of the Rockies, the arid Southwest, and the Great Plains.