The soil and water provide essential nutrients for the moss. Both the water and soil are required to support the moss. Mosses do not have true roots to absorb water and mineral nutrients. They do not circulate sap. Mosses absorbed water through their leaves and stem like a sponge.
Mosses have two phases in their life cycle.
The first phase is a green moss plant called the gametophyte. The male and female gametes produce the second phase, called the sporophyte. The top of the sporophyte is a stalk filled with spores. When the spores mature, the stalk bends, and a tiny lid opens. The spores are released and blow away to start new plants when the air is dry.