It has been found that a moss (Syntrichia carinervic) in the Mojave desert uses quartz pebbles as miniature greenhouses (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/aug/18/plantwatch-how-a-miraculous-moss-keeps-cool-in-the-mojave-desert). The desert is sometimes very hot and at other times cold. The moss is also in danger of being damaged by ultraviolet (UV) rays from sunlight. Moss that ends up under translucent pebbles that are about 2.5cm thick, grows very well as it is protected from UV and damaging extremes. A similar phenomenon of quartz pebble use is seen with some cyanobacteria (these are also photosynthetic).
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