Bryophytes of many habitats seem to have the ability
to obtain nutrients both from the soil and from rainwater.
Van Tooren and coworkers (1990) explored the relative
importance of soil vs precipitation as a source of nutrients
for pleurocarpous Calliergonella cuspidata (Figure 6) on
sand and chalk grassland soil. They found that the
concentrations of N, P, and K in the plants were higher on
chalk soil than on sand and that these were enhanced by
fertilization. However, the plants on the chalk soil did not
increase growth when fertilized, whereas those on sand did.
They concluded that the soil was providing sufficient
nutrients on the chalk grasslands and that some other factor
must be limiting their growth.