Physcomitrella

{{Short description|Genus of mosses}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| image = Physcomitrella.jpg

| image_caption = Physcomitrella patens

| display_parents = 4

| taxon = Physcomitrella

| subdivision_ranks = Species

| subdivision =

Physcomitrella patens

Physcomitrella readeri

}}

Physcomitrella is a genus of mosses, containing two{{cite web | url = http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=125291 | work = Flora of North America | title = Physcomitrella | access-date=2008-02-05}} species. Physcomitrella patens is a model organism in laboratory research. Physcomitrella readeri is fairly similar, distinguished only by subtle characteristics. In fact, it has often been debated whether they should rightly be considered separate species, or a single species.{{cite web | url = http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=250063093 | title = Physcomitrella readeri | work = Flora of North America | access-date = 2008-02-05}}

Physcomitrella has been used as a model organism. It diverged from the flowering plants over 400 million years ago, so the difference between the groups indicates the changes in the genome that accompanied the adaptation of plants to living on land.{{cite journal | last=Rensing | first=Stefan A. | last2=Lang | first2=Daniel | last3=Zimmer | first3=Andreas D. | last4=Terry | first4=Astrid | last5=Salamov | first5=Asaf | last6=Shapiro | first6=Harris | last7=Nishiyama | first7=Tomoaki | last8=Perroud | first8=Pierre-François | last9=Lindquist | first9=Erika A. | last10=Kamisugi | first10=Yasuko | last11=Tanahashi | first11=Takako | last12=Sakakibara | first12=Keiko | last13=Fujita | first13=Tomomichi | last14=Oishi | first14=Kazuko | last15=Shin-I | first15=Tadasu | last16=Kuroki | first16=Yoko | last17=Toyoda | first17=Atsushi | last18=Suzuki | first18=Yutaka | last19=Hashimoto | first19=Shin-ichi | last20=Yamaguchi | first20=Kazuo | last21=Sugano | first21=Sumio | last22=Kohara | first22=Yuji | last23=Fujiyama | first23=Asao | last24=Anterola | first24=Aldwin | last25=Aoki | first25=Setsuyuki | last26=Ashton | first26=Neil | last27=Barbazuk | first27=W. Brad | last28=Barker | first28=Elizabeth | last29=Bennetzen | first29=Jeffrey L. | last30=Blankenship | first30=Robert | last31=Cho | first31=Sung Hyun | last32=Dutcher | first32=Susan K. | last33=Estelle | first33=Mark | last34=Fawcett | first34=Jeffrey A. | last35=Gundlach | first35=Heidrun | last36=Hanada | first36=Kousuke | last37=Heyl | first37=Alexander | last38=Hicks | first38=Karen A. | last39=Hughes | first39=Jon | last40=Lohr | first40=Martin | last41=Mayer | first41=Klaus | last42=Melkozernov | first42=Alexander | last43=Murata | first43=Takashi | last44=Nelson | first44=David R. | last45=Pils | first45=Birgit | last46=Prigge | first46=Michael | last47=Reiss | first47=Bernd | last48=Renner | first48=Tanya | last49=Rombauts | first49=Stephane | last50=Rushton | first50=Paul J. | last51=Sanderfoot | first51=Anton | last52=Schween | first52=Gabriele | last53=Shiu | first53=Shin-Han | last54=Stueber | first54=Kurt | last55=Theodoulou | first55=Frederica L. | last56=Tu | first56=Hank | last57=Van de Peer | first57=Yves | last58=Verrier | first58=Paul J. | last59=Waters | first59=Elizabeth | last60=Wood | first60=Andrew | last61=Yang | first61=Lixing | last62=Cove | first62=David | last63=Cuming | first63=Andrew C. | last64=Hasebe | first64=Mitsuyasu | last65=Lucas | first65=Susan | last66=Mishler | first66=Brent D. | last67=Reski | first67=Ralf | last68=Grigoriev | first68=Igor V. | last69=Quatrano | first69=Ralph S. | last70=Boore | first70=Jeffrey L. |display-authors=3 | title=The Physcomitrella Genome Reveals Evolutionary Insights into the Conquest of Land by Plants | journal=Science | volume=319 | issue=5859 | date=4 January 2008 | doi=10.1126/science.1150646 | pages=64–69| hdl=11858/00-001M-0000-0012-3787-A | hdl-access=free }}