A study found that mosses are critical to the planet as a whole, storing nitrogen and carbon, limiting the presence of pathogenic microorganisms, and protecting soil from erosion. Researchers collected samples from 123 sites around the world with varying temperature and humidity levels and located at different latitudes, with an area of about 9.4 million square kilometers (about the size of China) The research team found that where mosses were found, the nitrogen andcarbon content of the soil increased, storing about 6.43 billion tonnes of carbon absorbed from the atmosphere.