Press release
New project to safeguard peat moss against changing climate
University of Dundee expertise is to contribute to a £2.7 million project to accelerate climate adaptation in Sphagnum moss – supporting peatland carbon storage, biodiversity and water retention.
Published on 24 September 2026
Dr Claudia Martinho
University of Dundee expertise is to contribute to a £2.7 million project to accelerate climate adaptation in Sphagnum moss – supporting peatland carbon storage, biodiversity and water retention.
The two-year project, titled FutureMoss, will be led by the James Hutton Institute and is funded by the Advanced Research and Innovation Agency (ARIA). It brings together academics from the James Hutton Institute, the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI), the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and the University of Dundee to develop new varieties of Sphagnum which are more resistant and resilient to drought and changing weather patterns.
Sphagnum moss is the raw material of peatlands and is unusual in that it has no roots or stomata - the tiny openings that help most plants regulate water loss. Instead, it depends on its cellular and tissue structure to hold water, making it especially vulnerable to dry conditions and climate change.
To tackle this, the FutureMoss team will identify local populations of Sphagnum across the UK and Ireland which are naturally drought resistant and study their genetic and biological traits. They will also develop methods for producing new drought-tolerant Sphagnum varieties, including establishing controlled breeding– a first for Sphagnum.
Of the funding total, £2 million will support work at the James Hutton Institute, with the rest being shared amongst the other project partners.
Dr Claudia Martinho, an expert in plant genetics and epigenetics at Dundee’s Faculty of Life Sciences, will be involved in sequencing the genomes of different moss species adapted to contrasting environments. That information will be used to identify genomic regions associated with environmental adaptation, which could ultimately help generate new moss varieties that are better able to cope with climate change.
Dr Tom Parker, an upland ecologist at the Hutton and leader of the FutureMoss project, said, “The UK is experiencing increasingly severe drought events and peat mosses are on the front line. We need these mosses to underpin effective peatland function and aid with their restoration.
“In FutureMoss, we want to realise climate-resilient landscapes by boosting their genetic capacity to resist and bounce back from drought.”
Dr Mascha Bischoff, Peatland Chemical Ecologist at University of the Highlands and Islands, said, “Sphagnum mosses already show natural variations in how they respond to drought.
“FutureMoss will explore how we can use these differences to help peatlands adapt to climate change.”
Dr James Cash, an atmospheric scientist at UKCEH, said, "By measuring the chemical cues released by mosses into the atmosphere during drought, we can identify the varieties most likely to thrive in a changing climate."
The James Hutton Institute is a world‑leading interdisciplinary scientific research organisation delivering excellent, open and trusted science to help secure the future for people, nature and the economy. Through multidisciplinary research spanning land, crops, water and natural resources, the Hutton delivers measurable public good by supporting sustainable land use, climate resilience, food security and community wellbeing in Scotland and across the globe. Our work—from laboratories to landscape‑scale living labs—helps society respond to the climate and nature crises while strengthening rural communities and resilient economies. We undertake research for clients including the Scottish and UK Governments, the EU and international partners. We employ just under 500 staff, support around 100 PhD students, and have campuses in Aberdeen and Invergowrie, near Dundee. We are named after the pioneering 18th‑century Scottish Enlightenment scientist James Hutton, whose ideas laid the foundations of earth systems science through his understanding of deep time, cycles and the interconnectedness of natural processes. We continue his legacy of integrative, evidence‑led thinking. More information at The James Hutton Institute, crops, soil and environmental research.