Moss in Winter

Dendroalsia Moss on California Black Oaks

Dendroalsia albietina - Quercus kelloggii  

                                                                                                        

I just read a fascinating book, Gathering Moss, by Robin Wall Kimmerer, for which she received the John Burroughs Medal for Nature Writing in 2005!   In Gathering Moss, Kimmerer's avid curiosity and delight in mosses is beautifully conveyed. Here are some of the facts I learned! 

Winter is the time that mosses flourish in our area. The recent rains have revived them from their dried-out, dormant state. Mosses have no roots or vascular system. They can only absorb water directly through their cell walls. Their leaves are only one cell thick and have no waxy coating, so they can instantly absorb water. To retain water as long as possible, the moss leaves will roll up, twist, or fold to expose as little surface as possible to the sun. They also grow in dense colonies, and can be very hairy, which also helps retain water.

There are approximately 20,000 species of moss in the world! Dendroalsia ("Companion of Trees") Moss is the most commonly found species in our neighborhood. It grows on rocks, tree trunks and branches, deadwood, cement, and even fences!

 

North Yuba Trail 11/19/20

We went for a hike on one of the lower elevation trails this week, that took us through a forest (primarily Canyon Live Oak) along the south side of the North Yuba River.  The forest was covered in moss!  Moss was growing on all the trees, dead or alive, and on all the rocks!  It was lush, damp, and gorgeous!  It felt like we were in a rain forest!

Dendroalsia Moss sporophytes & possible budding protonema

Dendroalsia albietina

Water is important for moss reproduction. Moss has three ways to reproduce; sexual, asexual, and cloning.  In sexual reproduction, male and female parts are found on the same plant.  The female part is called an archegonium and contains one egg.  The male part is called an antheridium and contains LOTS of sperm!  The sperm need water to travel to the egg or else they dry out.  Some of the sperm actually produce surfactants (like dish detergent!) that makes water less viscous and easier to travel in!!!  Some antheridium absorb so much water that they burst and expel the sperm. Additionally, some antheridium are surrounded by a flat disc of radiating leaves that raindrops hit and cause the sperm to be propelled to the egg!  If a sperm reaches an egg (most of them don't make it), the fertilized egg develops into a stalked sporophyte which releases spores.  The spores land on soil and send out thin branching green threads, protonema, on which buds form and new mosses grow!  Mosses also spread asexually by sending out new shoots in the spring from last years plants. They can also regenerate from fragments, through cloning!

 Dendroalsia Moss   -    Tardigrade Photograph: ©Science Photo Library 

 Dendroalsia albietina  -     Steve Gchmeissner/Getty Images

Within the leaves of mosses live tiny creatures!  Tardigrades, also called Water Bears or Moss Piglets, and are tiny 1mm, eight-legged animals that live off of the cells of moss.  They pierce one cell at a time with a stylet and suck out the contents of the cell!  They can dehydrate like moss, and live for years in anabiosis, a temporary state of suspended animation or greatly reduced metabolism!  I've never seen one of these tiny critters, but I'm going to examine some of our local mosses with a hand lens and see what I can find!

Steller's Jay in the Rain

Cyanocitta stelleri

Weather Update!

We got another 3.36" of rain this week!  Yahoo!!! 

It really soaked the forest and the river rose a few inches!  I have become quite a pluviophile, and just can't get enough rain!  I hope more rain keeps coming!

Pine Siskins - Spinus pinus

Project FeederWatch

 I've decided to join Project FeederWatch again this winter.  It began last Saturday, Nov. 14 and ends on Friday, April 9. This program is created and  managed by the Cornell Ornithology Lab.  As a "Feeder Watcher" my job is to count the number of birds, and their species, at my feeder for two days in a row.  I can count them twice a day, or less, and every week or less.  The number I report to FeederWatch is the highest number of birds seen at one time, per species.  This information provides statistics for the Cornell Ornithology Lab that they wouldn't have been able to gather on their own. The following quote from Project FeederWatch explains how this citizen science project works. 

 "The main goal of Project FeederWatch is to combine the interests of backyard bird watchers with the needs of ornithologists who study bird populations. By making simple, standardized counts of the birds in their yards and reporting them to the FeederWatch database, Feeder Watchers are contributing directly to the scientific understanding of bird populations.

 FeederWatch data shows which bird species visit feeders at thousands of locations across the continent every winter. The data also indicates how many individuals of each species are seen. This information can be used to measure changes in the winter ranges and abundances of bird species over time. Importantly, FeederWatch data tells us where birds are as well as where they are not. This crucial information enables scientists to piece together the most accurate population maps.

 Because FeederWatchers count the number of individuals of each species they see several times throughout the winter, FeederWatch data is extremely powerful for detecting and explaining gradual changes in the wintering ranges of many species." 

 So I will be feeding the birds this winter, and will regularly clean my feeding station to prevent build up of feces and mold.  So far I've seen Pine Siskins, Steller's Jays, White-crowned Sparrows, Golden-crowned Sparrows, Fox Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Mourning Doves, and Mountain Quail.  If you're interested in joining Project FeederWatch go to the website, www.feederwatch@cornell.edu.  It's fun and you'll be helping the birds!

Pine Siskin - Fox Sparrow 
Spinus pinus - Passerella iliaca

What's happening with the local lichens?

What's happening in the Lakes Basin?

What are the Lady-beetles doing?

Check back next week for the answers to these questions and more!

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