Bryolog 27 (25 February 2022)

Upcoming

As a general policy, check the website for event updates before you walk out the door!

  • Bryophyte Chapter Election: Each year we elect two members of the Bryophyte Chapter’s Board of Directors. This year, Kiamara Ludwig is running for re-election for Treasurer, and Kirstin Fisher is running for President Elect. Please read more about the candidates and vote HERE
  • Virtual Workshop, “Introduction to Bryophytes,” Saturday 12 March 2022. Details HERE
  • Exploring Bryophytes in the Pruitt Creek Watershed, Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve, Mendocino County, Sunday 24 April 2022, 10am – 3pm. Details HERE
  • California Mosses is now available at the hugely reduced and fantastic price of $29.95 on the CNPS website https://store.cnps.org/products/california-mosses and at chapter events.
  • Registration is now FULL for our annual meeting and foray, SO BE FREE 25–28 March 2022 in the Mojave desert at Zzyzx, CA.
  • Seeking volunteers for curating bryophyte and lichen specimens in the UC Herbarium, details HERE

 

Quarterly Report

Timeless Bits

  • Check out a new article, “Niches and guilds of bryophytes along a 3000-meter elevational gradient.” In addition to giving niche information about many species, it introduces to the bryological community an unfamiliar method for finding coalitions of species based on their co-occurrences. LINK
  • David Wagner shares his treatment of Cryptomitrium tenerum, an excerpt from his newly updated web book, Liverworts of Oregon, which will be available at a discounted price in a few weeks.

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Introduction to Bryophytes

On 12 March 2022 (9:00–12:00 & 1:00–4:00), Brent Mishler will lead a virtual workshop, “Introduction to Bryophytes,” hosted by the Jepson Herbarium. This is a virtual reincarnation of the famous in-person Jepson workshop offered every other year since 1994, and like its predecessors will provide participants with the opportunity to learn more about the evolution, ecology, and systematics of mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. It will also cover introductory topics on how to identify them. Given the virtual format, we will not be able to have the hands-on microscope sessions and field trip we have traditionally included, but we will cover some useful techniques through demonstrations. The timing of this workshop is perfect for attendees of SO BE FREE 26, which is being held 25–28 March 2022 in the Mojave desert at Zzyzx. Hands-on microscope sessions and field trips will be held there. The usual beginners session will be held the first morning of SBF, but we’ll do that in the field rather than repeating the introductory material given in the March 12th workshop. So those who attend both this workshop and SO BE FREE will get a very complete introduction to the world of bryology, although each freestanding event is valuable in itself. There is a modest $25 fee for the workshop; registration details for the workshop are near the bottom of this webpage: https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/workshops/

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Mendocino Bryophyte Walk

Exploring Bryophytes in the Pruitt Creek Watershed, Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve, Mendocino County, Sunday 24 April 2022, 10am – 3pm. Pruitt Creek is an upper tributary of the South Fork Big River. Its winding course upward passes through old growth redwood, mixed hardwood and Douglas fir forest, oak woodlands, grassland, and chaparral. Large sandstone and shale outcrops, a haven for bryophytes, punctuate the landscape. This is an easy to moderate 4-5 mile outing mostly along a trail with some cross-country scrambling and creek crossings. Leaders: Marisela de Santa Ana, Kerry Heise, and Haley Ross. Meet at the Pruitt Creek trailhead, which is located on the north side of Orr Springs Road about midway between the Montgomery Woods parking area and Orr Hot Springs Resort. Car-pooling is encouraged as the parking area is very small. Group size is limited to 15. Contact K. Heise at 707-489-1500 for additional information.

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Seeking Volunteers for Curating Bryophyte and Lichen Specimens in the UC Herbarium

Do you have 3 hours a week that you would like to spend toward expanding the science delivery of the UC Herbarium? An herbarium has many important functions in research and conservation. There are always new accessions to add into the collection and older accessions needing curation. Here at UC, there are literally thousands of collections in the pipeline waiting to be accessioned. An herbarium never stops growing because the goal is to have more and more specimens collected from around the world available for use. Until a specimen is properly accessioned, it is not available to anyone.

 

To be a volunteer in accessioning and filing curated specimens, no botanical training or previous botanical knowledge is required. However, you will learn a lot about the distribution of bryophytes and lichens as they are accessioned into the herbarium. Most of the process of accessioning is done sitting at a table, with some standing to retrieve and file specimens. There is nothing toxic to handle in processing a botanical museum specimen. We meet on the UC Berkeley campus and observe all campus COVID protocols.

 

If this sounds interesting or intriguing, just let us know of your availability to join the volunteer cryptogam cadre! We are currently holding sessions on Wednesday and Friday mornings from 9:00 am – noon.

 

To get more information or to register to join, contact Tucker Curator of Lichens Klara Scharnagl at lichen_curator@berkeley.edu

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Bryolog

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