Ongoing Field Observations

Organism: The organism that I plan to study is Rigid Beard Moss (Didymodon rigidulus). Specifically, I will study the growth of moss and where it grows most abundantly. I decided to look at four different trees with this moss growing on them. The trees I picked are spread out throughout the trail loop and the approximate locations have been identified on my sketch of the area below.

Observations: During this walk, it was 11 degrees Celcius. The sky was cloudy and the ground was still damp from the recent light rain. Lichens often grow beside or on top of the moss and many of the trees I observed covered in moss also had a significant amount of lichens. Additionally, some trees had many open spaces without moss growth and some had few open spaces. Another observation is that the moss is a light bright green and grows very short. Overall, not very many trees have moss growing on them.

Patterns I noticed: I noticed that there were more trees both alive and dead as well as rocks that are covered in moss on the side of the loop near the water compared to the side of the loop above. I believe this to be a coincidence but there may be an underlying process resulting in this occurrence that I am not currently aware of. I understand that moss grows best in damp soil, I wonder if the soil is moister by the water. When walking to this trail from my house I walk on the railroad tracks to get there. I paid attention to the moss growing in this area and noticed there was far less moss growth. I believe this is due to the railroad track being an open area with a lot of sunlight but the forest trail is very well-shaded. Additionally, I noticed there were more dead trees than alive trees covered in moss, I believe this is due to moisture from the ground flowing to the wood and moss grows best in moist conditions. Also, I noticed that the moss Grows only on the bark of certain trees, and with a lot of trees, the moss is only at the tree base. I noticed western white pine, and interior douglas fir had an abundance growth of moss.

Hypothesis: Tree species influence the growth of Rigid Beard Moss (Didymodon rigidulus).

Prediction: Rigid Beard Moss (Didymodon rigidulus) grows most abundantly on western white pine, and interior douglas fir.

Variables: The response variable would be the abundance of moss growth per tree species. This would be a continuous variable. An explanatory variable would be the species of the tree being observed. This would also be a continuous variable.