Blog Post 3: Ongoing Field Observations
Study Plan
I plan to study the effect of dry season watering on the growth of saprophytic fungi in the winter. My research area is located in Nanaimo, BC. While we get some short-lived snow, most of the “winter” is rainy and wet. I have selected three locations to observe. One gets watered by sprinklers in the summer, but they are disconnected once the rainy season starts. Part of it contains rhododendrons, but the sprinklers also water areas that contain “natural” trees. Another is wet or damp all year due to an artificial salmon spawning side channel nearby. The third is well drained but not watered. All three locations are shaded by mature conifer trees. None have visible bedrock.
Method:
I observed six 1 meter quadrats in each area. Before heading out I generated a random list of numbers between 1 and 40, and 1 and 360. I chose an origin point in each of the three areas, and walked 1-40 paces on a random compass bearing and then place the middle of the quadrat in front of me, aligning it to the compass directions. I selected a new location if any part of the quadrat covered a path (defined as being placed gravel or asphalt), or was shaded by a rhododendron. I recorded what plant types were present, which one was on the northwest corner of my quadrat, and the number of saprophytic bodies (if any) that were present. I moved large leaves such as maple, but did not dig into other material to find mushrooms. I dug into the northwest corner to see if I could observe any insect activity, but none was seen in any of the quadrats.
Observations:
All snow except the remnants of banks from plowing was gone by December 25. On December 27 I performed observed the three locations. To my surprise, mushrooms had begun to grow. At the “watered” location I noticed Exidia nucleata (crystal brain fungus), Mycena Letocephala (nitrous bonnet) and an orange fungus (possibly witch’s butter). It was too small and immature for me to identify. M. leptocephali had not quite finished growing. Every spot I observed had a thick layer of litter, though no mycelium in the corners I dug into.
The wet site had no mushrooms visible, not even the orange one. The ground felt colder than the watered site and every quadrat have some standing water. I could not see the soil in several of the quadrats due to water. The mud in the corners was rich in organic material but no mycelium was visible.
The well drained site had the orange fungus present, as well as a single very small M. leptocephali. No mycelium was seen. I did not see any other types of saprophytic fungi in my quadrats, though did observe a few small polypore mushrooms in “well drained” sample area. I think they may have been turkey tails, but they were just emerging.
Hypothesis: Watering in the summer helps saprophytic fungi do better in the winter.
Prediction: Visible saprophytic fungi will be more common in the watered area than the unwatered area even though both are currently getting the same amount of rain.
Null: There will not be a statistically significant difference in the number of saprophytic fungi in either area.
Response Variable: Number of mushrooms in the quadrats
Explanatory Variable: Is the quadrat in the watered or unwatered area
Categorical or Continuous: Categorical. Quadrats are either in one area or the other.