- Height of the string around the trunk at eye level: 1.64 meters
- Circumference of the tree at string: .47 meters
- This tree was a Red Alder
- Best direction for moss was south (however present north as well)
- Best direction for lichen was north
- The bark had small indentations creating ridges and bumps on the otherwise smooth bark
The north side of the tree had the most light. The north side was also the warmest. The south base of the tree was most likely to have the most rain and wind because of the abundance of moss. The lichen and moss grow on one side of the tree to minimize sunlight and maximize moisture. You can measure amount of light and temperature by observing the directional growth of organisms and what species are present. We observed more moss at at waist level of the tree and more lichen farther up the tree. Same can be said for knee level. We identified a "Hooded Roset" lichen growing on the north side of the tree. Our string grown pattern matched other classmates as well. We believe some bark makes a difference in the amount of moss and lichen because some bark hold more moisture. We hypothesize that moss and lichen grow easier on older tree, because their roots are likely deeper, providing more moisture absorption for such organisms.
Questions:
- Do moss or lichen have more species variety?
- Which is easier to grow in hostile environments?
- Did moss and lichen provide any creative use for pacific northwest native Americans tribes?
Ya'll found what we found as well that most of the lichen was on the North side. Interesting. I wonder if our hypothesis was right.
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ReplyDeleteI really like your hypothesis because it is something that I didn't really think about before and think it is a really interesting observation. Your 3rd question is something that I am also curious about and I think it would be cool to learn more about.