Latitude:37.524047
Longitude: -122.333393
I am from San Mateo, California and have spent my entire life living in the San Francisco, Bay Area. I was home for the weekend and was curious as to whether or not I would be able to recognize any tree or plant species that I also frequently see in the Puget Sound region.
The primary species that I observed and took note of were lichen species. I was able to observe Old man's beard (Usnea hirta) and Ramalina farinacea. I also observed a lichen species that I believe to be in the genus Platismatia, as it closely resembles Platismatia glauca. I was able to take samples of these lichen and put them in my field journal and that was exciting for me because I had never been able to extract a sample of lichen before.
I also observed a bight yellow lichen that I believe to be Caloplaca. I also observed what I believe to be Orchrolechia pallescens, which is a meber of the crustose lichens. I identified the specimen as Orchrolechia pallescens because of its encrustations and slightly concave fruiting bodies, which were a bight yellow shade with whitish rims. I was also able to observe clot lichen (Mycoblastus sanguinarius) that was a dark blackish color and grew in isolated circular "clots."
I also observed a pine tree of some sort, with needles growing in clusters of 30-50 and with a needle shape and upward growth direction most closely resembling a Western White Pine (Pinus monticola).
This experience of venturing out into the field in Northern California enabled me to see the breadth of native Pacific Northwest species of lichen and trees. I was excited by my ability to recognize species that I had seen in the Puget Sound region and I was also extremely interested to see such an abundance of lichen in a park that was located so close to my house. Overall, this experience made me realize all the progress I have made throughout the quarter in terms of my ability to identify species and recognize reoccurring species within the ecosystems around me.
Species List:
Caloplaca
Orchrolechia pallescens
Clot Lichen (Mycoblastus sanguinarius)
Western White Pine (Pinus monticola)
Old man's beard (Usnea hirta)
Ramalina farinacea
Platismatia glauca
Today we discussed the role that fungi plays in the existence and survival of other species. The main species we focused on was lichen. Lichen is formed by the mutualistic relationship between fungus and other alga or cyanobacterium. Fungus provides water and breaks down cell components to readily provide carbon while the alga/ cyanobacterium fix nitrogen and provide the fungal component of lichen with necessary nutrients. Two other resulting species groups from fungal relationships are HollyHock Rusts, which are plant parasites, and Powdery Mildews; both of these are biotrophs.
Out in the field we observed these fungal relationships by analyzing plant root color and shape to determine whether or not these plants had a fungal infection. We observed a powdery mildew on a maple and learned that this occurs when spores fall on the leaves of a maple and germinate. We then observed HollyHock rust, which is a bright orange/brown color and attacks HollyHock. Every small dot of rust starts out orange and turns brown. This is how you can determine whether or not the rust is new. HollyHock is a parasite and so it reproduces asexually. There is also Wheat Rust, which attacks wheat and grass and it is also a parasite.
Lastly, we observed numerous species of lichen such as Melaniella, which is a dark lichen, crustose lichen, Usnea, Xanthoria pollycarpa, which is a yellow lichen, and hypnogymnia physodes.
This day was particularly helpful for me due to the fact that my group project is focused on lichen. It was incredibly important to understand the intricacies in identifying lichen as well as the mutualistic relationship between fungus and alga/cyanobacterium that composes it.
Species List:
Melaniella
Crustise lichen
Usnea
Xanthoria polycarpa
Hypnogymnia physodes
HollyHock Rust
Powdery Mildew
Evernia prunastri
Latitude: 47.668
Longitude: -122.307
Today I walked in Ravenna Park and observed numerous native shrub and tree species. The climate was damp with partial cloud cover. I was able to see numerous alder trees as well as douglas fir specimens. There were several accounts of bees pollinating salmonberry and other various lichen species. I observed Physcia stellaris and Pertusaria amara. Pertusaria amara was the pale-green/grayish lichen that I observed on a tree trunk. Physcia stellaris was the white-grayish lichen growing on a dead tree. The physcia stellaris was slightly concave at parts.
There was also a significant presence of Swordfern, Lady avens, and Horsetail. I am finding many of the same species around Puget Sound and it is becoming easier to identify native and horticultural species. I plan to return to Ravenna park as it cover an extensive area. As I was leaving the park I observed some sort of yellow growth on a dead tree. I though it as some type of fungus at the time. With some help from inaturalist and some research I was able to identify it as Fuligo septica, commonly referred to as Dog Vomit Slime Mold.
Species List:
Salmonberry
Spruce (Genus Picea)
Pertusaria amara
Physcia stellaris
Large avens (Geum macrophyllum)
Dog Vomit Slime Mold (Fuligo septica)
Western Skunk Cabbage (Lysichiton americanus)
Horsetail (Equisetum arvense)
Sword-fern (Polystichum munitum)
Today we began our discussion of fungi and went out around the UW campus to discuss some of the more common species that occupy this condensed area. Before we went outside to attempt to identify some of these local species, we discussed the biological structures that enable fungi to thrive.
We began this discussion by establishing that fungi produce a significant amount of spores. Fungi also are decomposers of dead organic material. the decomposition of woody materials is very important for fungi because fungi rely on accessing the cellulose and hemicellulose and pectin particles within wood. There are three main types of fungi, which are soft rot, brown rot, and white rot fungi. White rot fungi can strip lignan and then can access the carbon in cellulose, hemicellulose and pectin. Most fungi live in wood chips in branched, tube-like systems (the tubes are called hypha/ hyphae (Mycellium). These tubes absorb a carbon compound like glucose through their tips. Fungi carry out the process of decomposition by producing a serious of enzymes, which they pump into the environment to break down glucose and then the cycle begins again.
Out in the field on the University of Washington campus, we first observed Agrogybe praecox. I learned that it is important to look for bruising, color, texture, and cracking on the caps of mushrooms to be able to classify them. I also learned that the veil tissue is an indicator that the mushroom is young. Mushrooms with the veil tissue still in tact are younger than mushrooms without veil tissue.
Next, we observed an Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus), which is an aggressively growing, White rot mushroom. Then we observed a Tremetes versicolor (white rot) mushroom as well as a Button mushroom and Coprinus lagopus mushroom as well.
It was interesting to observe the variety mushroom species on the University of Washington campus alone and it caused me to think about the vast amount of mushroom species that undoubtedly exist in the Puget Sound Region.
Species List:
Tremetes versicolor
Pleurotus Plumonarius
Agaricus Bisporus
Agrogybe praecox
Agrogybe smilfii
Gano Dorma applanatone
Schizaphyllun Camune
Coprinus lagopus
Today we were introduced to Entomology, which is the study of insects. Entomology presents the "theory" of insects while the study of land Arthropods offers information regarding the "reality" of insects. The group "Arthropods" consists of insects; primitive insect-like arthros; spiders, mites, scorpions; millipedes; and sowbugs, beachfleas.
Insects are incredibly diverse as there are roughly 10 million species on the planet, which causes them to be the most diverse group of organisms. There are also one million species of spiders and mites. We also discussed beetles in further detail. Beetles are mostly small and nocturnal.
We also briefly discussed epidemiology and insects an many insects are involved in spreading disease. This means that many insects are vectors and contribute to the spreading and perpetuation of disease. Mosquitoes are a well-known vector contributing to malaria epidemics around the world.
Insects also provide important medicinal resources as well, which means that insects are not purely a societal nuisance and threat to public health an many people perceive them to be.
Next, we discussed butterflies and how they are the most "showy" of all insects. I also found out that all butterflies are moths, which I had not known prior to this presentation. I also learned that most butterflies and moths fly at night and that a well-known butterfly pest in the pacific northwest region is the Cabbage white butterfly (Pieris rapae).
We then discussed bees and how they have evolved from wasps. I learned abut the relationship between flowers and bees and how flowers produce nectar to attract bees that they burn this nectar up as fuel. I also learned that bumblebees live in undisturbed ground and that bees are susceptible to pesticides. Also, when exotic insects are introduced to a region, there is a large negative impact on native bee species. All female bees sting and going back to the bee's relationship with flowers; flowers also smell due to the need to attract bees and insects. Bees also exhibit "ribbing behavior" when resources are low, which means that they will steal pollen from other hives. I was also able to observe and sketch a Coleoptera (Shi Shi Roach) specimen.
Learning about insects was beneficial to increasing my knowledge of natural history of the pacific northwest region in that insects occupy a and are vital components in a variety of ecosystems.
Today we discussed the behavior of birds in terms of sex, death, and treachery and evaluated why these behaviors are important in terms of understanding population dynamics.
I first discussed treachery and the way in which certain bird species act to benefit their own species in spite of the health and well-being of another. In this section, the main topic of discussion was social parasitism among bird species. On this topic we primarily discussed how certain birds use various tactics to minimize the effort they have to put into raising their own young. Some bird species have evolved over time to that the color egg-shell they produce is most similar to another species while others, like the Brown-headed cow bird use brute force to ensure that another bird will raise their young. Brown-headed cowbirds do not make nests and instead parasitize the nests of species who cannot effectively prevent such parasitism. Marsh wrens, for example, never have parasitized nests because they have extremely sharp beaks that can pierce eggs and kill invasive young in that way.
In terms of explaining this behavior exhibited by the Brown-headed cowbird, scientists have developed the Mafia hypothesis. This hypothesis breaks down the methodology brown-headed cowbirds use to ensure that their young are raised. This methodology consists of the utilization of violence and terror to kill off other chicks in the nest to instill fear within the mother of the nest. Brown-headed cowbirds are frequently observed bullying warblers by physically removing them from their own nests to lay their eggs and effectively parasitize their nests. They also peck at fathers and mothers attempting to defend their nests and young. In an attempt to combat this parasitism, warblers build nests on top of parasitized nests as to not waste their resources on members of another species. This leads to the presence of "stacked nests." A warbler has also been observed dumping a brown-headed cowbird egg out of her nest, this however was an isolated incident.
Next, I discussed death where we primarily discussed the importance of knowing death rates in terms of evaluating the stability of a population. Understanding population rates and stability is important for numerous reasons; indicating changes in environmental factors (climate change), presence of an invasive species, and changes within a species in terms of breeding. Factors contributing to population rates are mortality rates, sex ratios, breeding behavior, death rates, and emigration rates. For example, a certain species of bird has two different colored feathers throughout two different life stages. Analyzing feather color will lead to a better understanding of at which stage a bird died and why.
In terms of studying sex, we primarily discussed the role of breeding and the process of mate selection. Within a bird species males are typically more brightly colored and bigger in size in comparison to females due to their breeding roles, Males typically have to "show" or offer a display to females to attract them, which means that females select which male they prefer to mate with. During this process, males have to be large because they often have to fight other males off who aim to breed with the same female. When these breeding roles are reversed within species, then the females are generally more colorful and have some physical trait, which enables them to fight off competition. One species we observed has a sharp talon-like spike on her wing, which she uses to ward of competitors.
This tour day in the Burke Museum offered great insight into the behavioral and life cycles of various bird species. Specimens offer great insight into recognizing these patterns and observing how they change over time.
Today we met at the Burke museum to discuss strategies for group projects. I am a member of the mosses and lichens on the University of Washington campus group. Together we discussed project methodology and distinctions between mosses and lichens. We determined that lichens represent a symbiotic relationship between fungi and either algae or cyanobacteria. Mosses are sporophyte forming organisms; each sporophyte produces spores and has chlorophyll that allows them to provide nutrients for itself, but remains somewhat dependent. Distinguishing mosses from lichen required some research when we met, but will require even more as we attempt to form a concise and informative website on the topic.
Once we had had sufficient time to meet as a group, we received a tour from the head of ornithology. He discussed the role of a natural history museum and compared it to a library in that it provides biological and historical information necessary for understanding species over space and time.
He described the specimens in the Burke as belonging to an archive encompassing variables in both space and time. He also described the four main types of samples taken that are useful when understanding the natural history of a bird species. These four samples are: study skin specimens, skeletal specimens, spread wing samples, and tissue samples. Study skin specimens are useful for identifying a bird species based on phylogenic traits. It is not useful for determining the size and shape, but it is useful for determining coloring, and other various physical features.
The skeletal specimen is what is useful for determining size and shape. It is also useful for species identification in that similar bones can be compared to determine whether or not a match can be made.
The spread wing sample is useful for determining feather age and molting patterns. The spread wing sample allows for closer analysis of feathers for trend identification in terms of diet and other environmental factors. Changes in the environment can sometimes be reflected in changing feather compositions.
The tissue sample offers insight into the process of identifying patterns in DNA, protein structure, and toxicology within a species over time. In terms of evaluating what genes have become dominant within a species, tissue samples offer significant insight. Also, with observing changes in heredity tissue samples can also be beneficial.
The most fascinating species discussed during this tour was the warbler. When studying warblers over space and time the dynamic between dominant warbler species (Townsend) and inferior species (Hermit), can be observed. The two species breed with one another, but due to the fact that Townsend warblers are dominant and occupy the northern-most region of the pacific northwest while the hermit warblers occupy the southern region of the Pacific Northwest. The hybridization zones are migrating southward as the Hermit warbler is being pushed farther and farther down into its own territory. By observing and analyzing various study skins and mapping where they were retrieved, these migrating hybridization zones could be explained and further analyzed. Explaining these changes in space over time is important because it enables those analyzing warblers to understand changes in genetic make-up within particular regions where such a presence of genetic material could appear deviant in comparison to past genetic trends.
It was fascinating to learn about the ways in which specimens can be preserved and how such specimens can be vital to scientific research of a particular species or ecosystem . This tour enabled me to gain a greater appreciation for the value of natural history and the data that it provides for future utilization and intellectual progress.
