Wet Log Liverworts and Mosses
One of the best place to find a reliable assemblage of bryophytes is the common damp rotting log along the forest floor. If you are trying the learn basic features and common species, said substrate is a good place to start. All around the decaying bark and wood are a set of microhabitats that dependably host a reliable assortment of mosses and liverworts. The following is a non-exhaustive list of bryophytes common to log microhabitats in the PNW. Each species is linked to "research grade" observations of these taxa in the inaturalist system so you can get a sense of what you are looking for. (l) is liverwort, (m) is moss, t is upright, ~ is prostrate and * connotes asexual reproductive bodies are common.
If you like habitat guides to bryophytes, I cannot recommend @david1945wagner 's guide to Important Bryophyte Habitats of Western Oregon -- broadly applicable to the regions between Northern California up to Coastal Alaska.
Over all exposed surfaces
Hypnum circinale (m)~
Pseudoisothecium stoloniferum (m)~
Scapania bolanderi (l)~
Rhizomnium glabrescens (m)t
Kindbergia oregana (m)~
Plagiothecium undulatum (m)~
Bazzania denudata (l) (very wet forests)~
Smooth, exposed wood
Lophocolea bidentata (l)~
Scapania umbrosa (l)~
Decaying wood
Cephalozia bicuspitata (l)~
Calypogeia mulleriana (l)~ *
Fuscocephaloziopsis connivens (l)~
Lepidozia reptans (l)~
In deeply shaded regions
Tetraphis pellucida (m) t *
Pseudotaxiphyllum elegans (m)~ *
On cut log ends
Riccardia latifrons (l)~
Cephalozia bicuspitata (l)~
Comments
@johndreynolds note the link to Important Bryophyte Habitats of Western Oregon
Fantastic! This is excellent. Thanks for putting this together Randal!
Thanks. Nice. Helpful.
The guide to Important Bryophyte Habitats of Western Oregon was not intended to give complete coverage of the habitats covered. This is a teaching tool for beginners, based on a few most prominent mosses in 17 different habitat types covering most of our entire landscape. The "prominent mosses" set was limited to a list of 100 bryophytes, selected as the first 100 to learn in my field bryology workshops. The same 100 bryophytes were used for lessons on how to use a variety of keys and other literature references. I always had a complete set of these mosses available in the classroom so students could choose which ones to use for practice in following the key trails provided in the classroom handouts.
Thanks @rambryum - very helpful!
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