Collecting Bryophytes in the Field

Methods

The detailed process of collecting bryophytes requires patience and concentration. At each location, the collector runs through an extensive visual check list of what is growing on the rocks, soil, leaf litter, tree trunks, and even in the water. Using a small knife and a hand lens the collector ensures a sample is collected from each micro-habitat. Up to 30 minutes can be spent on one tree trunk alone!

What is Collected?

For each collection our goal is to obtain enough plant material to provide a herbarium sample for each of our partner institutions while insuring the ecological integrity of the site. Included with each bryophyte sample is:

• A record of the geographic location
• A record of the ecological characteristics for each specimen
• An archival quality paper packet including the collector's name and institution identification number

Applications

When we encounter unusual species and where material is plentiful, additional samples are obtained. These samples are sent to experts throughout the world to help identify the specimens. Additional duplicates are shared with the Kunming Institute of Botany. These samples have contributed to large-scale, collaborative initiatives such as the Moss Flora of China at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Missouri Botanical Gardens. These flora projects and the current research done by Shevock and Long and their collaborators, contribute to our limitted understanding of bryophytes and ultimately to their conservation and the preservation of their habitat.

Photo: Lihua Zhou

Jim Shevock is collecting 'rheophytes' along the Nujiang in Fugong County. Rheophytes are unique species that can withstand being underwater for months during the rainy season and can spring back to life when the river level rops. Visit our interactive maps to view the bryophyte collections throughout the Gaoligong Shan.

Documentation

Photo:Lindsay Irving

Contrary to collecting vascular plants, bryophytes are not be pressed flat in a plant press. They are instead collected in folded paper packets and are stored in an herbarium. Each packet contains a detailed label glued or printed on the front flap of the packet.

Photo: Lindsay Irving

As the bryophyte sample dries, its leaves curl and twist in distinctive patterns that are used in the identification process. The organism remains dormant until it is ready for identifcation.

Photo: Dept of Plant Biology, Southern Illinois University

From the dried herbarium sample, a small piece of the leaf is clipped and revived in water. Using a compound microscope, the cellular structure of the leaf is revealed allowing the bryologist to identify the organism.

Photo: Jin-Hyub Paik

David Long reviews the day's collections. As many as four duplicate samples are collected for each specimen and sent to California, China and around the world for experts to identify.