Introduction to Bryophytes
February 23 & 24, 2019
Saturday & Sunday
at The Chico State Herbarium
Details and Registration
With around 800 species in California, the bryophytes (mosses, liverworts, and hornworts) are a fascinating, diverse, and ecologically important part of our native flora. Working with bryophytes requires microscopy and so can feel intimidating, but getting to know these plants will add a new depth and appreciation to what you know about California’s amazing plant life. The aim of this two‐day work‐ shop is to give participants the basic tools they will need to continue learning and enjoying the local bryophytes on their own.
The workshop will include lectures, a field trip, and plenty of hands-on microscope work to help you learn features important for bryophyte identification. The workshop will begin with an introductory lecture on bryophyte basics and on the important morphological and life-history differences among the three groups of bryophytes: mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. The afternoon will be spent on a fieldtrip to Bidwell Park learning techniques for identifying bryophytes in the field and developing an understanding for where to look to find ecologically different species. The second day will be spent in lab working with bryophytes under the microscope. The first half of the day will be spent learning the bryophyte specific terminology necessary for identifying specimens to genus and species. The afternoon will focus on using the Norris & Shevock keys to the mosses of California and the Doyle & Stotler keys to the liverworts and hornworts of California.
Ben Carter is Assistant Professor and Herbarium Director as San Jose State University. He studies biogeography, systematics and ecology of California bryophytes and teaches classes in botany, systematics and ecology at SJSU. For more information about workshop content, contact Ben Carter at benjamin.carter@sjsu.edu.
This workshop has been approved for 7 Professional Development Credits by the California Consulting Botanist Board of Certification.