Sample #15, Lepraria lobificans,Lichen 

Name: Lepraria lobificans

Common Name: Dust Lichen

Family: Stereocaulaceae

Collection Date: October 16, 2016
Location: Camp Asbury

Habitat:  Found growing on a living tree, area was out of reach of much sunlight.

Description:  Has a crustose thallose, dusty when moved. Sample has a white, powdery top, with a green thallose.  The thallose is very thick, and is difficult to remove from the substrate it is growing on. 

Figure 1: Lepraria lobificans sample.

Figure 2: Close up the green thallose and the white powder over top of the organism. 

Keying Steps: 

The organism was sent out for DNA testing. A sequence was reported back. BLAST was used to find a match to the DNA sequence that was received back.  The top match is reported below: 

BLAST Program Selection : Highly similar

1.  Genus/species Lepraria lobificans
1. E-value  1e-15
2. % Identity 89%

Sample #14: Oscillatoria, Cyanobacteria

Name: Oscillatoria

Common Name:  Cyanobacteria

Family: Nostocoles

Collection Date: November 14, 2016

Habitat: Found in a freshwater pond water sample.

Location: Solon's Pond

Description: Hairlike filaments, contained rectangular shapes through the whole organism. Green cells are arranged in rows. 

Figure 1: Sample of Oscillatoria. It is possible to see the division of each of the cells. Each division is a different cell, It is unable to be seen if two cells are sharing a cytoplasm. 

Key Guide: Rainis, K. G., & Russell, B. J. (1996). A guide to microlife. New York: Franklin Watts.

Keying Steps:

Key was completed using morphological distinctions.  

 

Sample #13; Xylaria polymorpha, fungus

Name: Xylaria polymopha

Common Name: Dead Man's Fingers
Family: Xylariaceae
Collection Date: September 5, 2016
Habitat: Growing next to a tree, very shady area. Growing near the root system.
Location: Nelson Ledges
Description: Mushroom is hard, black in color, and was beginning to decay.  Inside is a cream, white, and is smooth.

Figure 1: Cross section of Dead Man's Finger. The inside is a cream white, very smooth, Outside is rough and even.

 Figure 2:  Sample of Dead Man's Finger

.Keying Guide Used: Arora, D. (1986). Mushrooms demystified: A comprehensive guide to the fleshy fungi. Berkeley, NY: Ten Speed Press

Keying Steps:

Ascomycetes

Fruiting body growing on insects, spiders or truffles or engulfing other mushrooms in a pimpled, powdery or lumpy layer of tissue or growing on wood; if on wood then dark brown to black (or black beneath white spore powder) and tough, hard or charcoal like....Flask Fungus , p 878

1a. Growing on wood (but sometimes buried)...2

2b. Fruting body gray to dark brown or black, but sometimes covered with a white powder, common..Xylaria & Daldinia, p 885

1b. Not as above; frutiing body erect, clublike (unbranched),  or anterlike (branched)...2

2b. Not as above...3

3a. Fruiting body very tough or hard, up to 3cm thick; flesh inside usually white or pallid; surface usually oftern minutely warted or cracked....Xylaria polymorpha & other,  p 886

Sample #12: Rosulabryum capillare, Moss

Name: Rosulabryum capillare

Common Name: Cluster Moss

Family: Bryaceae

Collection Date: October 16,2016

Habitat: Found growing on a rock, in a densely wooded area. Little sunlight was avaliable, but the area was damp. 

Location: Camp Asbury

Description: Plant is a dark green, short- less than 1cm tall.  Leaves are tightly clustered. When dry, the leaves will curl, and become whispy looking.  Leaves are also cylindrical. Plant had no visible sporophytes. 

Figure 1:  Magnified view of the cluster moss

Figure 2: Branch of the moss. Leaves extend outwards, similar to a fern. Some maintain a fold over itself.

Figure 3: Magnified view of the leaf. The midrib is noticeable and extends to the tip of the leaf.

Key Used: McKnight, K. B. (2013). Common mosses of the Northeast and Appalachians. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Keying Steps:

1. Plants < 1cm tall...2

2b. Plants green, yellow green, or brown; leaves 1-4mm long, either in basal clusters or loosely packed along stems; stems not worm like...3

3b. Leaves 2-4mm long, clustered in a basal rosette, or toward the tip of stem but not as a nest like cup capsule upright and lacking teeth or capsule horizontal to drooping found on tree bases, on soil, or rocks in disturbed areas. 

4b. Capsules drooping, 2-5mm long, on stalks 12-50 cm tall...5

5b. Plants dark green; leaves bordered with long clear cells; capsules with mouth at end...Rosulabryum Capillare. 

Sample #11 Dicranum scoparium, moss

Name: Dicranum scoparium

Common Name: Windswept Broom Moss

Family: Dicranaceae 

Collection Date: October 16,2016 

Location: Camp Asbury

Habitat:  Found growing in damp soil, in a shady, heavily wooded area. Overall, there was a large mass of the plant found. Plant was still in the sporophyte stage, as the plant had large number of sporophytes still attached to the plant. Lids of the capsules were not broken off. 

Figure 1: Sample of the  Dicranum scoparium

Figure 2: Leaf of the Broom Moss. The leaf has an identifiable mid rib, and straight edge leaves. The leaves when dry curl into the plant, with the tips pointing out in many different directions, as can be seen in figure 1.

Figure 3:Capsule of the Broom moss. Capsule still has the cap, and is curved in a "S" shaped curve. The capsule leans over the plant; does not stay straight. 

Key Used:  McKnight, K. B. (2013). Common mosses of the Northeast and Appalachians. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Keying Steps:

1b. Plants larger than 1cm tall; usually in forests on soil, rock, logs, or trees....3

3a. Leaves swept to one side of stem with tips more or less pointing in one direction....4

4a. Plants dark green; entire clump windswept to one side; capsule 3-4 mm; stalk 2-4 cm....Dicranum scoparium

Sample #10: Lycogala epidendrum, slime mold

Name: Lycogala epidendrum

Common Name: Wolf's Milk Slime

Family: Reticulariaceae

Collection Date: October 16,2016

Habitat: Found growing on a fallen tree, growing closely to the ground. Sample was surrounded by other members of the same species.

Location: Camp Asbury

Description:  The sample looks like a gray mushroom. Small in diameter, and found growing with other members of the same species.

Figure 1: Top view of the Lycogala epidendrum. During the summer months, the slime mold is usually a red or pink, but once the fall begins, it turns to gray color, and is filled with gray spores.

Figure 2:  Inside view of the slime mold. A massive amount of spores can be seen here, along with the spores that have fallen on the surface. 

Key Used: Mycetozoa GSMNP -- identification guide -- Discover Life. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2016, from http://www.discoverlife.org/20/q?guide=Mycetozoa_GSMNP

Keying Guide:

1. Fruiting body type......Aethalium, results given: 7

2. Spore mass color....Light, results given: 4

3. Peridium with line...No, results given: 4

4. True Capillitium...No, results given: 4

At this point, each of the four potential samples were located on, and discarded or choosen on morphology, location and growing patterns.  The sample was then looked at and confirmed for accuracy at: 

 Myxomycetes www.myxomycetes.net. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2016, from http://myxomycetes.net/ 

Sample #9: Cladonia cristatella

Name: Cladonia cristatella

Common Name: British Soldier

Family: Cladoniaceae

Collection Date: November 4, 2016

Habitat:  Sample was found growing on a older, wooden fence. 

Location: Brunswick, Ohio

Description: Sample is a squamulose lichen that was found growing on a wood substrate. On the tip of the lichens, a red apothecia can be seen. The podetia 

are a green or gray color. 

Figure 1: Sample of Cladonia cristaella. The lichen sample has a green thallus, and it usually identified by the red apothecia. 

Key Used: Wetmore, C. (n.d.). KEYS TO THE LICHENS OF MINNESOTA. Retrieved November 14, 2016, from http://www.tc.umn.edu/~wetmore/Herbarium/MNKEYS.pdf

Keying Steps:

1b. Thallus some other color, not K+ purple ------------------------------------------------------------ 2

2b. Algae green ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4

4a. Thallus or podetia erect; growing on soil, wood, rock and bases of trees ---------------------- 5

5a. Primary thallus squamulose or lacking; podetia hollow ------------------------------------------- 6

6a. Primary thallus squamulose; podetia corticate, usually not much branched (if intricatley branched, then podetia squamulose) ------------------------------------------------------- Cladonia

1a. Podetia present ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2

2b. Podetia not branched or moderately branched or absent; squamules present on podetia or at base; cortex present ---------------------------------------------------------------- 3

3b. Podetia not forming cups, sterile or with apothecia, sometimes branched ------------- 30

30a. Apothecia and pycnidia red ----------------------------------------------------------------- 31

 31a. Podetia and squamules not sorediate; apothecia large ---------------------- C. cristatella