Nearly 50 people are attending this year’s John Child Bryophyte and Lichen Workshop in Ohakune. Bryophytes include mosses and liverworts. The Workshop is a focussed opportunity to study these small plants. Although usually overlooked, they actually make a huge contribution to forest biomass and functioning. Mosses and liverworts reproduce byRead more
Tayloria mosses belong to the wonderfully named Splachnaceae family, and grow on dung and carcasses! Such substrates are unusual for mosses, and Tayloria has several adaptations for its specialist life-style. Mosses reproduce by spores, which in most cases are dispersed by the wind, and may or may not land inRead more
Te Papa’s botanists made several significant finds during their explorations accompanying the recent Bryophyte and Lichen Workshop. Led by Research Associate Peter Beveridge and Research Fellow Patrick Brownsey, the moss Dicranoweisia spenceri was found in some abundance at the site we investigated within Tongariro National Park. This is great newsRead more
I’m just back from the John Child Bryophyte Workshop for 2009, which I helped organise (along with Massey University’s Lara Shepherd and Jill Rapson). The Bryophyte Workshop studies mosses, liverworts, and hornworts, as well as lichens. Although often overlooked because of their small size, these plants are significant biodiversity andRead more
I am helping to organise the 2009 John Child Bryophyte Workshop. Bryophytes comprise mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. The Workshop also covers lichens, and it provides a great opportunity to learn more about these fascinating plants. Novices are welcome, with guidance provided for beginners. The workshop will be based at Pukeora Estate,Read more
