iNaturalist Journal Entry - Local Plants in Mount Royal

During the bioblitz activity, I found a species of moss - Fissidens cristatus, which doesn't have a common name. With OneZoom, I found its phylogenetic placement under division (a taxonomic rank equivalent to phylum in botany) Bryophyta, which includes 16860 species of mosses. This specific species belongs to the family Fissidentaceae that only has one genus, Fissidens.

One common adaptation for my observed species, except Fissidens cristatus, is the flower. Fissidens cristatus is excluded because it is a bryophyte while all the rest are angiosperms, these two types of plants exhibit very distinct differences in structures. The bright petals on flowers and nectar produced help with reproduction. These features attract insects that will spread pollen to other flowers so seeds can grow.

Fissidens cristatus have a very unique adaptation, which is the peristome. The peristome is a structure within the sporangium that regulates spore dispersal. Gradually releasing spores can increase the chances of survival, without it, there is a risk of releasing them all at once under certain unfavourable conditions, which limits survival.