Objective to study a representative group of pioneer plants, the mosses and lichens.
Materials
samples of mosses and lichens
microscopes, hand lenses
slide, cover slip
forceps, dissecting needle
Procedure
1.
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Place a piece of the lichen on your slide. Add a drop of water and gently pull the lichen open.
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2.
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Look at the lichen under low power of the microscope. Try to identify the algae part and the fungi part. Sketch what you see below.
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3.
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Place a piece of the moss on your slide. Add a drop of water and examine your sample with the hand lens. Draw what you see below.
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4.
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Now place a coverslip over a very small piece of the moss and look at it under low power with the microscope. Draw what you see below.
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5.
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Use your textbook or other resource books to help you label your drawings.
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6.
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The lichen is an example of a symbiotic relationship. Define
symbiosis
:___ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________
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7.
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What does the algae give to the relationship?________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________
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____
What does the fungi give to the relationship?________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________
Drawings
Lichens
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Moss (hand lens)
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Moss (microscope)
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Teacher notes
Lichens and mosses can be collected locally in wooded areas or near streams. Old rock walls are a good place to look for lichens. In addition Connecticut Valley Biological, 82 Valley Road, P.O. Box 326, Southampton, Ma. 01073, Phone (413)527-4030 or Science Kit & Boreal Lab., Tonawanda N.Y. 14150, Phone 1-800-828-7777, are both good sources of living specimens.