Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Feb 2, 2012, 11:01 am
I change the background image on my computer once a month and I really like having a calendar on my computer desktop, since I don't have a wall calendar in the office. For the past several years I have been using the desktop calendars from Chocolate and Zucchini, a food blog that I follow. Unfortuna...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Jan 30, 2012, 5:45 pm
Welcome to the January 2012 edition of Berry Go Round!  Here are some interesting botanical posts that I found from the past month. Enjoy! - Have you heard about the plants that eat nematodes? If not, head over to Cunabulum to read all about the genus Philcoxia and the research into these carnivoro...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Jan 25, 2012, 10:06 pm
My first volume of the journal Bryologist for 2012 has arrived. Thus, I am trying to finish up my reading of articles from 2011. The last one I had to read looked at the interaction between the rain/fog chemistry, the type of tree, and the lichens and bryophytes living on the trees. Natalie L. Cleav...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Jan 23, 2012, 9:47 pm
The moss calyptra is a small cap of gametophyte tissue that covers the apex of the moss sporophyte during its development. This little structure was the focus of my dissertation. Below is part of a figure that I used in my defense showing calyptra from several different moss species. The calyptra...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Jan 19, 2012, 1:06 pm
This is a really cool moss that often grows in seepy, shady areas next to standing pools of water or streams. It's common name, tree moss, comes from the growth form of its leafy gametophyte, which resembling a tiny tree. Due to its tree-like appearance these plants have been used as the trees in mo...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Jan 9, 2012, 12:40 pm
Karlin, E. F., Hotchkiss, S. C., Boles, S. B., Stenøien, H. K., Hassel, K., Flatberg, K. I. and Shaw, A. J. (2011), High genetic diversity in a remote island population system: sans sex. New Phytologist This is a super cool article! The research was reported on both at National Geographic ...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Jan 6, 2012, 12:09 pm
2012 has started out super well for me professionally. The second chapter of my dissertation was just published! Budke, Jessica M., Bernard Goffinet, and Cynthia S. Jones. 2012. The cuticle on the gametophyte calyptra matures before the sporophyte cuticle in the moss Funaria hygrometrica (Funariacea...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Nov 17, 2011, 6:03 pm
   I had my dissertation defense last Friday! In my department we present an hour long seminar about our research that is open to the public and then have a closed-door discussion with professors only to talk about the research and final write-up in more depth. Afterwords a decision is made about ...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Nov 14, 2011, 11:59 pm
I just had a manuscript accepted for publication with the caveat that I needed to change my title. The comment was that papers with 'witty' or 'cute' titles are cited less often than papers with more serious titles. The editor mentioned that this had been shown in a study and I was interested to rea...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Nov 4, 2011, 1:36 pm
What happens when you stress out moss sperm? That was one of the questions that researchers asked in this study. Todd N. Rosenstiel and Sarah M. Eppley. 2009. Long-lived sperm in the geothermal bryophyte Pohlia nutans. Biology Letters 5: 857-860.  Not only...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Oct 13, 2011, 9:10 am
I got an email a few weeks back asking about what types of tripods I would recommend for taking pictures of bryophytes.  I am not sure what other folks use, but I have two different tripods that I like pretty well. I have a GorillaPod Original and a Canon Mini Tripod 7. I use them both with my Cano...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Oct 10, 2011, 10:00 pm
Did you know that mosses have feet? No joke they do. But they don't use them to walk or run around. And thank goodness, because I am glad that I don't have to go chasing them when I go plant collecting. Ok, bryophyte feet. At the bottom of the bryophyte sporophyte is the foot. It is the region where...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Oct 8, 2011, 7:16 am
I heard about this project over at Uncommon Ground. I think that sounds like a pretty interesting idea for evaluating information that is posted on the web. Check it out and see what you think.
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Oct 2, 2011, 8:35 pm
We read a paper last week in lab group about goose poop. Yes this is still a blog about about bryophytes and I am going to write about poop today. M. Stech, E. Kolvoort, M. J. J. E. Loonen, K. Vrieling and J. D. Kruijer. 2011. Bryophyte DNA sequences from faeces of an arctic herbivore, barnacle goo...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Sep 25, 2011, 5:36 pm
 I read this study in the latest issue of the International Journal of Plant Sciences. I thought that it was a really neat study and is an easily accessible piece of scientific literature for folks to read who are not professional bryologists. The premise - In stressful environments, studies sugges...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Sep 3, 2011, 3:38 pm
 One of the postcards that I got this summer prominently featured mosses from northern California. A picture of the postcard is on the right. I also took a photo of the caption on the back. Check out the portion that my friend underlined. It reads "A variety of mosses are brought to blossom by wint...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Aug 30, 2011, 7:30 pm
I got an email this week from a colleague about the state of the relationships among the three groups of bryophytes: Mosses,  Liverworts, and Hornworts. The first questions to consider - Are they three separate lineages? OR One monophyletic lineage? If they are three separate lineages, what order s...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Aug 7, 2011, 12:57 am
I spent the past couple of weeks helping a friend move across the country. While on our travels I read this post from one of the professors in my department at the University of Connecticut. The idea is that you can identify what type of scientist you are in a personality-test fashion, based on whet...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Aug 1, 2011, 12:36 pm
I am always on the lookout for plants called mosses that are actually not. I visited the Missouri Botanical Garden with some friends while in St. Louis a few weeks back for the Botany 2011 conference.  There I spotted this plant labeled Moss Fern. It is Selaginella pallescens, which is a lycopod or...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Jul 15, 2011, 6:56 am
I just got back from the botany meeting out in St. Louis. Presentations were really stimulating and interesting. St. Louis was hot and sticky. Overall a great time was had! At the meeting a pilot of a new show was presented by Dr. Chris Martine, called Plants are Cool, Too! I met Chris when he was ...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Jul 8, 2011, 10:16 am
You may have noticed some changes to the look of the blog recently. It is in the process of being migrated to the science blog network Field of Science. I decided that it might be a fun step in the evolution of my blog to join up with other scientists for more interactive discussions about science a...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Jun 28, 2011, 9:47 am
On top of posting our teaching and outreach resources online, I also updated my personal website. I added in a page about teaching and a gallery with photos of both my labmates and mosses. Also I had a few new and future publications to add to that page. I am in the process of gearing up for my phd ...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Jun 27, 2011, 8:38 am
 Insights into the biology and evolution of Bryophytes in Northeastern Connecticut The naturalist walking through the forests and wetlands of Northeastern Connecticut searches for the hidden flowers and listens to the songs of the birds. The mosses and liverworts that cover the trail bank, color th...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Jun 26, 2011, 5:37 pm
Laboratory Resources for High School Biology Teachers These laboratory exercises were designed to help students to better understand the concept of chemical competition in ecology using the moss Sphagnum. These exercises aim to show students that not all competition is carried out by animals and not...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Jun 24, 2011, 8:39 am
Here are some photos from the Moss Workshop that I led at the Aspetuck Land Trust at Trout Brook Valley, CT in May. It was a fun group and we got to see quite a few great plants.  Thanks to Heather Williams for helping to organize the workshop. Also thanks to the gal who took and sent me these phot...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - May 20, 2011, 1:06 pm
I just read over at Uncommon Ground that today is Endangered Species Day. In the spirit of the day I thought that I would share some information on endangered bryophytes. In 2008, 95 bryophyte species (including mosses, hornworts and liverworts) were assessed to determine their threat level, habitat...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - May 18, 2011, 7:42 am
There is a phenomenal level of information and science production in the world today. Keeping up to speed on the latest research can be challenging. I have a list of keywords that I use to search through a couple different biological science search engines that the University of Connecticut subscrib...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - May 1, 2011, 10:29 am
The evolution of spores was a critical step in the transition of plants on to land. This paper discusses developmental transitions that may have transferred the formation of the spore wall from the zygote to the spores. I enjoyed reading the paper and thought that it was a really interesting develop...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Apr 24, 2011, 12:23 pm
The New York Times featured an article recently about the plethora of mosses growing in the Seattle area. A rainy winter and spring have produced a great environment for the mosses this year. One of the folks interviewed for the article works at the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island, near Seattle...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Apr 20, 2011, 2:52 pm
I did a little spring cleaning this week in preparation for a party at my apartment tonight. During the cleaning I ran across this shampoo and conditioner. Oh yes, you can have mosses added to your personal hair-care products. Look there, it says moss right on the bottle. I can't recall if I eve...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Apr 19, 2011, 2:01 pm
I thought that the blog was in need of an update. I have had the same style and background since setting it up in 2007. It is a work in progress and I am not sure if I will stick with this update as is or try and tweak it some more. Any comments would be appreciated! Next up, revising my personal we...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Apr 15, 2011, 11:47 am
 The first chapter of my PhD dissertation research has been published! Jessica M. Budke, Bernard Goffinet and Cynthia S. Jones. 2011. A hundred-year-old question: is the moss calyptra covered by a cuticle? A case study of Funaria hygrometrica. Annals of Botany Below are some links for access to th...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Apr 13, 2011, 8:42 pm
I haven't been on YouTube in quite a long time to look for bryophyte videos. My labmate Juan Carlos recommended this video. A fun highlight is that you get to meet real live bryophytes that talk to the audience (see time 3:42). The costumes that the kids have are great and it is quite exciting to se...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Apr 9, 2011, 9:05 pm
Shading of understory plants is caused by the leaves of the taller plants. Mosses have leaves that are typically one cell thick. In this study researchers determined that moss leaves actually block a large percentage the light. The shadowing that results as the leaves wave back and forth results in ...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Apr 4, 2011, 10:06 am
I just saw this article on the BBC News about the designation of a peat bog as an United Kingdom Reserve to protect the large heath butterfly. This is great news for this species of butterfly, the mosses and other organisms that call the bog home!
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Apr 1, 2011, 3:00 pm
Mosses grow on all sorts of substrates. Soil, tree bark, leaves, rocks, sand, dung, old socks abandoned in the woods, and now a whale! My labmates were out visiting the Seymour Marine Discovery Center at Long Marine Laboratory in Santa Cruz, California over spring break and they brought back these p...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Mar 25, 2011, 8:30 am
Directly after the article that I posted about earlier this week was another on Sphagnum by Dr. Eric Karlin and colleagues. Eric F. Karlin, Sandra B. Boles, Rodney D. Seppelt, Stefano Terracciano, and A. Jonathan Shaw. 2011. The Peat Moss Sphagnum cuspidatum in Australia: Microsatellites Provide a G...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Mar 23, 2011, 7:24 pm
A brief bit about one of the journal articles from Systematic Botany that I read this week. Câmara, Paulo E. A. S. 2011. A Re-Circumscription of the Moss Genus Taxithelium (Pylaisiadelphaceae) with a Taxonomic Revision of Subgenus Vernieri.  Systematic Botany 36: 7-21. It is a taxonomic revi...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Feb 25, 2011, 5:25 pm
Moss Plants and More has been featured on a website listing the 50 Best Botany Blogs for College Students.
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Feb 10, 2011, 8:35 pm
I grew up in rural Indiana and we did not get the internet until my late middle school / early high school years. Before then there were these fabulous items called Encyclopedia. Perhaps many of you remember them? They were a large hardbound set of books where you could answer all your burning knowl...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Feb 1, 2011, 7:25 am
Another great find from Juan Carlos! It is a band names after the liverwort genus Bazzania. The Bazzania Girls Band plays a mix of Americana style music that encompasses country, gospel and traditional tunes. I really wanted to listen to some of their tunes and they have a podcast on their web...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Jan 31, 2011, 8:56 am
This is an announcement for a field course that came out on Bryonet a couple of weeks back. I just wanted to share it with anyone who might be interested.  Intermediate Field Bryology  March 21-23, 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.Klamath Hall, University of Oregon Class size is limited. Fee: $300.To reserve...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Jan 30, 2011, 3:13 pm
Another post recommended by Juan Carlos. (If he keeps coming up with fodder for the blog I might just have to make him a co-author on the blog and have him write the posts too. ) Thanks for sharing the link! This is a video from the California Academy of Sciences in which Jim Shevock discusses mosse...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Jan 28, 2011, 3:12 pm
The January edition of the plant carnival Berry Go Round has been posted at Seeds Aside.  The selection ranges this month from GMOs and a Fern rap to parasites and taxonomy. Enjoy the selection of posts! For more about blog carnivals and my posts about the earlier editions of Berry Go R...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Jan 24, 2011, 11:40 am
One of my advisors, Dr. Bernard Goffinet, arrived back in Connecticut from a field trip to southern Chile to study mosses and lichens. Another scientict on the expedition, Dr. Bill Buck, a researcher at the New York Botanical Garden, wrote several blog posts about this trip. They are posted at The N...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Jan 23, 2011, 10:38 am
Here is an article about animals with amazing powers of camouflage! One of them included in the lineup is a leaf-tailed gecko that is hiding on a moss and liverwort covered tree trunk. Here is the link to the article and photos.  When hunting for mosses I am often focused on a very specific search ...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Jan 17, 2011, 9:23 pm
Sphagnum peat moss made the news over at BBC Earth News last week. The title of the paper tells it all "One haploid parent contributes 100% of the gene pool for a widespread species in northwest North America". I could go on to try and give my own take on this research, but I think that the BBC arti...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Jan 12, 2011, 2:46 pm
My winter break reading included a book of science fiction short stories, entitled "When it Changed: Science into Fiction". I heard about this book through an article in Field Bryology from the British Bryological Society. I can't seem to locate the exact article, but as soon as I find it I will pos...
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Jan 2, 2011, 11:12 am
The December edition of the plant carnival Berry Go Round has been posted at An Accidental Botanist.  Enjoy all the holiday plant posts! For more about blog carnivals and my posts about the earlier editions of Berry Go Round, click here.
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Jessica B. posted an article on Moss Plants and More - Nov 17, 2010, 9:35 pm
In lab group last week we read an article about the moss family Polytrichiaceae. These are the mosses that have fabulous little lamellae on their leaves. Some species are quite common and can be found in open disturbed edge habitat. They can be recognized by their star-shaped form when viewed from a...
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