Diario del proyecto Flora at Mont Royal

The bracket fungus ( Rigidoporus populinus) is a type of tree parasite that grows in gashes on trees, and creates its fruiting body by decaying the wood it grows in (1). This fungus species was one of the many found in a mummified human body that was 5000 years old (1). Despite being a tree parasite, other species depend on bracket fungi, as seen in a study done by Komonen et. al (2000). They found that forest fragmentation had negative effects on insect communities that depended on the bracket fungus, which ultimately had effects on different levels of the food chain (2). Although this fungus can be parasitic, it still plays an important role in the ecosystem.

(1) Bracket Fungus. (2020). https://www.lichenlabs.net/product/bracket-fungus/

(2) Komonen, A., Penttilä, R., Lindgren, M., & Hanski, I. (2003). Forest fragmentation truncates a food chain based on an old-growth forest bracket fungus. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1034/j.1600-0706.2000.900112.x

The Red Clover (Trifolium Pratense) is a member the legume family under the Trifolium genus, which includes 255 species (Ellison, 2006).

All of the observed species found on Mont Royal are perennial species and have adapted to the cold climate by becoming dormant during the autumn seasons. The plants release water from their cells into intercellular spaces. This stop them from freezing and exploding (Floral, 2021).

The Red Clover has adapted to the lower temperatures of Montreal by growing rapidly in the spring season. The rapid growth in the spring and its lower ability to withstand the winter contribute to the fact that the Red Clover is a short-lived perennial (Bailey, n.d.).

Citations:
Ellison, N. (n.d.). Red Clover. Retrieved from http://baileyseed.com/products/red-clover/

Understanding how plants adapt to their environment: Floral, gardening. (2018, October 02). Retrieved from https://floral.ca/en/plants-adapt-environment/

The Shepherd's Purse (Papsella bursa-pastoris) is found in the Plantate Kingdom. Specifically, it is of the
Brassicaceae family, in the Capsella genus. (1)

The adaptation all the observed species in my group project have in common is their ability to grow back in the spring
after dying off in the winter, adapting to the cold climate of Montreal. When they do grow back, all the fauna contain
green leaves for camouflage in the grassy area they grow in on Mont Royal. (2)

An adaptation of the Shepherd's Purse is that its seeds are better at spreading due to them being small and sticky. This allows for widespread dispersal and growth. (3)

1- Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International (n.d) https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/11223#totaxonomicTree
2- Les Amis de la Montagne. (2017, November 27). Nature on Mount Royal. Retrieved from https://www.lemontroyal.qc.ca/en/mount-royal/territory/nature-on-mount-royal
3- Missouri Department of Conservation. (n.d). Shepherd’s Purse. https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/shepherds-purse#:~:text=Shepherd's%20purse%20has%20many%20adaptations,which%20aids%20in%20their%20dispersal.

The Virginia creeper(parthenocissus quinquefolia) is located under the section of eukaryotes, more specifically under green, land plants. It is further classified under seed and flowering plants and since it is characterized by having two seed leaves when flowering, the Virginia creeper is a eudicots along side 263,110 other species.

All the plants found we discovered for our project were perennials meaning they live for more than two years. These plants have adapted to the snowy and cold climate of Montreal, and are able to grow and bloom again in the summer and spring after dying off in the winter.

The Virginia creeper has adhesive tips on their tendrils that allow the plant to climb. This allows the plant to secure itself to walls without another support system giving it an advantage over other vines that require external support to grow upwards.