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Biology 11: Field Work Report

By Adrian Clarke L. Dee

Introduction

Baguio City is one of the coldest places in the Philippines other than Sagada, Lake Sebu, Batanes,
Don Salvador Benedicto, and Tagaytay wherein all these places have three key factors that tie them all
together, temperature, geographical location (how high above the sea level) and the more populated
environmental sites (land ecosystem) in the Philippines. In the remoter parts of the city, its vibrant green
colors and hues embellish the sights as there are mosses, grasses (tall and short), pine trees, and flowers
all around. The main point is that these plant organisms can survive different temperatures as well, but it
is only a matter of what temperatures these resilient beings survive in best. Mosses or bryophytes can also
be identified in hotter climates, but they are seen best and healthiest in damp locations as well as cooler
climate (to be discussed further).

This photo was taken on April 27, 2019 inside the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) gymnasium
praising its glorifying sight of its greener environmental sites.

According to an article by Marian Odessa Toga (September 7, 2015) entitled “Baguio’s

Diversity”, “Panagbenga Festival or Flower Festival, from the name itself, is a festival of flowers wherein
they showcase varying species of flowers found in Baguio and other such-like places. The colorful and
fun set-up urges more tourist from across the nation and globe to visit the city. You will never ever see
Baguio lacking in grasses, moss and flowers. Alongside the roads, they would be there, if you turn to your
sides, you would always see these organisms messily yet beautifully scattered around.” Baguio City is
home to one of the Philippines’ proudest ecosystems, and with its close to perfect climate for all sorts of
plants, vascular (with seeds or seedless) or nonvascular, everything blooms with exquisiteness.

Results
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In the field work completed at #8 South Drive, Baguio City, 2600 Benguet, Philippines, four
specimens were collected: a pteridophyte (fern), a younger frond (developing fern), a dried brown liver
wort, and bryophyte (true mosses). Unfortunately, the other target organism, horn wort, had not been
found in that area.
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The bryophyte’s characteristics before submerging it in water for 24 hours include rough and an
almost “velcro-like” appearance to it, but is actually soft to the touch. “Bryophytes (nonvascular Plants)
are the only embryophytes (plants that produce an embryo) whose life history includes a dominant
gametophyte (haploid) stage.They are an ancient and diverse group of non-vascular plants. They comprise
three main taxonomic groups: mosses (Bryophyta), liverworts (Marchantiophyta or Hepatophyta) and
hornworts (Anthocerotophyta) which have evolved quite separately.They are not considered to have given
rise to the vascular plants but they probably were the earliest land plants (Qui & Palmer, 1999). Like the
rest of the land plants, they evolved from green algal ancestors, closely related to the Charophytes.”
(Kumar, n.d.)

As for the frond, its parts include, pinnae (whole leaf or leaflet), pinnules (smaller leaves), root
hairs (second photo below), sori/sorus (the reproductive system of the fern as seen in the third photo
below), blade (the expanded pare of the pinna, and axis (the stalk within the blade). Its stem is a mostly
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flexible structure. On the other hand, the developing frond has all of these parts excluding matured sori.
Sori are a cluster of spores that allow for airborne motility/movement. On the tip of the developing frond,
there is a fiddle head (the developing leaf as seen in the first photo below). “Pteridophytes are similar to
bryophytes in that they are seedless, flowerless plants that depend on the production of spores to
propagate. They undergo photosynthesis, so they are autotrophs, meaning they make their own food.
Pteridophytes differ from bryophytes, however, in that they are vascular plants with structures for
transporting water from roots, through stems, and into leaves.” (Course Hero, 2019)
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After 24 hours of soaking the bryophyta (true mosses) and the brown and dried liver wort, it can
be observed that they have more vibrant characteristics compared to the themselves 24 hours ago. It can
be observed that the green parts of the bryophyta are more open and less curled up as compared to itself a
day before as well. For the liver wort, it started to become greener once again from the core and outward
making it give an effect as if it had come back to life. The resilience of these organisms will be conferred
further in the discussion.
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Discussion

As mentioned above, the specimens were collected on the sidewalk of #8 South Drive, Baguio
City, 2600 Benguet, Philippines, a grassy location with a densely populated amount of grasses, pine trees,
mosses, etc. Furthermore, this part of the city is considered one of the coldest places other than John Hay
and Mines View. The topographic center of Baguio City is 16.4023332 and 120.5960071 as well as its
borders 16.3627625, 120.5452001 16.4361881 120.6323503. As observed in the picture below, the
elevation of Baguio City is roughly around 4,600ft. or 1400m. The topography of Baguio City allows for
observations which may be the reason as to why pteridophytes or ferns are able to grow best in other
locations with similar topography. “April is the hottest month in Baguio City with an average temperature
of 21°C (70°F) and the coldest is January at 18°C (64°F). The wettest month is August with an average of
650mm of rain.” (Holiday Weather, 2019)
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All types of mosses are considered resilient organisms due to the fact that they can survive
through harsh climates despite drying out and harsh temperatures, yet all of these unique plants have very
differentiable characteristics. Liver worts have this flat structure mainly because

Mosses form mats because of their ability to

The importance of sori/sorus/sporophyte in ferns is primarily due to the fact that it is its form of
reproductive system.

References
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Course Hero. (2019). Life Cycle of Pteridophytes. Retrieved from

https://www.coursehero.com/sg/introduction-to-biology/life-cycle-of-pteridophytes/

Money Max. (2015, March 19). The 5 Coldest Places in the Philippines to Go and Chill. Retrieved from
https://www.moneymax.ph/lifestyle/articles/the-5-coldest-places-in-the-philippines-to-go-chill/

Fancy Fronds Nursery. (2018). Fern Glossary — Fancy Fronds Nursery. Retrieved from
http://www.fancyfrondsnursery.com/fern-glossary

Flood Map. (2018). Elevation of Baguio, Philippines Elevation Map, Topography, Contour. Retrieved
from http://www.floodmap.net/Elevation/ElevationMap/?gi=1728930

Holiday Weather. (2019). Baguio City, Philippines Average Annual Weather. Retrieved from
https://www.holiday-weather.com/baguio_city_ph/averages/

Kumar, P. (n.d.). Introduction to botany: Bryophytes structure and reproduction. Retrieved from
http://www.peoi.org/Courses/Coursesen/bot/fram16.html

Toga, M. O. (2015, September 7). Baguio’s Biodiversitty. Retrieved from

https://biodiversityftw.wordpress.com/provinces-in-car-by-marian-toga/baguio-city/baguios-biodiversitty/

Topographic Map. (n.d.). Topographic map Baguio. Retrieved from http://en-ph.topographic-

map.com/places/Baguio-9251285/

https://www.anbg.gov.au/bryophyte/what-is-liverwort.html

http://www.softschools.com/facts/plants/moss_facts/504/