Xanthoparmelia scabrosa is a foliose lichen that grows abundantly on pedestrian and automobile asphalt in New Zealand, which are considered inhospitable habitats for lichens. Samples were collected at eight localities ranging from urban streets to very rural roads and analyzed for 28 chemical elements in order to determine elemental chemistry and to test hypotheses about tolerance mechanisms. Anthropogenic elements (Cu, Pb, and Zn) decreased significantly from urban to rural areas, while nutritional elements (K, P, and S) increased. Samples from urban areas contained 10% calcium. Sulfur was elevated at both urban and rural sites, possibly due to pollution in the former site and higher levels of sulfur-containing scabrosin esters at the rural sites. The ability of this lichen to accumulate high levels of Cu, Pb and Zn may make it useful as a remediation tool.

This study examines water-formed saxicolous lichen trimlines on bedrock outcrops in the Peace-Athabasca Delta, northern Alberta, Canada. We determined the lichen species growing on rock above and below lichen trimlines; described the trimlines with regard to height above water, location, elevation above sea level, and physical factors; and dated the trimlines through lichenometry. Trimlines were found at open, semi-restricted, and perched basins at a mean elevation of 210.85 m asl; 14 of 16 trimline elevations were between 210.26 and 210.92. Mean trimline height above current water was 155 cm (range 40 to 230 cm). The all-lichen species diameter growth rate mean was 0.416 mm yr⁻¹. Physcia caesia grew at 0.331 mm yr⁻¹ and Xanthoria elegans grew at 0.441 mm yr⁻¹. Many of the trimlines may have established after drawdown of high water that existed during the mid- to late-1970's. Based on cemetery data, establishment lag time is about six to 10 years. Most trimlines date from the period 1976 to 1990. The early 1980's appears to be a key time of basin drawdown and trimline establishment. Site and species influences on establishment lag and growth rates, and the complex hydrology, may be reflected in the range of trimline dates. The mean 95% confidence interval range in establishment dates was 6.2 years. In a hydrologically complex ecosystem such as a delta, lichenometric dating may prove a useful tool to reconstruct water level changes.

Species related to Buellia aethalea have been examined from the Greater Sonoran Desert Region. In the region, B. aethalea s.str. is a rare montane species. A similar, subalpine species is B. eganii, first reported from New Mexico by R. S. Egan, now validly described here. Most common in the Buellia aethalea-group is B. spuria, a species which does, however, not occur in lowland desert areas of the Sonoran Region. Buellia stellulata is similar to B. spuria, but differs in thallus chemistry and is restricted to areas along the coast. Although similar in thallus morphology, B. lacteoidea is not closely related to the Buellia aethalea-group. The new name, B. maculata, is introduced for the illegitimate B. stigmaea. Buellia maculata is a species with a similar thallus, but not closely related to the Buellia aethalea-group and absent from the North American Southwest. Buellia lepidastra shows some affinities to the group, but like B. maculata is confined to eastern North America.

Six species of saxicolous Buellia s.l. containing xanthones are reported from the Greater Sonoran Desert Region: Buellia concinna, B. halonia, B. mamillana, B. prospersa, B. subaethalea, and B. trachyspora. All species have a pale yellow to greenish yellow thallus characterized by the presence of xanthones. Nevertheless, they all show distinct characters and may consequently only be distantly related. Buellia concinna, a taxon previously reported only from Europe, is the valid name for the North American B. semitensis. Buellia subaethalea, first described by Bouly de Lesdain, but subsequently largely ignored, is reported for the first time from the region. Buellia trachyspora, a subtropical species barely reaching the Sonoran Region, is distinguished from B. mamillana.

A taxonomic and nomenclatural history of Codriophorus aquaticus (Schrad.) Bednarek-Ochyra & Ochyra [Trichostomum aquaticum (Brid.) ex Schrad.; Racomitrium aquaticum (Schrad.) Brid.] is presented. A specimen from Llanberis in Britain, preserved in the Dillenian herbarium in OXF and illustrated in Historia muscorum of 1741, is selected as lectotype of this species name. The lectotype specimen is described and illustrated and it represents the typical phenotype of the species that is characterized by having entirely unistratose leaf lamina; entire leaf margins including the apex; presence of a basal marginal border of up to 15 transparent cells with straight walls; and very stout, thick, and broad costae with 10–13 enlarged adaxial epidermal cells in the proximal part.

The sectional subdivision of the North American Plagiochila is largely based on Schusters' comprehensive treatments of the genus. Here we summarize the results of recent morphological, molecular, and chemical work and present an updated section and species list. Internal Transcribed Spacer sequences of nuclear ribosomal DNA are used to clarify the sectional position of the Western Holarctic endemic Plagiochila austinii (member of the Asian sect. Trabeculatae) and to confirm the recently proposed synonymy of Plagiochila sciophila and P. euryphyllon. North American Plagiochila are subdivided into the sects. Arrectae, Cucullatae, Peculiares, Plagiochila, Rutilantes, Trabeculatae, and Vagae.

Tortula euryphylla R. H. Zander is an illegitimate superfluous replacement of Desmatodon latifolius (Hedw.) Brid. (= Dicranum latifolium Hedw.) under the generic name Tortula Hedw. There are eleven earlier specific epithets that refer to species considered conspecific with D. latifolius, including Trichostomum hoppeanum Schultz, Desmatodon guentheri Sendtn., and Didymodon theobaldii Pfeff. and examination of the relevant types confirms their identity with this species. Accordingly, the specific epithet of Trichostomum hoppeanum Schultz of 1828, the earliest of these names, should be used as the correct name for Desmatodon latifolius upon its transfer to Tortula and this species should be named Tortula hoppeana (Schultz) Ochyra, comb. nov. Trichostomum hoppeanum is lectotypified with the specimen from the Hoppe herbarium at GZU and a list of the heterotypic synonyms of Tortula hoppeana at the species rank is given. The first record of T. hoppeana from Antarctica is cited and, accordingly, this species is established as a bipolar disjunct taxon.

Using transmission electron microscopy, histochemistry, and analytical techniques, lipids are shown to constitute the most important cytoplasmic fraction in ten species of Grimmia. Major compounds common to these species are identified as β-sitosterol, linoleic acid, and α-amyrin acetate. The triterpenoid, α-amyrin, has rarely been reported in mosses, and its possible chemotaxonomic value is pointed out.

This paper is a study of the sorediate corticolous species of Caloplaca in North and Central America with notes on similar species from other parts of the world. Of the 22 described sorediate species studied, 13 occur within the study area. The most common and widespread species in this group are C. chrysophthalma and C. microphyllina. Apothecia are often lacking on these sorediate species, in contrast to the isidiate species. A key, color photographs, and distribution maps are provided. Two new species are described as C. alaskensis and C. persimilis. Caloplaca granularis and Caloplaca ulcerosa are reported for the first time from North America. Several lectotypes are designated.

A new species in the lichen genus Dirina (Ascomycota: Arthoniales: Roccellaceae) is described. It is similar to Dirina neozelandica and related species in the genus with immersed ascomata lacking a thalline margin. Dirina calcicola is only known from two specimens collected in 1898 by Roland Thaxter in Monroe Co., Florida, U. S. A.

We counted rotifers within lobules of an epiphytic liverwort (Frullania eboracensis subs. eboracensis). Of 81 plants marked in the summer of 2001, 44 were female, 17 male, and 20 nonexpressing. Nonexpressing plants were significantly smaller than expressing plants. An ANCOVA revealed a non-significant or marginally significant tendency for the proportion of rotifer-occupied lobules to differ among male, female, and nonexpressing plants (p ≤ 0.09). Nonexpressing plants tended to have the greatest proportion of occupied lobules. We hypothesized that nonexpressing plants were younger than expressing plants. We investigated this pattern further by sampling from the interior and the edges of plants, knowing that the exterior of the plant is younger than the interior. In two separate experiments on different plants, a significantly greater proportion of exterior than interior lobules contained rotifers

A key to the forty-seven taxa in the lichen genus Pertusaria known and accepted from China is presented. The following five species are reported as new to China: P. carneopallida, P. hemisphaerica, P. monogona, P. plittiana, P. pycnothelia, P. trachythallina, and P. xanthodes. Specimens representative of each taxon are cited. Pertusaria albovelata is synonymized with P. velata. Pertusaria huangshanensis S. Yu & J. Wu ex Q. Ren sp. nov. is described.

Streptocolea atrata (Miel. ex Hornsch.) Ochyra & Żarnowiec, a species better known as Grimmia atrata Miel. ex Hornsch., is reported from the Yukon Territory. This is the first record of the species in western North America and the third one from the whole continent. The Yukon plants are briefly characterized and some of their diagnostic characters are illustrated. The global distribution of S. atrata is reviewed and mapped. Comments on the generic distinctness of Streptocolea (I. Hagen) Ochyra & Żarnowiec are presented.

Habitat preferences and habitat differentiation were studied among species of Acroporium (Sematophyllaceae) and related taxa between 140–2,000 m a.s.l. in Peninsular Malaysia (02.92°–04.87°N, 100.80°–101.83°E). Canonical Correspondence Analysis was used to reveal how species data were related to 16 environmental factors that represent geographical, physical environmental, chemical, and substrate type components. We found some geographical variation, but this explained little of the species distribution patterns. A minimum model based on automatic forward selection suggested that elevation, the substrate peaty soil, and pH explain 57% of the variation in the species data, and variation partitioning suggests that much of the variation in the latter is explained by several factors in combination. Light availability and the substrate mineral soil were of moderate importance in explaining species data distribution, whereas other variables influenced the variation less and mainly along the third and fourth ordination axes. Trichosteleum and Papillidiopsis species occurred mainly at low elevations, Acroporium secundum (Reinw. & Hornsch.) M. Fleisch., A. diminutum (Brid.) M. Fleisch., and A. stramineum (Reinw. & Hornsch.) M. Fleisch. var. stramineum were found at relatively high pH values, and A. convolutum (Sande Lac.) M. Fleisch and Radulina hamata (Dozy & Molk.) W. R. Buck & B. C. Tan at low pH values. Acroporium procerum (Müll. Hal.) M. Fleisch., A. strepsiphyllum (Mont.) B. C. Tan, and probably A. rigens (Dixon) Dixon showed a preference for peaty soil, whereas Papillidiopsis malayana (Dixon) B. C. Tan was the only species found on thin mineral soil over rocks.