Many islands are characterized by high biological diversity, and both adaptive and non-adaptive factors have been found to contribute to island richness. Here we study extensive color morph variability in the allopolyploid peat moss Sphagnum palustre on the Azores Islands. By comparing genetic diversity patterns in island and mainland populations we evaluate various hypotheses for the high diversity observed within and between islands. We conclude that the diversity observed cannot be explained by Azores Islands having acted as refugia for morphotypes during Pleistocene glacial periods. Furthermore, high island diversity is not the result of past or ongoing adaptive radiations. Lack of genetic differentiation and free reproduction among morphs growing closely together is not consistent with adaptive differentiation in space or time to changing environmental conditions. We conclude that high island diversity in this species likely reflects phenotypic plasticity, possibly in response to unfavourable microenvironmental conditions. Evolution of phenotypic plasticity is expected in organisms with extensive gene flow, and island diversity in the highly dispersive S. palustre is probably the result of either higher environmental variability in island than mainland populations, or perhaps more likely, selection for increased plasticity in colonizers of variable and stressful island environments.

We analyzed the desert moss Bryum argenteum Hedw., a dominant moss in biological soil crusts in northwestern China, during dehydration and rehydration. There was almost no change in chlorophyll content between hydrated and almost completely desiccated B. argenteum samples. The amounts of thylakoid protein complexes, including the PSI monomer, PSII supercomplex, the PSII monomer, and LHCII, gradually decreased as the dehydration time of B. argenteum was extended. Analysis by two-dimensional sodium dodecylsulfate-urea-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that the amount of the PSII core subunits CP47 and CP43 and the PSI core subunits PsaA/B decreased during dehydration. The amount of thylakoid protein complexes increased rapidly during rehydration under light conditions, but increased slowly, and to lower levels, during rehydration in the dark. Rehydration of B. argenteum in chloramphenicol solution under light conditions resulted in a decrease in F_V/F_M within 10 min. An analysis of chloroplast ultrastructure showed that the number of grana decreased during dehydration. Taken together, our results suggest that the thylakoid protein complexes of B. argenteum degrade during dehydration and then reassemble during rehydration, and that this affects the full recovery of photosynthesis in this species.

Molecular sequence data of the ITS barcoding locus were employed to clarify the taxonomy of Hawaiian species of Pseudocyphellaria s.lat., including the recently segregated genera Crocodia and Podostictina. Based on published checklists and taxonomic and nomenclatural revisions, Hawaii was supposed to harbor seven widespread species, with zero degree of endemism: P. argyracea, P. aurata, P. crocata, P. dissimulata, P. intricata, P. pickeringii and P. punctillaris. Our results show that there are at least 12 species in the archipelago (one each in Crocodia and Podostictina, and ten in Pseudocyphellaria s.str.). Of the previously reported species, only the presence of Crocodia aurata was confirmed. Reports of Pseudocyphellaria crocata refer to no less than six species, four of them new to science: P. biliana Moncada, Reidy & Lücking, P. longiloba Moncada, Reidy & Lücking, P. philipiana Moncada, Reidy & Lücking, and P. pomaikaiana Moncada, Reidy & Lücking. Pseudocyphellaria hawaiiensis H. Magn. and P. xanthosticta (Pers.) Moncada & Lücking, comb. nov. [ =  Sticta crocata f. sandwicensis Zahlbr.] are reinstated, whereas P. crocata s.str. does not occur in Hawaii. Pseudocyphellaria perpetua McCune & Miądl., described from North America, is established as a synonym of P. hawaiiensis. Reports of P. argyracea, P. intricata and P. punctillaris refer to three newly described species, P. confusa Moncada, Reidy & Lücking, P. gallowayana Moncada, Reidy & Lücking and P. macroisidiata Moncada, Reidy & Lücking, and the reinstated P. horridula (Zahlbr.) H. Magn. Material identified as P. flavicans and P. pickeringii is not identical with either species but represents another new taxon, P. cliffordiana Moncada, Reidy & Lücking. Based on these findings, the degree of inferred endemism in Hawaiian Pseudocyphellaria s.lat. is 75%, higher than suggested even in early treatments. The following further six new combinations are proposed—Podostictina ardesiaca (D.J. Galloway) Moncada & Lücking, comb. nov., P. berberina (G. Forst.) Moncada & Lücking, comb. nov., P. compar (Nyl.) Moncada & Lücking, comb. nov., P. degelii (D.J. Galloway & P. James) Moncada & Lücking, comb. nov., P. flavicans (Hook. f. & Taylor) Moncada & Lücking, comb. nov. and P. pickeringii (Tuck.) Moncada & Lücking, comb. nov.

Coenogonium coronatum, a lichen-forming ascomycete, is presented and described as new to science. The species differs distinctly from other taxa by the formation of a crustose, smooth thallus and the densely pilose apothecia margins. Photographs of thallus morphology and apothecial anatomy illustrate the new species from the palaeotropics. A key to the Coenogonium species known from Thailand is also included.

The new species, Drepanolejeunea actinogyna J. Inuthai, R. L. Zhu & Chantanaorr., is described and illustrated from southern Thailand. The new species belongs in the subgenus Pristolejeunea Grolle because of the presence of median ocelli in the leaf lobe. It is closely related to D. thwaitesiana (Mitt.) Steph. and D. nymanii Steph., but differs in the smaller plant size, the radially-symmetric perianth with triangular wings equal in size and a 2–3 cells long beak of the perianth, the free lateral margin of leaf lobule proximal to the notch bordered by 4 rectangular cells, and the curved tooth of the lobule.

We describe Umbilicaria nodulospora, a distinctive new species occurring on steep rock faces on old lava flows in California and Oregon. The species is unusual among lichenized ascomycetes in consistently having one or two shallowly bulging knobs at one end of each ascospore, suggesting a T, Y, or L shape; otherwise they are consistent with the appearance of ascospores in most Umbilicaria species. The species is readily distinguished in the field by a grayish tone to the brown upper surface, in combination with a thickly rhizinate lower surface. Distinctiveness of the species was supported by analysis of the ITS and LSU regions of nrDNA. No close relative or sister taxon was found. Umbilicaria nodulospora is so far known only from geologically recent flood basalts in central Oregon to northeastern California.

Two temperate foliose lichen species, Parmelia sulcata and Physcia adscendens, were grown outdoors on plastic cover slips to characterize development and study the environmental conditions suitable for development. It was found that aposymbiotic hyphal extensions that adhere to this substratum appeared within two weeks under favorable conditions and usually within five weeks. Pigmentation, rhizines, and epicortical development were seen within six months. The method and month of inoculation onto the cover slips had an impact on developmental success. Our results also suggest suitable combinations of humidity and temperature that may allow routine culture of these lichens in the laboratory setting.

Microsatellites, nucleotide sequences, and flow cytometry were used to determine if two sympatricAfrican peat mosses (Sphagnum ×planifolium and S. ×slooveri) had a history of inter-subgeneric hybridization and to assess their phylogenetic relationship. Both species had previously not been considered to be hybrids. Sphagnum ×slooveri was found to be gametophytically allodiploid. Its maternal parent was S. recurvum (or a closely related species) of subg. Cuspidata and its paternal parent was an unidentified species from the S. africanum complex of subg. Subsecunda. Sphagnum ×planifolium was found to be a cryptic species complex of gametophytic allotriploids, with recurrent double allopolyploidy resulting in at least two evolutionarily distinct lineages. The maternal parent of both lineages was S. ×slooveri. The paternal parent of one lineage (S. ×planifolium I) was an unidentified haploid associated with the S. capense complex of subgenus Subsecunda while the paternal parent of the second lineage (S. ×planifolium II) was S. cuspidatum (or a closely related species) of subg. Cuspidata. Four species having a history of double allopolyploidy are now documented in bryophytes; all are gametophytically allotriploid, all are in Sphagnum, and all had an allodiploid parent having a history of inter-subgeneric hybridization. It is postulated that a high genetic divergence between subgenomes may facilitate double allopolyploidy in Sphagnum. Genetic analyses reveal that S. pulchricoma, S. recurvum and S. sancto-josephense form a complex of non-hybrid and hybrid plants in the Neotropics, with the hybrids having a history of hybridization between S. cuspidatum and S. recurvum. Reticulate evolution needs more attention in bryophyte studies and this requires experimental designs sufficiently robust to detect it.