Lichenostigma saxicola, growing on silicate rocks and lichens, is described from southern California from both the Sonoran and Mojave deserts as well as from the Santa Monica Mountains on the coast. The species belongs to the subgenus Lichenostigma, has a non-amyloid centrum, and dark one-septate ascospores, 10–12 × 5–6 µm, cells equal or not, constricted at the septum, the walls of over-mature ascospores becoming granular-verrucose. The species is considered facultatively lichenicolous, not host specific, and is pathogenic.

We investigated the response of the bryoid layer, bryophyte and lichen communities on the soil surface, three years after fuel reduction treatment (logging and burning) in the central Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon. Both treatment and control areas had been decimated by spruce budworm and drought before the fuel reduction treatments. Treatments reduced overstory and understory woody vegetation, litter, and coarse woody debris and disturbed the soil surface. In the untreated stands minor local disturbances had created bare mineral soil over about 1% of the ground area, about half of that was from burrowing rodents. Fuel reduction treatments disturbed an additional 23% of the ground area, beyond the 1% disturbed in untreated sites. Over half of the recently disturbed treatment areas had been colonized by pioneering short mosses. Bare soil from rodent disturbances covered about 10 times more area in treated sites than in untreated sites, increasing from 0.4% to 5.5% cover. The bryoid layer responded to the treatments by changes in species composition, rather than species richness. Treated areas had more cover of small acrocarpous pioneer bryophytes (i.e., Funaria hygrometrica, Ceratodon purpureus, and especially Bryum caespiticium), whereas cover of larger pleurocarps, such as Brachythecium and Rhytidiadelphus was reduced by soil disturbance. We infer that pioneer bryophytes perform a valuable ecosystem service in these dry forests by rapidly colonizing and stabilizing the soil surface, reducing its vulnerability to erosion by wind and water.

Morphological features of three species of Brotherella Loeske ex M. Fleisch. based on their type specimens are found to be inconsistent with their current taxonomic placements. Brotherella dixonii Herzog and Brotherella pallida (Renauld & Cardot) M. Fleisch. are transferred to Ectropothecium and Wijkia as E. dixonii (Herzog) Y. Jia & S. He comb. nov. and W. pallida (Renauld & Cardot) Y. Jia & S. He comb. nov., respectively. Brotherella harveyana (Mitt.) Dixon is synonymized with Pylaisiadelpha tenuirostris (Bruch & Schimp.) W. R. Buck.

Lichen diversity along the Mississippi River in the Minneapolis-St. Paul urban area was studied in 2008 by sampling 37 localities along the 110-kilometer river basin, resulting in 76 species, which are thought to represent 80% of the complete flora. A significant decrease in lichen diversity toward the urban part of the river basin, as well as the presence of only one cyanolichen suggests that urban factors, e.g. air pollutants and habitat destruction may be affecting lichen diversity. In addition, lichen diversity has significantly decreased from that of 112 years ago, when a study by Fink reported 113 species, and a higher number of genera represented by a single species.

The new combination Polycoccum hymeniicola is introduced and a description of this insufficiently known fungus provided. This species and Chalara lobariae, Merismatium nigritellum, and Niesslia lobariae are new to North America. Arthrorhaphis aeruginosa, Lichenopuccinia poeltii, Opegrapha sphaerophoricola, and Roselliniella cladoniae are new to Alaska. Specimens of Abrothallus sp. with associated conidiomata on Erioderma sorediatum and of Paranectria cf. alstrupii on Fuscopannaria laceratula are discussed.

Verrucaria mundula P.M. McCarthy var. mundula is recorded for the first time for the Northern Hemisphere. Differences between Iberian specimens and the Australian type material are indicated, and the species is compared to other freshwater Verrucaria species found in Europe.

Two resinicolous species, Chaenothecopsis dolichocephala and Chaenothecopsis resinicola, are reported as new to North America and Chaenothecopsis nigra and Chaenothecopsis subparoica are reported as new to its eastern half. The questioned occurrence of Calicium adspersum in eastern North America is resolved with the identification of specimens collected in Maryland in 1909, as well as recent specimens from Maine and Tennessee. Mycocalicium fuscipes is reported for the first time since 1872, in New Brunswick; Chaenothecopsis norstictica, a species described from Georgia and Florida, is reported for Maine; Chaenothecopsis edbergii is reported for Nova Scotia and for the first time in the southeastern United States; the ranges of Chaenothecopsis brevipes and Phaeocalicium minutissimum are significantly expanded; and Chaenothecopsis thujae, a misnomer for Chaenothecopsis tsugae, is recommended for delisting from the North American lichen checklist.

We studied the relationships between environmental variables and the physiology of two (semi-)aquatic mosses (Bryum pseudotriquetrum and Fontinalis antipyretica) in an unforested headwater stream over a three year period. Neither environmental or physiological variables showed significant interannual variations. Most environmental variables (water temperature, stratospheric ozone, and photosynthetic, UV-A and UV-B radiation) showed distinct seasonal variations, but only a few physiological ones did. In both species, photoprotection variables (the activity of the xanthophyll cycle and the bulk UV absorbance of the methanol-extractable UV-absorbing compounds, MEUVAC) varied more seasonally than variables related to physiological activity, such as the sclerophylly index and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters (F_v/F_m and Φ_PSII). Changes in physiological activity would be attenuated by the buffering capacity of water with respect to the influence of environmental factors, and dynamic variables like F_v/F_m and Φ_PSII would be little determined by cyclic environmental factors. In B. pseudotriquetrum, both MEUVAC and kaempferol 3,7-O-diglycoside (a potentially UV-protective flavonoid) were positively associated with radiation levels, whereas in F. antipyretica photoprotection mechanisms were not correlated with any environmental variable. In addition, MEUVAC was 3–4 fold higher in B. pseudotriquetrum than in F. antipyretica. Thus, different photoprotection mechanisms, with a different environmental regulation, can be suggested for these two species. DNA damage was not found in any sample, probably because both species displayed efficient DNA repair mechanisms.

Forest structural characteristics manipulated by alternative thinning treatments were associated with increases in cyanolichen and alectorioid species richness and changes in lichen community compositions. At two sites in moist conifer forests of western Oregon, lichen community monitoring plots were established before thinning treatments; the most diverse plots in each treatment were retained as diversity islands whereas the less diverse plots were treated in the thinning prescription. We resampled these plots approximately 10 years after thinning. At one site we found that lichen communities in diversity plots were quite similar to those in the surrounding treated forest and that the proportion of Tsuga heterophylla in the stand was negatively associated with alectorioid and cyanolichen richness. At both sites, hardwood gaps and open-grown trees were positively associated with cyanolichen species richness. At the other site, surrounding plots were more like diversity “leave-islands” after thinning than before. Furthermore, thinned plots had more hardwood gaps following the thinning. These thinned plots hosted more Bryoria, Candelaria concolor, Leptogium polycarpum, Peltigera collina, Nephroma laevigatum and Physcia tenella than had been observed prior to thinning. We concluded that thinning treatments retaining remnants, open-grown trees and hardwood gaps have potential to favor lichen communities rich in cyanolichen and alectorioid species.

The lichen Usnea brasiliensis (Zahlbr.) Motyka is reported for the first time outside of the American continent from the Canary Islands. A description of the species is provided and possible relationships with other taxa are briefly discussed.

The macrolichens are a conspicuous component of the montane rainforest of Gran Piedra, Santiago de Cuba. This study aims at comparing the species composition, frequency and cover area of epiphytic macrolichens between the north and south slopes, as well as to determine the variation in species composition and frequency of epiphytic macrolichens in communities along and around the tree trunk. Six plots were sampled; three on the north-facing slope and three on the south slope. We found 21 species of macrolichens. Sticta beauvoisii, Hypotrachyna lineariloba and Pannaria tavaresii are new records for Cuba. Differences were observed in species composition between slopes, whereas neither the species composition nor the frequency changed significantly with cardinal orientation or vertical distribution on the trunk. Heterodermia leucomelaena and Leptogium austroamericanum were considered as indicators of the north slopes, and Cladonia ceratophylla of the south slope.

Except for Sphagnum mosses of peatland habitats, reliable methods to assess moss productivity in arctic or boreal biomes give usually highly variable results. Therefore, ecosystem processes are poorly understood in these biomes where mosses are an important component of the system. The aim of this study was to compare three methods to estimate moss growth in polygon patterned fens: cranked wires, natural markers and artificial white marks (an alternative to the spray method). Precision of estimates was significantly higher when natural markers were used (coefficients of variation, CV, between 17 and 27%), compared to cranked wires (CV = 37%) or white marks (CV = 56%). Natural markers also provided estimates for growth of moss stems 32 to 113% higher than the other methods. Although cranked wires were calibrated shortly after snowmelt, some moss growth is still missed and consequently moss growth is underestimated. Accuracy of cranked wires was poor, mainly caused by frost heaving or permafrost activities that can affect wire position. Thus, this method should be avoided in arctic ecosystems. Even if white marks were painted on moss stems at the end of the growing season prior to the sampling year, lower estimates of moss growth were still found. We suspect some interference with moss growth processes during the marking process, at least when used with brown mosses. The natural marker method, which provides increment for an entire growing season, appears to be the most accurate method of the three. Additionally, it is also the easiest and the least time consuming method to use. Its main drawback is that relatively few species have natural growth marks and these species may not always be present among the targeted species under study. Also, measurements of stem growth on the same sample did not differ between observers, even if the second measurement was done 12 years later. In conclusion, when species with natural markers are present, this method should be used to assess moss growth. For arctic/sub-arctic studies where such species are lacking, the artificial white marks method should be refined further.

The taxonomic position of several European corticolous lichen species with conspicuous pycnidia and chlorococcoid photobiont is currently unsatisfactory and is here examined with maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inferences using mtSSU sequences. Lecidea doliiformis is resolved as a member of the Micarea assimilata-group and Catillaria alba as sister to the recently described Biatora ligni-mollis. Therefore, L. doliiformis is transferred to Micarea [M. doliiformis (Coppins & P. James) Coppins & Sérus. comb. nov.], and a new name is introduced for the transfer of C. alba into Biatora (B. veteranorum Coppins & Sérus. nom. nov.). Biatora ligni-mollis, recently described from primary forests in British Columbia (Canada), is shown to be a rare but widespread species in Western Europe (Belgium, France, Germany, Poland and Scotland) where it is not confined to undisturbed forests.

Taxonomic studies on lichen genus Pilophorus in China revealed a hitherto unknown species to science, which is here described as new: Pilophorus yunnanensis L. S. Wang & X. Y. Wang. It is characterized by small, simple, unbranched pseudopodetia having numerous scales, single (rarely two) globose apothecia at the tip and the lack of a columella. The species is reported from high elevations in Yunnan Province in southwestern China and was collected from siliceous rocks exposed to sun. Description and figures are provided on the basis of this material and the new taxon is compared with other Pilophorus species.

Lecanographa insolita is described as new to science based on collections from the Channel Islands of southern California and an isolated coastal redwood forest in central California, U.S.A. Placement of this normally sterile species in the genus Lecanographa is supported by secondary chemistry and the anatomy of sterile ascoma found on a single thallus. The species has a non-filament forming coccoid photobiont rather than Trentepohlia, an apparently unique feature within the genus Lecanographa as well as the broader context of the Roccellaceae. Comparison is drawn to other members of the Roccellaceae that have byssoid thalli.

The new species Graphis collinsiae Lücking & Lumbsch is described from the Fiji Islands. The species belongs to the G. insulana aggregate and is intermediate between G. insulana (Müll. Arg.) Lücking & Sipman and G. subhiascens (Müll. Arg.) Lücking. All three species have a similar thallus and lirellae morphology and anatomy and ascospore-type, but differ in hymenial and chemical characters: G. insulana has an inspersed hymenium and contains norstictic acid, whereas G. subhiascens lacks inspersions and secondary substances. The new species, G. collinsiae, agrees with G. insulana in having an inspersed hymenium, but it lacks secondary metabolites.

Grimmia texicana, a new moss species from Texas and the American southwest, is described. The species is related to G. arizonae but its dense matted habit is distinctly different, readily separating it from the latter species, even in the field. Sporophytes were not found. Grimmia texicana propagates by young shoots, arising from the rhizoids.

Bacidia punica is described from Eivissa (Spain). The species is also reported from several areas from the Mediterranean region. The new species could be mistaken for a member of the genus Bacidina, but differs in various characters such as thallus structure, exciple morphology, ascus type and morphology of paraphyses which all suggest an affinity with the genus Bacidia s. str.

Bryum minii Podp. ex Machado-Guim. is a rare western-Europe endemic that is here reported for the first time for south-central Spain in the Iberian Peninsula. This new locality links the previously widely disjunct localities from France and Sardinia with the core of its distribution in Portugal; most of the intervening area is of calcareous nature, inappropriate for this acidophilous species. A detailed description, diagnostic characters with photographs, and a map of the currently known distribution are provided. We also discuss the correct authorship as the name must be attributed to A. Machado-Guimaraes, the Portuguese bryologist. Bryum minii var. brevifolium Machado-Guim. is lectotypified and the name is here considered synonymous with B. minii. The species seems related to the taxa now included in the genera Rosulabryum Spence or Plagiobryum Lindb., depending on the taxonomic concept employed.

The monotypic genera Omphalodiella and Placoparmelia were described from Patagonia (Argentina). The latter is characterized by placodioid species, morphologically similar to some subcrustose, brown Xanthoparmelia species, whereas Omphalodiella is a peltate lichen. Analyses of ribosomal DNA sequences supported their placement in the parmelioid clade. Both genera are nested within Xanthoparmelia. Affinites to the latter genus are congruent with the presence of Xanthoparmelia-type lichenan in the hyphal cell walls and an arachiform vacuolar body in the ascospores, two key characters typical of Xanthoparmelia. Consequently we propose to place the generic names in synonymy with Xanthoparmelia and transfer the two species to the latter genus as X. patagonica and X. peltata comb. nov.

Elizabeth Fisher was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1909. She obtained a PhD. degree in entomology in 1938 from Cornell, worked as an entomologist for several years, then as a bacteriologist. During the 1950s to 1980s, she was very active at her favorite hobby, collecting and determining bryophytes, becoming well known to professional bryologists of the time. She died in 2000 at the age of 90 and is buried in Baltimore.