The lichens Parmelia olivacea and Parmeliopsis ambigua are common epiphytes in subarctic forests in Europe. They differ in abundance and vertical distribution particularly on birch trees, and these differences relate to the level and duration of the winter snow cover. Parmeliopsis ambigua is covered much of the cold season on the lower trunk whereas P. olivacea occurs well above the snow surface. Periods over 6 months under snow have no apparent effect on P. ambigua thalli while much shorter snow cover has been demonstrated to kill P. olivacea. It was hypothesized that the contrasting distributions are due to differences in growth rates and in size and quality of non-structural carbon stores in their tissues affecting their endurance to extended periods of dark respiration. To test these hypotheses, growth measurements were performed on both species and their thalli were sampled for chemical analyses. The results show that the mean annual margin extension growth of P. olivacea thalli was significantly higher than that of P. ambigua, i.e. 1.1 mm and 0.5 mm, respectively. The average non-structural carbohydrate concentration in the two species did not differ, but the annual concentration of storage lipids (triacylglycerol) in P. ambigua was four times higher than that in P. olivacea, despite a shorter growing season and lower rate of photosynthesis. The proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids in structural (polar) lipids was high in both species, i.e. 77% in P. olivacea and 64% in P. ambigua, which appears to enable both species to withstand low ambient thallus temperatures. The higher concentration of storage lipids in P. ambigua allows survival in environments where P. olivacea would respire to death, e.g. under a prolonged snow cover. Parmeliopsis ambigua avoids competition by establishing toward the base of the tree trunk, where P. olivacea would not survive.

Rinodina campestris, R. megistospora and R. terricola are described as new to science. Rinodina boleana is recorded for the first time from North America and is compared in detail to R. pyrina and R. imshaugii and all are shown to possess Dirinaria–type spores.

Lichens collected from Bangladesh in 1968 and 2002 are reported, the first published account for the country. In all, 51 species could be identified, most of which are pantropical (75%), four are cosmopolitan, and one uncertain species is restricted to Eurasia. Only one species, Ocellularia keralensis, is probably restricted to the Indian subcontinent, while three are restricted to tropical Asia and three are palaeotropical. The lichen flora appears to be a poor, wet lowland tropical one.

A new species, Caudalejeunea tridentata (Lejeuneaceae) from Southwestern China, is described and illustrated. It differs from other Caudalejeunea species mainly in its bulging trigones and compound oil bodies. A key to Asian species of Caudalejeunea is provided.

Parmotrema mirandum (Hale) Hale is shown to contain hypoconstictic acid as a major secondary metabolite and represents one of the few records of this substance as a major diagnostic secondary metabolite in Parmotrema. In addition, P. mirandum is reported for the first time from localities in the Mexican states of Guerrero and Morelos.

Usnea species with a red-orange cortical or subcortical pigmentation were studied in the tropical Andes (Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia) and the Galapagos Islands. Sixteen species are treated, 14 occurring in the Andes and six in the Galapagos. Usnea crocata, U. grandisora (endemic to the Galapagos), U. rubricornuta and U. subdasaea are newly described. Usnea dorogawensis, U. michauxii, U. subcornuta and U. subrubicunda are new to South America. Tri-terpenoids detected by thin layer chromatography play an important role in the taxonomy of this group of species. Several species were found both in the Andes and the Galapagos, and the diversity of species integrates elements from North America, tropical Africa, Macaronesia and even Asia. This emphasizes the importance of examining large geographic areas to better understand global distribution patterns in this cosmopolitan genus.

Eight primarily saxicolous Usnea subgenus Usnea species are reported from Argentina and Uruguay: U. amblyoclada (Müll. Arg.) Zahlbr. (syn. nov. U. pinnata Räsänen), U. densirostra Motyka, U. durietzii Motyka (syn. nov. U. caespitia Motyka), U. exigua J.M. Rodr. & P. Clerc sp. nov., U. fastuosa (Müll. Arg.) Zahlbr., U. hieronymii Kremp. (syn. nov. U. hieronymii var. adusta Kremp.), U. lutii J.M. Rodr. & P. Clerc sp. nov. and Usnea saxidilatata J.M. Rodr. & P. Clerc sp. nov. are described with morphological, anatomical and chemical data. Their taxonomy and distribution are discussed. A key to the saxicolous species, including those occurring secondarily on rocks (i.e., U. columbiana Motyka, U. cornuta Körb., U. dasaea Stirt. and U. cf. perhispidella J. Steiner) is provided.

Hypogymnia imshaugii is one of the most common, conspicuous and morphologically variable epiphytic lichens of the Pacific coastal states and provinces. The species varies greatly in morphology and chemistry, suggesting multiple closely related species or one or more phenotypically plastic species. We sought to determine whether additional ecologically meaningful species might be present within the H. imshaugii complex. Improving our species concepts could potentially improve ecological inferences based on community sampling. Three relatively well-defined genetic groups and one residual group in the H. imshaugii complex were detected with haplotype networks based on the ITS locus; however, phylogenetic reconstructions on combined ITS, mtSSU, GPD1 and TEF1 loci did not reflect this pattern. At present, we have insufficient evidence to support defining any of these groups as new taxa. The four major chemotypes in H. imshaugii differed in frequency among the genetic groups. None of the genetic groups was, however, qualitatively uniform in chemotype. Only one chemotype occurred in a single genetic group, but several chemotypes occurred in that group. While broadly sympatric, each chemotype had a distinct geographic distribution, and each chemotype showed its own relationship to climate, as shown by regression of occurrences of chemotypes against climatic variables. The genetic variation detected within H. imshaugii did not correspond to geographic variation in morphology, chemistry, or climate. Within the broader H. imshaugii complex, we recommend treating H. amplexa as a synonym of H. imshaugii unless it can be more distinctly separated from the clinal variation in morphology, chemistry, or DNA sequences. In contrast to H. amplexa, however, H. inactiva and H. gracilis are both easily separated morphologically from H. imshaugii and do not intergrade with it.

Recent phylogenetic inferences indicate that Physcomitrella readeri is not closely related to P. patens. Consequently the genus Ephemerella was resurrected to accommodate the former. However, based on its type, Ephemerella has been merged with Ephemerum. The correct generic name for P. readeri should be Physcomitridium G.Roth, of which Ephemerella readeri Müll.Hal. is the type.

Yunnanobryon rhyacophilum is a rheophytic moss recently described from China. To determine its phylogenetic position among the currently recognized Hypnalean mosses, mitochondrial (nad5) and chloroplast (rps4) nucleic acid sequences of 237 taxa were investigated. Maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood analyses of DNA sequence data suggest that Yunnanobryon is a monophyletic sister group to the genus Regmatodon (Regmatodontaceae). The findings of this study support the establishment of the new genus Yunnanobryon, the retention of Regmatodon at the genus level, and the treatment of these two genera as the family Regmatodontaceae.

Eight Syntrichia species are reported for the first time from several South American countries with distribution and taxonomic notes. Syntrichia andicola, S. breviseta, S. napoana, S. percarnosa and S. robusta are reported for the first time from Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Venezuela and Ecuador, respectively. Syntrichia lacerifolia is reported for the first time from Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador. Syntrichia amphidiacea and S. scabrinervis are added to the bryophyte flora of Argentina. Three new synonyms are proposed: Syntrichia gromschii, S. campestris and S. scabrella for S. serrulata, S. princeps and S. flagellaris, respectively. A new combination is proposed: S. berthoana, to accommodate one species previously assigned to Tortula. Lectotypes for Tortula campestris and T. scabrella currently included in Syntrichia are designated here. Syntrichia scabrinervis is excluded from the moss flora of Bolivia.

The lichen species Verrucaria tavaresiae is associated with Petroderma maculiforme, an unusual photobiont belonging to the brown algae. This marine ascomycete has so far been found only on the coast of Central California, although its photobiont has a much broader geographical distribution. Morphological and ecological characters have led a previous author to attribute this marine fungus to Verrucaria, a genus including other species colonizing the intertidal zone of rocky seashores. Phylogenetic inferences from two nuclear and one mitochondrial loci confirm the placement of Verrucaria tavaresiae within the lichen family Verrucariaceae and more specifically within the marine genus Wahlenbergiella. The new combination Wahlenbergiella tavaresiae (R.L. Moe) Gueidan, Thüs & Pérez-Ortega is therefore proposed here.

We examined plot-level interactions among nitrogen and sulfur deposition, tree type, and epiphytic diversity, biomass, and abundance in Acadia National Park (ACAD), Maine, that receives pollutant deposition and is of particular concern for biological conservation. Spruce appeared to acidify incoming deposition resulting in more concentrated inputs of nitrogen and sulfur within the canopy as well as to the soil relative to maple. This resulted in more acidic and sulfur-rich substrates and reduced biomass and species richness for cryptogamic epiphytes on spruce relative to maple. Position vertically on the tree bole was more important for epiphytes on maples than on spruces because spruces were uniform in their bark chemistry. Apparent overlap between the bark chemistry of spruce and maple, particularly for samples from higher on maple boles, suggests a reduction in the area of chemically suitable substratum for epiphytes in ACAD. Because tree species vary markedly in habitat variables important to epiphytes, stands with a mix of deciduous and evergreen trees provide the widest gradient of habitats, which appears to be reflected in the highest species richness for epiphytes occurring in mixed stands. Air quality and forest health monitoring studies utilizing epiphytes as indicators should account for the complex effects of stand-level tree species composition to better detect biological effects of deposition at the landscape scale.

The particular combinations of life history traits that organisms display are a product of trade-offs between conflicting demands on finite energy budgets. Organisms are, therefore, expected to display combinations of co-evolved life history traits, sometimes referred to as tactics or strategies, that overall maximize fitness within the constraints imposed by environmental and/or genetic limitations. This study uses a combination of Principal Component and Cluster analyses to examine patterns of life history co-variation in the family Lophoziaceae, based on data obtained from literature. We also evaluate the relationship between sexuality, reproductive mode and sporophyte/gemma frequency among members of this family. The species studied are resolved into more or less coherent groups that have specific life history trait combinations. No evidence of either phylogenetic constraint or close relationship to habitat parameters could be demonstrated. The results suggest trade-offs between spore frequency and gemma frequency. Dioicous species dominate the family, with about 90% of the species being dioicous. The relationship between sexuality and sporophyte frequency is statistically significant: monoicous species produce sporophytes more frequently than dioicous species. Mode of reproduction and gemmae production were both independent of sexuality. For species that can reproduce both ways, sexuality was independent of diaspore frequency. The data are consistent with the idea of coevolved life history “strategies” as in most others organisms studied.

The moss genus Sciuro-hypnum (Hampe) Hampe is revised for the Mediterranean area. A key to the species of the Mediterranean area and Europe, descriptions, illustrations and distribution data for the nine species recognized are provided. New records for countries of the study area are reported.

The increasing availability of open access data on species occurrences is leading researchers to generate more hypotheses about patterns of species distributions. However, when all of this information is mapped onto a particular geographical scale, gaps usually appear due to lack of knowledge and sampling spatial bias (the so-called Wallacean shortfall). To overcome these problems as efficiently as possible, field surveys should be designed after distinguishing well-surveyed places from those with incomplete inventories in order to carry out the extra survey effort in those areas not represented environmentally and spatially by the well-surveyed places. This procedure requires (1) gathering, cleaning and standardizing data; (2) selecting environmental variables that are important for the group considered according to field experience and the literature; and (3) making statistical decisions about the number and location of areas that should be surveyed according to the available resources. Here, we summarize most concepts and procedures devoted to the evaluation of biodiversity data, offering some general recommendations on how to use them for optimizing new survey designs. As a practical guide for potential users, we provide an example describing its application to a comprehensive database on bryophyte distribution on Terceira Island (Azores, Portugal). More than 8,000 bryophyte records were gathered, but (i) less than half of the island area has been surveyed at least once and (ii) less than 1% of these have reliable inventories (placed on the few remnants of laurel forests that have been traditionally better surveyed). Nevertheless, surveying just 15 additional localities evenly distributed across the major environmental regions and habitats on Terceira Island seems to represent the existing environmental diversity. We believe that the survey protocol presented here for bryophytes of Terceira Island could be flexibly applied to other taxa or areas.

Lichens are often used to monitor air quality and ecosystem health, and to define ecological gradients. Quantitative methods for estimating lichen population density and community composition are essential to effectively assess species and community response to ecological and environmental change. In this study we used two distance methods (point-centered quarter and quartered-neighbor methods), along with a compound estimator (Diggle's) to remove bias from non-random spatial patterns, to estimate Xanthoparmelia population density at a generic level on the summit of a high elevation plateau in southern Utah, USA. The sampling was extended to assess species composition and diversity. Population densities and relative species abundance were evaluated between meadow areas, sites, cardinal directions, and general substrate classes. We found that Xanthoparmelia populations varied widely in density and community composition across a relatively homogeneous landscape. Microhabitat, meadow-wide, and plateau-wide factors significantly influenced density and community structure in Xanthoparmelia. Our data reemphasize the inherent variability found in lichen communities and the importance of effective sampling for accurate ecological and biomonitoring studies. The two distance methods implemented here, moderated by Diggle's population density estimator, provide an efficient alternative to cover methods for estimating density. This study also indicates that these methods provide an effective approach for estimating population density and community structure in conjunction with ecological and bio-monitoring studies of some types of terricolous and saxicolous lichen communities.