Two resinicolous calicioid fungi, Chaenothecopsis hendersonii and C. minganensis, are described as new to science and three calicioid fungi (Chaenothecopsis formosa, Cryptocalicium blascoi and Microcalicium loraasii) and one calicioid lichen (Calicium episcalaris) are reported as new to North America. In addition, Sphaerophorus tuckermanii is reported as new to eastern North America, Mycocalicium victoriae is reported for the first time in the northwestern United States, and Chaenotheca hygrophila, C. longispora, C. selvae, Chaenothecopsis irregularis, C. perforata, Mycocalicium fuscipes, Phaeocalicium compressulum and Stenocybe major are reported with enhanced North American ranges. Finally, we provide evidence that Microcalicium conversum is a synonym of M. disseminatum and Mycocalicium calicioides is a synonym of M. ravenelii.

The epiphytic lichen Letharia vulpina has been commonly sampled in-situ for nitrogen (N) deposition biomonitoring studies but has never before been transplanted for this purpose. In the high-elevation wilderness areas of southern California Letharia vulpina is generally uncommon, making in-situ sampling difficult. In this study, we compared thallus N accumulation between in-situ Letharia vulpina reference samples from the relatively low N deposition environment of the northern Sierra Nevada mountains and Letharia vulpina transplants that were deployed at nine plots of varying climatic and N deposition regimes in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains for 12 months. Survival of transplants was low (33%) and only occurred at the plots within the current range of Letharia vulpina. Transplant N concentrations became higher than those of the reference samples, while transplants that died had a net loss of N. Transplants that survived had strong relationships of N concentrations to N deposition and approached N concentrations of in-situ Letharia vulpina at the same plots. At the same time, reference plot N concentrations in a relatively clean environment increased substantially from early summer 2020 to 2021, presumably in response to extended exposure to smoke from huge wildfires in summer and fall of 2020.

Anoectangium radulans is described as new to science from a collection on a rock face in Jalisco, Mexico. The species is quite distinctive in leaf shape, corrugated surface of leaves, and presence of rhizoidal brood bodies of serially connected barrel-shaped cells. The genus Anoectangium now includes seven well-characterized species.

Species of Cetrelia delimited based on chemical and morphological characters have been largely supported by subsequent phylogenetic analysis of molecular data. While a robust, taxonomically well sampled global phylogeny for Cetrelia exists, geographic sampling to date has focused on Europe and East Asia. Here we use extensive field, herbarium and laboratory study to examine the distributions and identities of the taxa occuring in eastern North America. The presence of three species in the region is confirmed with molecular data (C. chicitae, C. monachorum, C. olivetorum). While a fourth species (C. cetrarioides) also occurs based on phenotypic data; efforts to obtain sequences were unsuccessful. The subpopulations of Cetrelia species in the region have contrasting frequency and distribution patterns relative to disjunct European subpopulations. Quantification of frequency of Cetrelia occurrence compared to an index of habitat quality revealed that all species have a strong affinity to high quality habitats, reflecting broader connection between lichen species richness and disturbance found in numerous previous studies. The trends detected in Cetrelia are unlikely restricted to this genus and we suggest that large-scale detailed quantitative studies in local-scale occurrence over time are needed to address significant gaps in knowledge to advance lichen conservation.

Bryophytes are the main components of epiphyte diversity in tropical rain forests and documenting their biodiversity patterns is still a fundamental goal in bryophyte ecology. Thus, we aimed to analyze the composition (generalists, shade-loving and sun-tolerant) and total richness of epiphytic bryophytes along a vertical gradient in the Buenavista Forest Reserve in Villavicencio, Orinoquia, Colombia, where biodiversity patterns of epiphytic bryophytes are still unknown. Microplots were collected in seven trees, in six tree zones: base, lower trunk, upper trunk, inner canopy, middle canopy, and outer canopy. Variation in species composition was tested through PERMANOVA and we used one-way ANOVA to seek for differences in species richness among tree zones. Indicator species analysis was used to investigate whether there were preferences among species for any of the tree zones. We found 22 liverworts and 12 mosses. Species richness was significantly different among the tree zones with tree bases hosting the highest richness and the upper trunk, inner canopy and outer canopy the lowest. The highest number of indicator species was found in the middle canopy. The base was dominated by shade-loving while the outer canopy was distinguished by sun-tolerant species. Thus, epiphytic bryophyte communities are structured according to the vertical zonation on the trees, which seem to form specific microclimates that directly influence the distribution patterns of the species, particularly the shade-loving and sun-tolerant. Our findings provide insights to the understanding of assembly mechanisms of epiphytic bryophyte diversity, particularly in heavily impacted areas by anthropogenic activities, such as the secondary forests of the Colombian Orinoquia.