Life syndrome of the bryophyte communities as an adaptative pattern in the Mediterranean temporary ponds of Italy

An ecological and biological investigation on the bryophyte communities of the Mediterranean temporary ponds was carried out in Italy. Here, the occurrence of a rich set of liverworts is very significant, as several species of Riccia characterize the communities from a physiognomical, ecological and syntaxonomical point of view. The moss component is represented only by acrocarpous mosses, e.g. Archidium alternifolium and Pleuridium acuminatum which play an important phytosociological role. In this study, the bryophyte communities are used to identify a pattern, corresponding to a “functional type” which reflects the correlated response of the bryophyte communities toward the prevalent ecological parameters of the habitat. The individuated functional type assembles life strategy, life form, lifespan, spore size, dispersal strategy, reproduction effort, independently from the taxonomical relationship of the species characterizing the communities. It represents an adaptative pattern of coevolved characters, adopted by the bryophyte communities for the habitat establishment and re-establishment following the seasonal water fluctuations typical of the investigated habitat.     

The epiphytic bryoflora of the Jbel Bouhalla (Rif,Morocco), including a new variety of moss,Orthotrichum speciosum var. brevisetum

Abstract

The epiphytic bryoflora of Jbel Bouhalla, a mountain sited in the Rif range (northern Morocco), is catalogued, resulting in a list of 48 taxa (45 mosses and 3 liverworts). One new variety, Orthotrichum speciosum var. brevisetum, is described, and some new records are reported: Orthotrichum shawii and O. pallens are new to northern Africa, while Habrodon perpusillus and O. speciosum var. speciosum are new to Morocco.     

A new species of Pleuridium from Australia

Abstract

A new species, Pleuridium curvisetum, is described. It has an arched seta similar to that of P. arnoldii and was collected, sometimes in association with that species, in alpine country in Australia. P. arnoldii was first recorded from New Zealand. A comparison of the two species revealed some features, including a bistratose margin to the leaf subula, not previously reported for P. arnoldii.     

A contribution to the knowledge of epiphyllous bryophytes of Bioko Island (Equatorial Guinea), including additional remarks on non-epiphyllous species

Abstract

A collection of epiphyllous bryophytes from Bioko Island was investigated. It contained 57 epiphyllous bryophytes, comprising 55 hepatics and two mosses. Three taxa, Cololejeunea eustacei Pócs, Colura calderae Pócs and Lejeunea halei Robinson subsp. africana Pócs, are new to science. Cololejeunea papilliloba Steph. is new to Africa, five species of hepatics are new to West Africa, and an additional 31 species of hepatics are newly reported from Bioko Island. The second part of the paper deals with records of non-epiphyllous collections. Fourteen species are reported for the first time for Bioko Island. Actinodontium dusenii Broth. is made a synonym of Actinodontium streptopogoneum Broth. The following new combination is proposed: Wijkia rigidicaule (Müll.Hal. ex Broth.) Frank Müll., comb. nov. (Basionym: Acanthocladium rigidicaule Müll.Hal. ex Broth.).     

Additions to the bryoflora of Réunion Island 3: new and interesting records from the Tropical Bryology Group (British Bryological Society)

Abstract

This contribution is a result of collaborative work based on the fieldwork organized during a workshop of the Tropical Bryology Group on Mascarene bryophytes in September 2008, and also from previous unpublished records of the authors. We add 35 new taxon records (17 mosses and 18 liverworts) as well as five other interesting records for Réunion Island (Mascarene Archipelago). Grimmia austrofunalis Müll. Hal., Sphagnum magellanicum Brid. subsp. magellanicum, Didymodon tectorum (Müll. Hal.) K. Saito, Anastrophyllum revolutum Steph. and Lejeunea exilis (Reinw. et al.) Grolle are reported for the first time for Africa. Syrrhopodon vardei L. T. Ellis, Ceratolejeunea papuliflora Steph. and Xylolejeunea grolleana (Pócs) X.-L. He & Grolle, previously known as endemic from Madagascar, are here recorded for Réunion. The latter species is also illustrated with SEM pictures.     

A new check-list of the mosses of Turkey

Abstract

The check-list includes a list of genera, species, subspecies and varieties of Turkish mosses. It is composed of 726 species, subspecies and varieties representing 164 genera and 42 families. Accompanying the lists are a systematic arrangement of the genera, species and varieties and lists of synonyms, excluded species and of annotations. Three mosses, Pseudoleskeella rupestris (Berggr.) Hedenäs & L. Söderstr., Isothecium myosuroides Brid. var. brachythecioides (Dixon) C.E.O. Jensen, Eurhynchium hians (Hedw.) Sande. Lac. var. rigidum (Boulay) J.-P. Frahm are recorded as new for the moss flora of Turkey.     

New Vice-County Records

Abstract

Bryophytes and vascular plants used in traditional home-made nativity sets were studied in an area of the Asturian Region, northern Spain. The results revealed a surprising plant diversity, with 66 bryophytes, three ferns and 37 flowering plants utilized. Most species, collected among more attractive mosses, were used only occasionally or accidentally, whereas only four large pleurocarpous mosses, Thuidium tamariscinum, Eurhynchium striatum, Hypnum cupressiforme and Pseudoscleropodium purum, were widely used, providing the moss base of all the sets. Additionally, eleven mosses and four native flowering plants were frequently selected. The diversity of the bryophytes used in nativity sets of different sizes is analysed, and the deliberate selection of moss species during the collecting is discussed. Finally, it is verified that the collection of certain showy mosses from forests and peat bogs could affect local populations of these mosses and entails the accidental removal of rare or endangered species.     

New and noteworthy records of mosses from Italian national and regional Parks

Some remarkable mosses, as a result of the study of both recent collections and a review of herbarium specimens, are reported in this paper. They are: Anomodon rugelii (Müll.Hal.) Keissl., new record from southern Italy, a moss very rare in the Mediterranean region and considered threatened in many European countries; Blindia acuta (Hedw.) Bruch & Schimp. and Dichodontium palustre (Dicks.) M. Stech, both new records from Sicily, are very rare mosses in Italy. Moreover, a new locality in Sicily for the little-known species Tortula bolanderi (Lesq. & James) M. Howe is reported.     

The taxonomy of Campylopus pyriformis (Schultz) Bridr and related species

Abstract

Twenty-five species of mosses collected in Costa Rica, mostly in 1965, are recorded. Leptodontium ramosum, remarkable for its peg-like gemmae borne on stout leafless branches, Sematophyllum serrulatum and Trichosteleum sarapiquensis are described as new species.     

Edmund Fredric Warburg; 1908–1966

Abstract

Ultrastructural analyses of mid-stage spermatids of Hypnum jutlandicum and H. mammillatum reveal a maximally structured blepharoplast closely similar in most respects to the other moss taxa previously investigated. The multilayered structure is four-layered and the dimorphic basal bodies highy staggered. The latter are inserted into the gamete in a slightly staggered subapical position. Both are longer than those reported for the majority of mosses and hepatics. Like other true mosses, the posterior basal body diverges from the longitudinal axis of the spermatid and is associated with a solitary microtubule which is equally divergent from the main body of the spline. In contrast to previous reports on other mosses, the stray microtubule of Hypnum is here interpreted as remaining separate from the spline, i.e., it does not converge posteriorly with the body of the spline.

The lamellar strip of Hypnum is roughly oblong in outline with an acute anterior tip which extends beyond the spline microtubules both anteriorly and on the righthand side. The posterior margin of the lamellar strip rapidly tapers from right to left. Like most mosses, the lamellar strip is approximately the same length as the anterior basal body and terminates at the level of the anterior basal body transition zone. In hepatics, in contrast, the lamellar strip subtends the posterior basal body over most of its length.     

New records and a bibliography of the mosses of Pakistan

Abstract

Forty mosses are recorded for Pakistan, of which six appear to be new records for that country. Timmiella subintegra Dix. is reduced to synonymy under T. barbuloides (Brid.) Moenk., and there are notes on the typification of Pilotrichum pluvinii Brid. (Cryptoleptodon pluvinii (Brid.) Broth.).     

Some observations on the growth rates of mosses associated with Tufa and the interpretation of some postglacial bryoliths

Abstract

Growth rates were obtained for four mosses associated with tufa deposits. Rates per annum were as follows: Cratoneuron commutatum var. commutatum, 1–4 mm; Eucladium verticillatum, 2–3 mm; Gymnostomum recurvostrum, 1–3; Rhynchostegium riparioides, ca 30 mm. The results are discussed with reference to tufa deposition, water chemistry and water flow. A method for identifying bryophyte remains in postglacial tufa is also described.     

Comparative spermatogenesis in the Jungermanniales (Hepaticae) I. Observations on the structure of the young spermatids of Cephalozia lunulifolia and Chiloscyphus pallescens

Abstract

A comparative analysis of the young spermatids of Cephalozia and Chiloscyphus reveals the organisation of the Jungermannialian blepharoplast to be basically the same as in other hepatics and mosses. Common features include the four-layered multilayered structure, the spatulate, asymmetrical anterior portion of the spline, and the staggered subapical insertion of the basal bodies, each with proximal triplet extensions. The range of spline widths in the Jungermanniales appears to be as great as in other groups of bryophytes and of no major taxonomic significance, but the position of the spline aperture may be more variable in hepatics than mosses. The lengths of the basal bodies are intermediate between those from unrelated taxa in other orders of hepatics.

However, the data also suggest the Jungermannialian spermatids exhibit many taxonomic variations and novel features. Whereas the left-lateral expansion of the spline in Cephalozia is common to most other bryophytes, a right-lateral expansion is peculiar to Marsupella. Chiloscyphus manifests an intermediate condition: its spline is unequally bilateral, the left-lateral expansion wider than the right. Lateral extensions of the lamellar strip beyond the spline in Cephalozia, Chiloscyphus and Marsupella have been previously recorded only in Anthocerotae. A posterior notch on the right hand side of the lamellar strip in Marchantiales is absent in Chiloscyphus and Cephalozia and has not been observed in the Metzgeriales.     

Epiphytic bryophytes in harsh environments: the Juniperus thurifera forests

Abstract

The forests of Juniperus thurifera are peculiar ecosystems that typically grow on mountains and highplateaux of the western Mediterranean basin with dry and continental climates. Some previous surveys suggested that these forests house a rather distinctive epiphytic bryophyte flora. Epiphytic bryophyte communities were systematically sampled in 19 representative juniper forests, for the first time spanning all the distribution area of this conifer. The flora consists of 44 species (32 acrocarpous mosses, 10 pleurocarpous mosses and 2 liverworts). Orthotrichum species are the most frequent and abundant in most of the sampled localities, including some uncommon taxa such as Orthotrichum vittii which shows a clear association with J. thurifera. Epiphytic bryophyte communities on this species were highly homogeneous, although they can be arranged into different groups in response to environmental conditions. Typically, the epiphytic communities of the Mediterranean juniper forests comprise a distinct combination of xerophytic taxa that enhances the interest of these ecosystems and provides new fields for their research and conservation.     

Determination of Prenylquinones in Green Photosynthetically Active Moss and Liver Moss Tissues

The prenylquinone composition of two species of mosses (Polytrichum formosum Hedw., Sphagnum acutifolium Ehrh.) and two species of liver mosses (Lunularia cruciata (L.) Dum., Pellia epiphylla (L.) Cord.) was determined and compared with the chlorophyll content and the photosynthetic activity of the intact moss and liver moss tissues.

• 1 Green moss and liver moss tissues possess in principle the same prenylquinone composition as higher plants with plastoquinone-9, α-tocopherol, α-tocoquinone and the phylloquinone K₁ as main components. On a chlorophyll basis the lipoquinone levels are lower than in higher plants. Differences among the individual mosses as well as within one species only occur in the quantitative levels of the chloroplast prenylquinones, but there are no differences between musci and liver mosses.
• 2 There are differences in the maximal fluorescence of liver mosses and mosses. The variable fluorescence in turn, which is a measure of in vivo photosynthetic activity, is very similar for all examined species of mosses and liver mosses (values from 0.7 to 1.0) but somewhat lower than in leaf pieces of higher plants. DCMU blocks the variable fluorescence and the concomitant oxygen evolution in all mosses and liver mosses.
• 3 From the lower prenylquinone levels and the low values for the variable fluorescence it is concluded that mosses and liver mosses exhibit on a chlorophyll basis fewer reaction centres and electron transport chains than chloroplasts of higher plants.

     

Barbula maxima,nom. nov., an endemic Irish species

Abstract

Rhizoidal tubers from field and cultured Ditrichum heteromallum are described and figured and differ in morphology from those of other mosses so far described. Protonemal gemmae are also produced in culture.     

Functional diversity and composition of bryophyte water-related traits in Azorean native vegetation

Background: Functional trait-based approaches link species diversity patterns to ecosystem functioning. In the context of global change, understanding these links is vital for developing holistic biodiversity management strategies. Bryophytes, important ecosystem components owing to their biogeochemical functions, have not been the focus of many functional studies.

Aims: This is the first assessment of bryophyte functional diversity in the Azores archipelago, aiming to uncover multivariate trait richness and composition patterns along the elevational gradient on Terceira Island.

Methods: Based on five water acquisition and retention traits of leafy liverworts and mosses, we calculated functional diversity metrics within and among six bryophyte communities sampled along a 1021-m elevational transect.

Results: Trait composition differed significantly between coastal and mountain communities. Mosses presented inrolled leaves and ornamented leaf cells at low elevation but not at high elevation. These patterns were associated with an uphill shift from drier and warmer conditions to a moister and cooler environment.

Conclusions: Future climatic changes might affect bryophyte functional diversity patterns in Terceira Island, particularly for mosses. These results can be directly compared with those obtained for other archipelagos where the same protocol has been applied, allowing a joint assessment of insular vegetation functional diversity patterns.     

Notes on the genus Dendroceros in West Africa and South Atlantic Islands

Abstract

Following revision of Dendroceros specimens from West Africa and South Atlantic islands, three species are recognized for this geographical area: Dendroceros adglutinatus, D. africanus and finally D. herasii which is described as new. On the other hand, D. crispatus is excluded from Africa while Folioceros fuciformis (Megaceros lacerus, Anthoceros fuciformis) is excluded from Equatorial Guinea. A preliminary key to the five Dendroceros species known to occur in Africa is included.     

Stem biomechanics of the giant moss Dendroligotrichum dendroides s.l. and its significance for growth form diversity in mosses

Abstract

The giant moss Dendroligotrichum dendroides s.l. grows as self-supporting plants up to 40 cm in height in forest habitats in Chile and New Zealand. This moss represents one of the tallest self-supporting bryophytes. Biomechanical tests indicate that the stems can develop a high degree of stiffness (Young’s modulus) via a dense hypodermal sterome that is comparable with that of woody stems of vascular plants. A comparison with mechanical properties of other terrestrial and aquatic mosses indicates that different moss growth and life forms can produce very different mechanical architectures. Values of stem stiffness can vary between different growth forms of mosses to a comparable extent to that observed among diverse growth forms of vascular plants. Plants varying profoundly in overall size, development, and phylogenetic position nevertheless appear to develop comparable mechanical adaptations and growth forms in response to certain environmental conditions.     

Mosses of southwest Ethiopian montane forests – notes on their occurrence pattern and many new country records

One hundred and thirty-nine taxa of mosses are reported from the montane forest zone of southwest Ethiopia. Of these, 53 taxa are new country records and Meteoriopsis reclinata (Müll.Hal.) M.Fleisch. ex Broth. is, in addition, new to Africa. Most of the new records are of species also found in Uganda, Kenya or Tanzania, but there are some surprises, such as Fabronia perciliata Müll.Hal. with the closest location in South Africa and Namibia, Entodontella cameruniae Broth. previously known only from West Africa and Bryomaltaea obtusifolia (Hook.) Goffinet, otherwise reported only from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We list all taxa and give a short account of their frequency and in which habitat and on which substrate they grow. That such a large proportion of the species are new to the country suggests that Ethiopia is bryologically very under-explored, and that further exploration will reveal many additional species. In particular, the remnant forests of southwest Ethiopia are likely to be of great importance as bryophyte hotspots.