Conservative ecological and evolutionary patterns in liverwort–fungal symbioses

Liverworts, the most ancient group of land plants, form a range of intimate associations with fungi that may be analogous to the mycorrhizas of vascular plants. Most thalloid liverworts contain arbuscular mycorrhizal glomeromycete fungi similar to most vascular plants. In contrast, a range of leafy liverwort genera and one simple thalloid liverwort family (the Aneuraceae) have switched to basidiomycete fungi. These liverwort switches away from glomeromycete fungi may be expected to parallel switches undergone by vascular plants that target diverse lineages of basidiomycete fungi to form ectomycorrhizas. To test this hypothesis, we used a cultivation-independent approach to examine the basidiomycete fungi associated with liverworts in varied worldwide locations by generating fungal DNA sequence data from over 200 field collections of over 30 species. Here we show that eight leafy liverwort genera predominantly and consistently associate with members of the Sebacina vermifera species complex and that Aneuraceae thalloid liverworts associate nearly exclusively with Tulasnella species. Furthermore, within sites where multiple liverwort species co-occur, they almost never share the same fungi. Our analyses reveal a strikingly conservative ecological and evolutionary pattern of liverwort symbioses with basidiomycete fungi that is unlike that of vascular plant mycorrhizas.     

Phytohormone Profiling across the Bryophytes

BackgroundBryophytes represent a very diverse group of non-vascular plants such as mosses, liverworts and hornworts and the oldest extant lineage of land plants. Determination of endogenous phytohormone profiles in bryophytes can provide substantial information about early land plant evolution. In this study, we screened thirty bryophyte species including six liverworts and twenty-four mosses for their phytohormone profiles in order to relate the hormonome with phylogeny in the plant kingdom.MethodologySamples belonging to nine orders (Pelliales, Jungermanniales, Porellales, Sphagnales, Tetraphidales, Polytrichales, Dicranales, Bryales, Hypnales) were collected in Central and Northern Bohemia. The phytohormone content was analysed with a high performance liquid chromatography electrospray tandem-mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS).ConclusionThe apparent differences in conjugation and/or degradation strategies of growth hormones between liverworts and mosses might potentially show a hidden link between vascular plants and liverworts. On the other hand, the complement of stress hormones in bryophytes probably correlate rather with prevailing environmental conditions and plant survival strategy than with plant evolution.     

广西中越边境喀斯特地区叶附生苔类植物物种多样性研究

为了解日益恶化的喀斯特环境下叶附生苔类植物的分布状况,对广西中越边境喀斯特地区叶附生苔类植物多样性展开调查。结果表明,广西中越边境喀斯特地区有叶附生苔类植物5科15属43种,其中,九洲疣鳞苔(Cololejeunea yakusimensis)、巴氏薄鳞苔(Leptolejeunea balansae)、斯氏唇鳞苔(Cheilolejeunea streimannii)、麦氏细鳞苔(Lejeunea micholitzii)、巨齿细鳞苔(L.kodamae)和纤细细鳞苔(L.exilis)为广西苔藓植物新记录。该地区叶附生苔类植物区系具有热带性质和东亚分布特点。与邻近地区比较,该地区叶附生苔类植物与贵州茂兰的亲缘关系和区系关系最紧密。该地区叶附生苔类植物分布随海拔增加呈增加趋势。那坡老虎跳保护区、龙州和宁明弄岗保护区以及靖西龙邦镇风水林是叶附生苔类植物分布最丰富的地区,因此,建议应对这些地区的叶附生苔类植物进行优先保护。     

Two new African species of Lejeuneaceae

Abstract

At present, the available information about the liverworts of Sphagnum magellanicum Brid. mires from South America is very limited. The main aim of this paper is to present a comprehensive study of the liverwort flora of this habitat, as well as details on the chorology and ecology of the taxa involved. Four different environmental units were examined, based on the water table level and plant cover, in three representative raised bogs from Tierra del Fuego National Park Ushuaia. Floristic relevs were recorded in 93 square plots 050050m², distributed at random in the environmental units. Twentyfour liverwort species have been identified the majority have a Subantarctic distribution and there were a remarkable number of Magellanean endemics 11 species. Among the rare species, there were two new records for the Argentinian Province of Tierra del Fuego, Cephaloziella byssacea and Chiloscyphus notophyllus. The ecological preferences of the species were analysed based on their frequencies in the four environmental units examined. Only six species demonstrated significant correlation with some of the environmental units. Riccardia pallidevirens, R. georgiensis, R. alcicornis, and Cephaloziella varians, showed a preference for waterlogged and wet habitats, while Calypogeia sphagnicola and Cephalozia chilensis were linked to dense carpets of Sphagnum magellanicum.     

A comparison of distribution patterns in British and Irish mosses and liverworts

Abstract

We classified 747 species of British and Irish mosses into 10 clusters, based on their recorded distribution in 10×10 km grid squares (hectads). We generated the clusters in a two-stage process using the CLUSTASPEC program, the method that we had earlier used for British and Irish liverworts and hornworts. The clusters are named after the species with distributions which are most similar to those of the clusters as a whole. Clusters of widespread species (Bryum capillare), southern, lowland species (Rhynchostegium confertum), widespread calcifuges (Pleurozium schreberi), upland species (Blindia acuta), and montane calcifuges (Kiaeria falcata) closely match clusters recognised in the liverworts. The remaining clusters (Tortella flavovirens, Weissia longifolia, Mnium stellare, Encalypta alpina, Mnium lycopodioides) are less similar. The classification of mosses into 15 and 20 clusters generates additional clusters of hyperoceanic and montane mosses which also resemble liverwort clusters. The influence of calcareous bedrock has a more marked effect in determining moss distributions and, unlike the liverworts, the 10 moss clusters include one which is predominantly coastal. Mosses tend to be a less upland group than liverworts; a smaller proportion of their species have northern and western distributions and the lowland clusters are characterised by more extreme environmental conditions. As with the liverworts, geographically restricted clusters of species with predominantly Mediterranean-Atlantic, Arctic-montane and Boreo-arctic Montane world ranges include marked concentrations of threatened species, and species which are not recorded as fruiting in the British Isles.     

Bryophytes of Kédougou (Eastern Senegal), with a key to the Fissidens of Senegal

The bryophyte flora of the Sahelian region of sub-Saharan Africa is characterized by a low species richness, but is also extremely poorly documented. We present here the results of a floristic survey in Kedougou (eastern Senegal), which yielded 22 species. Two liverworts and 15 moss species are new to the country, so that the bryophyte flora of Senegal now includes a total of 4 liverwort and 34 moss species. An identification key is provided for Fissidens, which, with eight species, is the richest moss genus of the country.     

Lejeunea kodamae Ikegami & Inoue new to India,with a note on the rediscovery of L. bidentula Herzog

Abstract

St Kilda is a remote but exceptionally interesting archipelago in the North Atlantic. Its rich bryoflora has not previously been documented. A list of the mosses and liverworts from the main island, Hirta, is given, including published records and additional species recorded on separate visits by the authors in 1959 and 1991. A total of 160 species is reported, comprising 56 liverworts and 104 mosses. The richness and phytogeography of the bryoflora of Hirta is discussed in relation to climate, ecology and vegetation history and is compared with similar studies on other islands.     

Phytogeography of the liverwort flora of the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil

Abstract

This work analyzes the phytogeographic patterns of the liverwort flora of the Atlantic Forest of the Rio de Janeiro State, south-eastern Brazil. The analysis was based on inventories made in fragments of Atlantic Forest in the state, collections from the RB herbarium, and information from the checklist and database of the bryoflora of Rio de Janeiro. The phytogeographic pattern for each taxon was characterized based on its current distribution. Three hundred and sixty liverwort taxa are recognized for Rio de Janeiro. The liverwort flora varies along an altitudinal gradient within the Atlantic Forest, with the montane belt having the greatest species richness (238), the highest number of exclusive taxa (63) and the greatest number of endemic species (23). The predominant phytogeographic element is of neotropical species (49%), followed by disjunct liverworts (18%). Forty-one taxa (11%) are endemic to the country, of which 34 are restricted to the Atlantic Forest. In the lowland and submontane formations species are wide-ranging, whereas the montane and upper montane formations are characterized by endemic species or those disjunct with the Andes. The liverwort flora emphasizes the importance of the fragments of Atlantic Forest in Rio de Janeiro as a centre of diversity and endemism, supporting 50% of the total liverwort species known in Brazil, 72% of those recorded from Atlantic Forest and 55% of the endemic species of the country. Species with an Afro-American and Andean disjunction make up a characteristic part of the liverwort flora, probably reflecting the effects of long-distance dispersal by air currents, migration over land before the breakup of the continents and climatic similarities between the high-altitude grasslands and the northern Andes.     

Bryophyte flora of the Sierras de Filabres,Cabrera, Alhamilla and Cabo de Gata (Almería,S.E. Spain)

Abstract

The bryophyte flora of the Sierras de Filabres, Cabrera, Alhamilla and Cabo de Gata of Almería province (S.E. Spain) includes 280 taxa (236 mosses and 44 liverworts) of which 74 are new to the province of Almería, 31 to the southeastern part of the Iberian Peninsula and 4 to the Iberian Peninsula. Data about their biogeography and ecology are given.     

Leonophyllum tenellum nov. gen., nov. sp., an enigmatic plant from the Early Jurassic of the Mecsek Mts (Hungary)

The Early Jurassic flora of the Mecsek Mountains is diverse, with numerous representatives of ferns, seed ferns, cycadophytes, ginkgophytes, and conifers. Its (para-)autochthonous deposition, good preservation and low collection bias has permitted researchers to save delicate, small plant remains that would generally be missing from the fossil record. These plant fossils are characterized by having a “filmy” (probably unilayered) structure, thin stalks with flat leaf-like branches and ultimate irregular segments with streamlined epidermal cells having thick cell walls. Due to the absence of sporangia, the plant remains cannot be confidently assigned to any higher plant group, although they show some similarities to thalloid liverworts with raised vegetative bodies and also have some resemblance to the fern family Hymenophyllaceae. The new genus and species Leonophyllum tenellum Barbacka et Kustatscher is erected.     

A ‘fast-food approach’ to the standardization of quadratic diversity

Abstract

Intuitively, a community composed of ecologically dissimilar taxa is more diverse than a community composed of more similar taxa. However, since traditional diversity indices such as Shannon's entropy or Simpson's diversity are computed solely from the relative abundances of a given species assemblage, they cannot account for ecological differences between species. There have been recent developments regarding the use of quadratic entropy, a diversity index that incorporates both species relative abundances and a measure of the pairwise ecological differences between species. In this paper we firstly show that under some specific circumstances quadratic entropy can be additively decomposed into α- β- and γ-diversities, a property that renders it a desirable measure of diversity in the ecological practice. Next, we suggest a quick and simple method for obtaining a standardized version of quadratic entropy that may allow an easier interpretation of the resulting diversity values.     

云南大围山自然保护区的叶附生苔类植物

通过野外调查和文献考证,报道了云南大围山自然保护区叶附生苔类植物的类型及区系组成特点.研究结果表明,大围山自然保护区共有叶附生苔类植物43种,隶属于4科11属.热带种有25个,居主导地位,占其总种数的58.14%;东亚种共有14个,占其总种数的32.56%.保护区内叶附生苔类植物可以分成3种类型:专性、兼性常见和兼性偶见,其中兼性常见类型种类占有绝对优势,共有26种,占其总种数的60.47%.并整理出了保护区内叶附生苔类植物的详细名录.     

New national and regional bryophyte records, 37

Abstract

We analyzed the form of the UV-absorption spectra and calculated the bulk UV-absorption capacity of the methanolic extracts (BUVACME) in 15 bryophytes (five liverworts and 10 mosses) from unshaded aquatic habitats of Tierra del Fuego (Argentina). BUVACME was obtained as the area under the absorbance curve (AUC) in several ranges of the UV band to allow comparison with the literature data. Both the spectra form and the AUC values depended on the species considered. The spectra showed either no, one or two defined peaks. The peaks were probably due to phenolic derivatives, which could act as both screening compounds and antioxidants. The different AUCs calculated were highly and significantly correlated, and thus it may be unimportant which of these is used. The AUC values of most liverworts were higher than those of most mosses and in particular, the liverworts Noteroclada confluens and Triandrophyllum subtrifidum showed much higher BUVACMEs than those analyzed in any other bryophyte. Thus, the accumulation of UV-absorbing compounds might often increase protection against UV radiation in liverworts, but rarely in mosses. This is in line with the evolutionary differences between these two groups of bryophytes. Except for the two abovementioned liverwort species, BUVACME of aquatic bryophytes from Tierra del Fuego is not particularly different to that found in bryophytes from other zones of the planet.     

Plant community responses to Scotland's changing environment

Summary

The ecological dangers of global climatic change are frequently discussed in relation to their threat to biodiversity. Oceanic Scotland, however, differs in many respects from else- where, both in the nature of the current climatic change and the biodiversity of the flora on which it reacts. Scottish habitats, such as those in the more peripheral regions, are rarely rich in species and biodiversity may not be a relevant concept for assessing the impact of environmental change. In species-poor habitats ecosystem health may be a more useful measure of potential survival capacity than species wealth. Examination of the homeo-static properties of plant communities, and their ability to withstand environmental change, could provide a more practical method of predicting which sections of the Scottish flora are at risk from climatic change as well as indicating possible remedial action. Case histories from coastal, wetland, forest and mountain sites are discussed in terms of their present ecological robustness and future potential for surviving expected changes in the Scottish environment.     

Miocene Ethiopian amber: A new source of fossil cryptogams

Amber is renowned for the exceptional preservation state of its inclusions, allowing detailed morphological analysis and providing relevant environmental, palaeoecological, geographical, and geological information. Amber deposits are predominantly known from North America, Europe, and Asia, and are considered to be rare on the continents that formed Gondwana. The recent discovery of fossiliferous amber deposits in Ethiopia, therefore, provides an inimitable opportunity to close gaps in the fossil record of African terrestrial biota and to study organisms which are otherwise rare in the fossil record. Here we show that diverse cryptogams are preserved in highest fidelity in Miocene Ethiopian amber. We describe gametophyte fragments of four liverworts: Thysananthus aethiopicus sp. nov. (Porellales, Lejeuneaceae), Lejeunea abyssinicoides sp. nov. (Porellales, Lejeuneaceae), Frullania shewanensis sp. nov. (Porellales, Frullaniaceae), and Frullania palaeoafricana sp. nov. (Porellales, Frullaniaceae). Furthermore, we describe a pleurocarpous moss of the extant genus Isopterygium (Hypnales, Pylaisiadelphaceae) and a lichen representing the order Lecanorales. These new specimens represent the first amber fossils of liverworts, mosses, and lichens from the African continent and render Ethiopian amber as one of the few worldwide amber deposits preserving bryophytes (mosses and liverworts) or lichens. Fossil species of Thysananthus were recorded in Eocene Baltic and Oligocene Bitterfeld as well as Miocene Dominican and probably also Miocene Mexican ambers. Fossils that can unequivocally be assigned to Lejeunea have only been found in Dominican amber so far. Neotropical ambers contain only one taxon of Frullania to date, while the genus is most diverse in Baltic, Bitterfeld, and Rovno ambers, formed in temperate regions. The new fossils support a tropical to subtropical origin of Ethiopian amber. The new African liverwort fossils are included in an updated list of leafy liverworts described from worldwide Cenozoic ambers to date.     

Effects of environmental heterogeneity on species diversity and composition of terrestrial bryophyte assemblages in tropical montane forests of southern Ecuador

Background: Most studies on tropical bryophytes deal with epiphytic species. This is the first ecological study of tropical forests that focuses specifically on terrestrial bryophytes.

Aim: To investigate the differences between slope and ridge environments in upper montane forests of southern Ecuador in terms of species diversity (richness, abundance), species composition and life forms of terrestrial bryophytes.

Methods: We used Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS) to group bryophyte relevés by study location, habitat type and exposure class. Species indicator values were calculated and compared for different habitats.

Results: In total, 140 species were recorded, the majority being liverworts. NMDS analyses and Mantel correlations clearly separated between slope and ridge relevés, and between sunny and shaded microhabitats on ridges. Bryophyte life forms also showed different distribution patterns in slope and in ridge habitats. Mosses were more prominent in sunny than in shaded microhabitats.

Conclusions: Environmental differentiation between ridges and slopes, and small-scale variation in microclimatic conditions caused by differences in exposure, were stronger predictors of species richness and composition than geographical distance between study sites.     

Aerial and underground biomasses of three Sphagnum-dwelling liverworts

Abstract

The few studies that have investigated levels of genetic variation in liverworts have found very little polymorphism. Our electrophoretic data show, however, that the leafy liverwort Porella platyphylla maintains high levels of genetic variation in at least some natural populations from the southeastern United States. Within a single population from southwestern North Carolina, we detected 26 distinct multilocus genotypes and more than 80% of the enzyme loci we surveyed were polymorphic. It seems likely that earlier studies of mostly thalloid species from glaciated regions of Europe have presented a biased picture of levels of variation in liverwort populations.     

Relationships Between Plant Assemblages and Water Flow Across a Boreal Forest Landscape: A Comparison of Liverworts,Mosses, and Vascular Plants

The distribution of water across landscapes affects the diversity and composition of ecological communities, as demonstrated by studies on variation in vascular plant communities along river networks and in relation to groundwater. However, non-vascular plants have been neglected in this regard. Bryophytes are dominant components of boreal flora, performing many ecosystem functions and affecting ecosystem processes, but how their diversity and species composition vary across catchments is poorly known. We asked how terrestrial assemblages of mosses and liverworts respond to variation in (i) catchment size, going from upland-forest to riparian settings along increasingly large streams and (ii) groundwater discharge conditions. We compared the patterns found for liverworts and mosses to vascular plants in the same set of study plots. Species richness of vascular plants and mosses increased with catchment size, whereas liverworts peaked along streams of intermediate size. All three taxonomic groups responded to groundwater discharge in riparian zones by maintaining high species richness further from the stream channel. Groundwater discharge thus provided riparian-like habitat further away from the streams and also in upland-forest sites compared to the non-discharge counterparts. In addition, soil chemistry (C:N ratio, pH) and light availability were important predictors of vascular plant species richness. Mosses and liverworts responded to the availability of specific substrates (stones and topographic hollows), but were also affected by soil C:N. Overall, assemblages of mosses and vascular plants exhibited many similarities in how they responded to hydrological gradients, whereas the patterns of liverworts differed from the other two groups.     

British Bryological Society Expedition to Mulanje Mountain,Malawi 1. Background,itinerary and procedures

Abstract

In June 1991 a nine-man British Bryological Society Expedition collected bryophytes and made ecological observations in many parts of Mulanje Mountain, Malawi. Mulanje Mountain is an isolated member of the Afro-montane archepelago where the rich and distinctive ecosystem is under threat from a range of human activities. Over 4500 specimens were collected and it is clear that they will add many species to the known bryophyte flora of Malawi, as well as providing phytogeographical and ecological data and indicating priority sites for conservation. The present paper, the first in a series reporting the work of the Expedition, describes the objectives, itinerary, logistic arrangements and collecting procedures.     

云南金平分水岭国家级自然保护区苔类植物物种多样性

自2015年至2018年对云南金平分水岭国家级自然保护区的苔藓植物进行野外考察、标本采集及鉴定,统计该地区苔类植物34科60属203种(含种下分类单元)。对自然保护区苔类植物物种进行多样性分析,结果显示,细鳞苔科(57种)和羽苔科(34种)所包含物种数量最为丰富;平铺型是本调查区的优势生活型类型;从物种的区系组成来看,广义的热带成分比重最大,达40.4%。