The geographical relationships of British and Irish vascular plants

Classifications of British and Irish vascular plants into floristic elements are reviewed. Only H.C. Watson and J.R. Matthews have attempted to devise a more or less comprehensive classification, based on the British range of the species (Watson) or the European distribution (Matthews). A new classification of 1481 native species is presented, based on their range in the Northern Hemisphere. Species are classified by their occurrence in one or more major biomes (Arctic, Boreal, Temperate, Southern) and their longitudinal distribution (Oceanic, Suboceanic, European, Eurosiberian, Eurasian, Circumpolar). The distribution of species in the floristic elements is illustrated by coincidence maps for the British Isles and Europe. The British and Irish flora is dominated by Boreo-temperate, Temperate and Southern-temperate species, with the Temperate species being the most numerous. Species with continental distributions (i.e. species which are rarer than expected in western Europe) are listed; most of these are in the Boreo-temperate and Temperate elements. The floristic elements are discussed in relation to the life-form spectra, habitat preferences and altitudinal limits of the component species, and analysed in terms ol˜ Ellenberg indicator values for temperature and continentality. The new classification is compared with that of Matthews. An additional 48 species which are endemic to the British Isles are listed. The scope for extending this method of classification to other organisms and for adapting it for use outside the British Isles is discussed.     

The distribution and reproduction of Pterosiphonia complanata

The geographical distribution of the red alga Pterosiphonia complanata (Clem.) Falkenb. is described. New records confirm that it is restricted to the warmer waters of the North Atlantic and extend its known distribution in the British Isles where it is at the northern limits of its range. The apparent scarcity and restricted distribution of the species in the British Isles and the absence of sexual plants throughout its range are discussed in relation to the habitat and possible life history of the species.     

Mapping of earthworm distribution for the British Isles and Eire highlights the under-recording of an ecologically important group

Earthworms are important soil organisms yet we have limited knowledge on the geographical distribution of species. Using data from a variety of sources representing a total of 3,941 locality records we have produced the first distribution maps of earthworm species in the British Isles The maps highlight the paucity of knowledge on this ecologically important group. A systematic approach needs to be taken to bring earthworm species data to a level comparable with other important invertebrate groups such as nematodes and isopods. Through the recent establishment of an earthworm recording scheme, the Earthworm Society of Britain, working with the Biological Records Centre and earthworm researchers across the British Isles, aim to build comprehensive distribution information for future monitoring and research purposes.     

A key to the larvae of Sialidae (Insecta: Megaloptera) occurring in the British Isles

SUMMARY. The discovery of a third species of alderfly ( Sialis nigripes ) in Britain and Ireland necessitates a new larval key for the group in these islands. Characters are now provided to distinguish the larvae of the three species, and their habitat and distribution in the British Isles are outlined.     

British species that are present in Australia have different traits from British species that are not present in Australia

Aim

Introduced species spreading to natural ecosystems is a leading cause of environmental change and a key feature of the Anthropocene. While there have been many studies of the traits of introduced and invasive species, less is known about the traits that affect a species' chances of reaching and establishing in new areas. We asked whether British species that are present in Australia have different traits to British species that are not present in Australia.

Location

Great Britain and Australia.

Methods

We compiled a list of all vascular plant species from Great Britain and divided them into those that are present in Australia (395 species) and those that are not present in Australia (1171 species). We compiled data for each species' seed mass, seedbank longevity, maximum plant height, flower size, flower colour and geographical extent in the British Isles. We conducted independent sample t-tests for continuous variables and Chi-squared tests for categorical variables to determine differences between groups.

Results

We found British species present in Australia have, on average, larger geographic extents in the British Isles, longer periods of seed bank longevity (mean ~3 months as opposed to ~3 weeks), and maximum heights that are on average 36% taller than British species that are not present in Australia. However, British species present in Australia did not have significantly different flower size, flower colour or seed mass from British species that are not present in Australia.

Main Conclusions

British species that are present in Australia and British species that are not present in Australia differ in several traits. These differences likely result from a combination of factors including introduction biases, environmental filters during establishment and stochasticity. Our results suggest that humans may be consciously and unconsciously selecting species for introduction. Some of the traits that are associated with an increased chance of a species being transported to/establishing in a new range also contribute to invasiveness. Thus, anthropogenic introduction biases could contribute to an increased risk of ecosystem invasion.     

Potential transmission of West Nile virus in the British Isles: an ecological review of candidate mosquito bridge vectors

West Nile virus (WNV) transmitted by mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) infects various vertebrates, being pathogenic for birds, horses and humans. After its discovery in tropical Africa, sporadic outbreaks of WNV occurred during recent decades in Eurasia, but not the British Isles. WNV reached New York in 1999 and spread to California by 2003, causing widespread outbreaks of West Nile encephalitis across North America, transmitted by many species of mosquitoes, mainly Culex spp. The periodic reappearance of WNV in parts of continental Europe (from southern France to Romania) gives rise to concern over the possibility of WNV invading the British Isles. The British Isles have about 30 endemic mosquito species, several with seasonal abundance and other eco-behavioural characteristics predisposing them to serve as potential WNV bridge vectors from birds to humans. These include: the predominantly ornithophilic Culex pipiens L. and its anthropophilic biotype molestus Forskal; tree-hole adapted Anopheles plumbeus Stephens; saltmarsh-adapted Ochlerotatus caspius Pallas, Oc. detritus Haliday and Oc. dorsalis (Meigen); Coquillettidia richiardii Ficalbi, Culiseta annulata Schrank and Cs. morsitans (Theobald) from vegetated freshwater pools; Aedes cinereus Meigen, Oc. cantans Meigen and Oc. punctor Kirby from seasonal woodland pools. Those underlined have been found carrying WNV in other countries (12 species), including the rarer British species Aedes vexans (Meigen), Culex europaeus Ramos et al., Cx. modestus Ficalbi and Oc. sticticus (Meigen) as well as the Anopheles maculipennis Meigen complex (mainly An. atroparvus van Thiel and An. messeae Falleroni in Britain). Those implicated as key vectors of WNV in Europe are printed bold (four species). So far there is no proof of any arbovirus transmission by mosquitoes in the British Isles, although antibodies to Sindbis, Tahyna, Usutu and West Nile viruses have been detected in British birds. Neighbouring European countries have enzootic WNV and human infections transmitted by mosquito species that are present in the British Isles. However, except for localized urban infestations of Cx. pipiens biotype molestus that can be readily eliminated, there appear to be few situations in the British Isles where humans and livestock are exposed to sustained risks of exposure to potential WNV vectors. Monitoring of mosquitoes and arbovirus surveillance are required to guard the British Isles against WNV outbreaks and introduction of more anthropophilic mosquitoes such as Stegomyia albopicta (Skuse) and Ochlerotatus japonicus (Theobald) that have recently invaded Europe, since they transmit arboviruses elsewhere.     

Khawia sinensis (Cestoda: Caryophyllidea)—;an indicator of legislative failure to protect freshwater habitats in the British Isles?

Khawia sinensis is an easily identified carp tapeworm first recorded in the British Isles in 1986. The range of the parasite has extended greatly, despite legal prohibition of the introduction and movement of infected fish. Using the spread of K. sinensis as a model, it is concluded that regulation resulting from this legislation cannot be reliable because there is no total ban of imports of potentially infected fishes, nor an effective procedure for preventing translocation of infected hosts.     

A new taxonomic treatment of the Festuca ovina L. aggregate (Poaceae) in the British Isles

A new taxonomic treatment of the Festuca ovina L. aggregate (Poaceae) in the British Isles. A wide range of morphological, anatomical and cytological characters was collected and analysed by a variety of methods, some taxometric. As a result nine species are recognized in the British Isles, one (F. glauca Vill.) only as a garden plant and two (F. huonii Auquier and F. armoricana Kerguélen) only in the Channel Isles. Two other species sometimes claimed for the British Isles (F. guestfalica Boenn. ex Reichb. and F. indigesta Boiss.) are excluded for various reasons given. One species (F. ovina L.) is divided into three subspecies: the diploid subsp. ovina (commonest in the north); and the tetraploid subsp. hirtula (Hackel ex Travis) M. Wilkinson (the commonest taxon of the aggregate in the British Isles) and subsp. ophioliticola (Kerguélen) M. Wilkinson (scattered throughout the British Isles, but commonest on chalk and limestone and not restricted to serpentine soils as once thought).     

Mississippian crinoid biodiversity,biogeography and macroevolution

Abstract: The biodiversity and biogeography of 217 genera of Mississippian crinoids from North America and the British Isles shed light on the macroevolutionary turnover between the Middle Palaeozoic and Late Palaeozoic Crinoid Evolutionary Faunas. This turnover resulted from steady differential extinction among clades during the middle Mississippian after crinoids reached their Phanerozoic peak of generic richness during the early Mississippian. This peak richness was primarily a function of Mississippian originations rather than Devonian–holdover taxa. North America had 100 per cent higher generic richness than the British Isles, but rarefaction analysis adjusts the difference to only 37 per cent higher. Rarefaction demonstrated that North America had increased biodiversity, compared to the British Isles, almost entirely among monobathrid camerates, disparids and primitive cladids. In contrast, diplobathrid camerates, advanced cladids and flexibles had the same generic biodiversity between regions, when compared using rarefaction. The early Mississippian radiation resulted from two primary causes: (1) the expansion of Tournaisian carbonate ramps following the Frasnian mass extinction of reef faunas and (2) the predatory release in the Tournaisian following the end‐Famennian Hangenberg extinction of durophagous fishes. A majority of crinoid genera from the British Isles are cosmopolitan. When combined with rarefaction analysis and evidence for more first occurrences in North America, this suggests higher origination rates in North America, especially when carbonate ramps were widespread. With the gradual reduction in the area of carbonate ramps from the early to late Mississippian, in conjunction with the radiation of new durophagous fishes, camerate crinoids in particular experienced continuous background extinction, without replacement, beginning during the earliest Viséan (late Osagean). By middle Viséan time (late Meramecian) advanced cladids were dominant in all settings. This resulted in the transition from the Middle Palaeozoic to the Late Palaeozoic Crinoid Macroevolutionary Fauna.     

The geographical relationships of the British and Irish flora: a comparison of pteridophytes, flowering plants, liverworts and mosses

Aim To compare the wider distribution of the pteridophytes, flowering plants, liverworts and mosses recorded as natives of Britain and Ireland, and to assess the proportion and distribution of species in each group which belong to predominantly extra-European genera. Location The species native to the British Isles are considered in relation to their distribution in the Northern Hemisphere, and predominantly extra-European genera are identified by consideration of the distribution and centre of numerical diversity of the genera worldwide. Methods A recent classification of the pteridophytes, flowering plants, liverworts and mosses into floristic elements is used in a quantitative study of the distribution of species in the four groups, the patterns of occurrence being compared by standardized residuals. Results Mosses and liverworts have more northerly distributions than the flowering plants in the Northern Hemisphere; pteridophytes show an intermediate pattern. There are marked differences in the longitudinal ranges of the groups south of the Boreal biome, with vascular plants tending to be confined to Europe or western Eurasia whereas cryptogams are more likely to occur additionally in North America or have a circumpolar distribution. The proportion of predominantly extra-European genera is particularly high in the pteridophytes and the liverworts and in these groups the rich hyperoceanic flora of the British Isles is almost entirely composed of species in genera that attain their centre of diversity in the tropics. Main conclusions Major taxonomic groups show different distribution patterns, reflecting their rates of evolution and powers of dispersal. The flowering plants, as the least mobile and most rapidly evolving group, have a greater proportion of their species in the European and Eurosiberian elements and a higher proportion of species from extra-European genera in the more northerly elements.     

DERMATOCARPON LEPTOPHYLLODESAND RELATED SPECIES IN THE BRITISH ISLES

The species ofDermatocarponoccurring in the British Isles are reviewed, with special reference to the hydrophilous species; a number of related species not yet recorded for the British Isles are also briefly treated.Dermatocarpon deminuensandD. leptophyllodesare confirmed as British; the nameD. leptophyllumshould be deleted from the British list. The nameD. meiophyllumis shown to be based on discordant elements. A key is provided to the British and Irish species.     

The larva of Tinodes maculicornis (Trichoptera: Psychomyiidae), with notes on the species' distribution and habitat in Ireland

SUMMARY. A key is given for the identification of the larva of Tinodes maculicornis which is the only undescribed psychomyiid in the British Isles. The Irish distribution and habitat of the species are outlined.     

The status of the barbel, Barbus barbus (L.) (Teleostei, Cyprinidae), in the United Kingdom

The barbel was originally a fish with a relatively restricted range in the British Isles. However, despite the general environmental degradation of many British rivers, and in contrast with some native freshwater fishes, the barbel is now more widely distributed than it was a century ago. It may even be more abundant numerically.     

SYSTEMATICS AND PHYLOGEOGRAPHY OF THE INVASIVE RED ALGA, POLYSIPHONIA HARVEYI

Polysiphonia harveyi Bailey was first described from Connecticut in 1848 and morphologically similar species, such as P. japonica and P. strictissima , have subsequently been described many times from different localities such as Japan and New Zealand, placing the taxonomy and nomenclature of this morphologically variable species in confusion. Polysiphonia harveyi is regarded as an alien in the British Isles and the north-eastern North Atlantic and is reported to be spreading rapidly. The first confirmed collection of P. harveyi from the British Isles was in 1908; the source of the British introduction remains unknown. In conjunction with breeding data, rbc L sequences for samples of P. harveyi , P. strictissima , P. japonica and P. akkeshiensis collected from New Zealand, Atlantic and Pacific North America, Japan and Europe, reveal that P. harveyi, P. japonica and P. akkeshiensis constitute a single biological species. The correct name for this is P. harveyi , whilst P. strictissima from New Zealand is a sibling species, distinct from P. harveyi. The center of genetic diversity of P. harveyi is in Japan. The original source of the introduced P. harveyi in the British Isles, Europe and Nova Scotia appears to be Hokkaido, Japan. Separate introductions from a single source population into New Zealand and Pacific and Atlantic North America from Honshu, Japan, apparently have occurred.     

661. OROBANCHE CARYOPHYLLACEA

Summary. The distribution, ecology and taxonomic history of bedstraw broomrape, Orobanche caryophyllacea Sm. are discussed with particular reference to the British Isles, and the species is described and illustrated. The use of species of Orobanche as horticultural subjects is briefly considered.     

A review of the occurrence in British mammals of the major organisms of zoonotic importance

The occurrence of the major zoonoses in British mammals is discussed. The distribution of leptospiral serotypes across the British Isles and North–West Europe, together with the current absence of rabies, plague and other pathogenic organisms in Britain suggests conditions inimical to their maintenance in the British Isles. It is suggested that this region may represent the end of a geographical line of success for these organisms and the term 'pathocline' is proposed.     

OBSERVATIONS ON THE LICHEN FLORA OF HIGH GROUND IN THE WEST OF IRELAND

The lichen flora of high ground in the west of Ireland is described by reference to four localities (Brandon Mountain, Muckanaght, Ben Bulben, Slieve League). These were selected on the basis of their reputation for calcicolous alpine vascular plants and for being some of the most highly oceanic mountains in Europe. The montane element in the lichen flora is strictly limited, populations being small and isolated, although sub-montane species are more frequent. A small group of 44 species has been identified, which is 30% fewer than is found in either the Lake District or Snowdonia; their distribution and ecology are described. The margin of high-level tarns on Brandon Mountain support communities of outstanding importance, includingRinodina fimbriata, new to the British Isles. Seventeen lichens are reported as being new to Ireland. 1996 The British Lichen Society     

Anthropogenous areal extension of central European woody species on the British Isles and its significance for the judgement of the present potential natural vegetation

Several central European species have failed to reach the British Isles because of the early separation from the continent. The two tree species Fagus sylvatica and Carpinus betulus reached southern England but were unable to spread much further. Other species, such as Acer pseudoplatanus, were only relatively recently introduced. Recent distribution maps for Fagus and Acer show an almost uninterrupted distribution in the whole British Isles. The beech must be considered to be an important element of the present potential natural vegetation; it has been planted widely and regenerates freely. The woodlands of Brittany may provide a model to enable us to visualize the possible species composition and appearance of these potential Atlantic beech woods.Nomenclature of vascular taxa follows Ehrendorfer (1973).     

Additions and amendments to the list of British smut fungi

Investigation of material of British smut fungi held in the national collections at kew (k) undertaken during preparation of the new checklist of British and Irish Basidiomycota (Legon et al. 2005) identified several species not hitherto known from the British Isles. These include taxa not previously recognised due to earlier, broader species concepts, as well as others based on earlier misidentifications or discovered during examination of herbarium material of their host plants. These taxa are fully reported here. In addition, amendments to nomenclature and taxonomy of other British species which have occurred since the monography by Mordue & Ainsworth (1984) are summarised.     

Phylogenetic affinities and conservation status of Telaranea murphyae Paton in Britain

The United Kingdom Biodiversity Action Plans includes protection plans for 27 liverworts and 76 mosses. One of the most complicated examples of British plant rarity concerns the leafy liverwort Telaranea. Of the three species recognized in the literature for the British Isles, two (T. tetradactyla and T. murphyae) have been considered recent introductions to the British flora, because their occurrence is restricted to in or near botanic gardens. Both species have recently been transferred to the genus Tricholepidozia. Tricholepidozia murphyae, unlike any other bryophyte on the British Red List, is regarded as non-native, of unknown origin. We selected two molecular markers from different genomic compartments to fit in with existing datasets for Lepidoziaceae, in order to elucidate the origin and affinities of this enigmatic, non-native British endemic, and thus assist prioritization of conservation efforts. We sequenced multiple accessions of all three currently recognized British Telaranea and Tricholepidozia. Based on sequence data, while Telaranea europea is genetically isolated from all other sequenced Lepidoziaceae, it seems that Tricholepidozia murphyae merely represents a separate genetic introduction from the Austral T. tetradactlya/T. lindenbergii species group into the British Isles, and as such, in the UK it should be considered of low conservation priority. We thus synonymize T. murphyae under T. tetradactyla, while acknowledging that taxonomy within the T. tetradactlya/T. lindenbergii species complex still requires revision.