Contribution to the bryoflora of Australia, V. Radula tonitrua sp. nov. from Queensland

Further study of the two geographic lineages within Radula novae-hollandiae sens. lat. have resulted in the detection of morphological differences among individuals from the Queensland Wet Tropics, and those from New South Wales. Individuals from the Wet Tropics have perianths that are shorter at maturity (1.6-2.0 v. 3.8-4.4 mm), leaf lobes that usually bear numerous marginal gemmae, and leaf-lobules that are smaller and more quadrate. The morphological differences, particularly in perianth length, were not fully appreciated previously and provide evidence supporting the recognition of the Queensland Wet Tropics lineage as a distinct and new species, Radula tonitrua, which is here described. The degree of phylogenetic divergence and fixed molecular difference between R. tonitrua and R. novae-hollandiae, are comparable with the separation observed between R. ocellata and R. pulchella, another species pair exhibiting the same geographic disjunction

Manual of tropical bryology

Bryophytes belong to the oldest land plants. They existed already in the Palaeozoic 300 mio years ago in forms which were hardly different from the extant species. They remained relatively unchanged with relatively low evolution rates (and are thus often called a „conservative“ plant group), but could successfully establish themselves in an always varying environment from Devonian swamps to Permian forests, Mesozoic deserts and as epiphytes in Tertiary rainforests. They are not eaten by snails or insects, and are resistant against fungi and bacteria

An annotated checklist of the bryophytes of Taita Hills region, Kenya

Based on previous literature and our own collections, we list 288 bryophyte species (145 liverworts, 143 mosses) from the Taita Hills region (including Mt. Kasigau and Maktau Hill) in SE Kenya. New records for Kenya include the liverworts Archilejeunea elobulata Steph., Bazzania nitida (F. Weber) Grolle, Cololejeunea grossepapillosa (Horik.) N. Kitag., Diplasiolejeunea kraussiana (Lindenb.) Steph., D. villaumei Steph., Lejeunea amaniensis E.W. Jones, L. cyathearum E.W. Jones, Lopholejeunea laciniata E.W. Jones, Metzgeria crassipilis (Lindb.) A. Evans, M. nudifrons Steph., Plagiochila boryana (F. Weber) Nees, and P. moenkemeyeri Steph., and the mosses Leucophanes hildebrandtii Müll. Hal. and Neckeromnion lepineanum (Mont.) S. Olsson, Enroth, Huttunen & D. Quandt. A further 22 liverworts and 13 mosses previously known from other parts of Kenya are reported for the first time from the Taita Hills region.Peer reviewe

Southern Thailand bryophytes I, with description of Cololejeunea ramromensis

Volume: 2Start Page: 113End Page: 12

Red List of liverworts and hornworts for Reunion (Mascarene archipelago)

International audienceA preliminary regional IUCN Red List for liverworts and hornworts is provided for Réunion (Mascarene archipelago), in accordance with the IUCN Red List criteria 3.1. A total of 327 species were assessed of which one species (Bryopteris Gaudichaudii Gottsche) is considered to be regionally extinct (RE), fourteen species categorised as critically endangered (CR), eight species are endangered (EN), nine species are vulnerable (VU), eight species are considered Near Threatened (NT), and 177 species are at Least Concern (LC). Thirty-one species of liverworts reported on the island are threatened (CR, EN, VU), no hornwort are considered threatened. We divided the category “Data Deficient” into two categories: DDt (data deficient for taxonomy) and DDd (data deficient for distribution) to facilitate future assessment when data would be available. The current species threat analysis, which has generated the first regional Red List of bryophytes for Africa is hoped to promote future studies on the conservation of African bryophytes

Evidence for Rampant Homoplasy in the Phylogeny of the Epiphyllous Liverwort Genus Cololejeunea (Lejeuneaceae)

Rampant homoplasy can be a major challenge in the classification of land plants that have limited morphological differences and/or ecological diversity, such as liverworts and mosses. Here we present the first comprehensive molecular phylogeny of the derived liverwort genus Cololejeunea and its close relatives. We used three markers (trnL-F rbcL, and nrITS) and 116 accessions representing the geographic range as well as the morphological diversity of this predominantly epiphyllous genus. The molecular data support three major lineages: Colura, Myriocoleopsis, and Cololejeunea. Myriocoleopsis species were resolved in a clade with Cololejeunea minutissima. Aphanolejeunea and Chondriolejeunea were both resolved as putative monophyletic groups, and nested in the Cololejeunea clade. Cololejeunea angustiflora was found to be sister to the clade comprising the remaining Cololejeunea species. Currently accepted subgenera of Cololejeunea were paraphyletic or polyphyletic. Six out of 30 species with multiple accessions were not supported as natural taxa. The current classifications of Cololejeunea have been influenced by frequent homoplasy of morphological characters and do not accurately reflect species relationships. A new classification for this genus is outlined. Our data did not provide evidence for ancient vicariance events where major clades and continents are associated, instead some evidence was recovered for recent intercontinental species range expansion

Size doesn't matter-recircumscription of Microlejeunea (Lejeuneaceae, Porellales) based on molecular and morphological evidence

Phylogenetic analyses of a three marker dataset of Lejeuneaceae (chloroplast genome rbcL gene and trnL-F region, and nuclear ribosomal ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region) resolve the Lejeunea complex in three main lineages assigned here to Harpalejeunea, Lejeunea and Microlejeunea. The taxa Harpalejeunea fischeri, H. filicuspis, H. latitans and Pluvianthus squarrosus are nested in a clade with several representatives of Microlejeunea including the generitype M. africana, and are transferred to the latter genus. Harpalejeunea and Microlejeunea differ from Lejeunea by the presence of ocelli. Harpalejeunea has diverging, blunt underleaf lobes in contrast to the forward directed, blunt to acute underleaf lobes of Microlejeunea. Morphologically similar accessions of Microlejeunea form independent lineages. Drepanolejeunea vandenberghenii is newly reported for Madagascar, Malawi and Reunion

An ancient tropical origin, dispersals via land bridges and Miocene diversification explain the subcosmopolitan disjunctions of the liverwort genus Lejeunea

International audienceUnderstanding the biogeographical and diversification processes explaining current diversity patterns of subcosmopolitan-distributed groups is challenging. We aimed at disentangling the historical biogeography of the subcosmopolitan liverwort genus Lejeunea with estimation of ancestral areas of origin and testing if sexual system and palaeotemperature variations can be factors of diversification. We assembled a dense taxon sampling for 120 species sampled throughout the geographical distribution of the genus. Lejeunea diverged from its sister group after the Paleocene-Eocene boundary (52.2 Ma, 95% credibility intervals 50.1-54.2 Ma), and the initial diversification of the crown group occurred in the early to middle Eocene (44.5 Ma, 95% credibility intervals 38.5-50.8 Ma). The DEC model indicated that (1) Lejeunea likely originated in an area composed of the Neotropics and the Nearctic, (2) dispersals through terrestrial land bridges in the late Oligocene and Miocene allowed Lejeunea to colonize the Old World, (3) the Boreotropical forest covering the northern regions until the late Eocene did not facilitate Lejeunea dispersals, and (4) a single long-distance dispersal event was inferred between the Neotropics and Africa. Biogeographical and diversification analyses show the Miocene was an important period when Lejeunea diversified globally. We found slight support for higher diversification rates of species with both male and female reproductive organs on the same individual (monoicy), and a moderate positive influence of palaeotemperatures on diversification. Our study shows that an ancient origin associated with a dispersal history facilitated by terrestrial land bridges and not long-distance dispersals are likely to explain the subcosmopolitan distribution of Lejeunea. By enhancing the diversification rates, monoicy likely favoured the colonisations of new areas, especially in the Miocene that was a key epoch shaping the worldwide distribution

New national and regional bryophyte records, 21.

International audienc

New national and regional bryophyte records, 32

International audienc