New national and regional bryophyte records, 49

Peer reviewe

So close yet so far: the disjunct global range of Orthotrichum consobrinum (Orthotrichaceae) includes North America

Intercontinental disjunct distributions of many bryophytes continue to raise questions about their nature and origin. While mounting evidence points to long-distance dispersal as a mechanism to explain broad distribution ranges, there is a need to clarify whether the disjunct populations belong to the same species connected by gene flow or actually harbor hidden genetic variation indicating speciation due to geographic isolation. During recent fieldwork, new populations of a moss morphologically matching Orthotrichum consobrinum were discovered in eastern North America. This moss had until this point been considered to be restricted to Eurasia. To shed light on the identity of these new populations and their nature as a species with intercontinental range versus cryptic speciation, we compared morphological characters with molecular sequence divergence over the global range of O. consobrinum and the putative American populations. Our results identify the North American specimens as belonging to O. consobrinum, forming a monophyletic group with specimens from eastern and western Asia. This study therefore provides an addition to the North American flora, alongside a description and images of distinguishing morphological features to facilitate the differentiation from the closely related Orthotrichum stellatum. The known distribution of O. consobrinum is now conceived as disjunct pan-Holarctic, adding new evidence to the long-distance dispersal capacities of bryophytes

Earliest herbarium evidence of the occurrence of Lewinskya acuminata (Orthotrichaceae) in East Africa

No abstrac

Do mosses really exhibit so large distribution ranges? Insights from the integrative taxonomic study of the Lewinskya affinis complex (Orthotrichaceae, Bryopsida)

The strikingly lower number of bryophyte species, and in particular of endemic species, and their larger distribution ranges in comparison with angiosperms, have traditionally been interpreted in terms of their low diversification rates associated with a high long-distance dispersal capacity. This hypothesis is tested here with Lewinskya affinis (≡ Orthotrichum affine), a moss species widely spread across Europe, North and East Africa, southwestern Asia, and western North America. We tested competing taxonomic hypotheses derived from separate and combined analyses of multilocus sequence data, morphological characters, and geographical distributions. The best hypothesis, selected by a Bayes factor molecular delimitation analysis, established that L. affinis is a complex of no less than seven distinct species, including L. affinis s.str., L. fastigiata and L. leptocarpa, which were previously reduced into synonymy with L. affinis, and four new species. Discriminant analyses indicated that each of the seven species within L. affinis s.l. can be morphologically identified with a minimal error rate. None of these species exhibit a trans-oceanic range, suggesting that the broad distributions typically exhibited by moss species largely result from a taxonomic artefact. The presence of three sibling western North American species on the one hand, and four Old World sibling species on the other, suggests that there is a tendency for within-continent diversification rather than recurrent dispersal following speciation. The faster rate of diversification as compared to intercontinental migration reported here is in sharp contrast with earlier views of bryophyte species with wide ranges and low speciation rates

The Lewinskya affinis complex (Orthotrichaceae) revisited: species description and differentiation

In a recent integrative taxonomy study, we verified that the previously accepted concept of Lewinskya affinis (≡ Orthotrichum affine) actually comprises a complex of sibling lineages encompassing both known, accepted species (L. affinis s.str., L. praemorsa and L. tortidontia), recovered synonyms (L. fastigiata and L. leptocarpa), and four species yet unpublished. In the present work, we present detailed descriptions of the previously identified species and the new species, L. scissa from the Canary Islands, and the North American L. arida, L. pacifica and L. pseudoaffinis. In addition, we provide a key to the species in the complex, and discuss the morphological distinction of the species according to geographical areas. All included species are illustrated

Do mosses really exhibit so large distribution ranges? Insights from the integrative taxonomic study of the Lewinskya affinis complex (Orthotrichaceae, Bryopsida)

The strikingly lower number of bryophyte species, and in particular of endemic species, and their larger distribution ranges in comparison with angiosperms, have traditionally been interpreted in terms of their low diversification rates associated with a high long-distance dispersal capacity. This hypothesis is tested here with Lewinskya affinis (≡ Orthotrichum affine), a moss species widely spread across Europe, North and East Africa, southwestern Asia, and western North America. We tested competing taxonomic hypotheses derived from separate and combined analyses of multilocus sequence data, morphological characters, and geographical distributions. The best hypothesis, selected by a Bayes factor molecular delimitation analysis, established that L. affinis is a complex of no less than seven distinct species, including L. affinis s.str., L. fastigiata and L. leptocarpa, which were previously reduced into synonymy with L. affinis, and four new species. Discriminant analyses indicated that each of the seven species within L. affinis s.l. can be morphologically identified with a minimal error rate. None of these species exhibit a trans-oceanic range, suggesting that the broad distributions typically exhibited by moss species largely result from a taxonomic artefact. The presence of three sibling western North American species on the one hand, and four Old World sibling species on the other, suggests that there is a tendency for within-continent diversification rather than recurrent dispersal following speciation. The faster rate of diversification as compared to intercontinental migration reported here is in sharp contrast with earlier views of bryophyte species with wide ranges and low speciation rates. © 2019 Elsevier Inc

The long journey of Orthotrichum shevockii (Orthotrichaceae, Bryopsida): From California to Macaronesia

Biogeography, systematics and taxonomy are complementary scientific disciplines. To understand a species' origin, migration routes, distribution and evolutionary history, it is first necessary to establish its taxonomic boundaries. Here, we use an integrative approach that takes advantage of complementary disciplines to resolve an intriguing scientific question. Populations of an unknown moss found in the Canary Islands (Tenerife Island) resembled two different Californian endemic species: Orthotrichum shevockii and O. kellmanii. To determine whether this moss belongs to either of these species and, if so, to explain its presence on this distant oceanic island, we combined the evaluation of morphological qualitative characters, statistical morphometric analyses of quantitative traits, and molecular phylogenetic inferences. Our results suggest that the two Californian mosses are conspecific, and that the Canarian populations belong to this putative species, with only one taxon thus involved. Orthotrichum shevockii (the priority name) is therefore recognized as a morphologically variable species that exhibits a transcontinental disjunction between western North America and the Canary Islands. Within its distribution range, the area of occupancy is limited, a notable feature among bryophytes at the intraspecific level. To explain this disjunction, divergence time and ancestral area estimation analyses are carried out and further support the hypothesis of a long-distance dispersal event from California to Tenerife Island

New national and regional bryophyte records, 41. Seligeria irrigata (H.K.G.Paul) Ochyra & Gos

Seligeria irrigata was identified during a bryological survey of the Gran Sasso-Monti della Laga National Park which covers a surface area of 150 000 hectares. It is one of the largest parks in Italy, and consists of three mountain groups: the Gran Sasso d’Italia chain, Laga massif, and Gemelli Mountains.Within the Park, Corno Grande (2912 m), is the highest peak of the Apennines. The only glacier in the Apennines, Calderone, is the southernmost glacier in Europe

New national and regional bryophyte records, 51

Tortula canescens Mont. was found for the first time in Basilicata (Matera city ‘Sasso Barisano’). The distribution of this species is restricted to Europe and the Mediterranean area. The discovery of this species is interesting because it is located in a habitat where it is more common to find T. muralis