Felisa Puche

World checklist of hornworts and liverworts

Abstract A working checklist of accepted taxa worldwide is vital in achieving the goal of developing an online flora of all known plants by 2020 as part of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation. We here present the first-ever worldwide checklist for liverworts (Marchantiophyta) and hornworts (Anthocerotophyta) that includes 7486 species in 398 genera representing 92 families from the two phyla. The checklist has far reaching implications and applications, including providing a valuable tool for taxonomists and systematists, analyzing phytogeographic and diversity patterns, aiding in the assessment of floristic and taxonomic knowledge, and identifying geographical gaps in our understanding of the global liverwort and hornwort flora. The checklist is derived from a working data set centralizing nomenclature, taxonomy and geography on a global scale. Prior to this effort a lack of centralization has been a major impediment for the study and analysis of species richness, conservation and systematic research at both regional and global scales. The success of this checklist, initiated in 2008, has been underpinned by its community approach involving taxonomic specialists working towards a consensus on taxonomy, nomenclature and distribution.

New national and regional bryophyte records, 40

1. Aneura pseudopinguis (Herzog) PocsContributor: K. HylanderEthiopia: Kaffa, Bonga, Gimbo, Meligawa, Barta forest, 3 km ENE of Bonga, moist Afromontane forest, among other bryophytes on dead wood,...

New national and regional bryophyte records, 41

Dicranum spurium has been recorded for the first time in Croatia. In neighbouring countries it is known from Italy, Slovenia, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro (Cortini Pedrotti, 1992 ; Sabovljevic´ et al., 2008 ; Papp et al., 2010). In Hungary, it is treated as VU (vulnerable) (Papp et al., 2010), in Montenegro as DD (data-deficient) (Sabovljevic´ et al., 2004), and further in the Balkans as EN (endangered) in Romania (Stefanut¸ & Goia, 2012). Dicranum spurium was found on Papuk Mountain (northeastern Croatia). Ninety-five per cent of Papuk Mountain is covered by forest vegetation, the yearly mean temperature is between 8 and 11C, and annual precipitation varies between 800 and 1300 mm. Almost the whole of the mountain is protected as a Nature Park. The locality in Svinjarevac where D. spurium occurred is beech forest (Fagus sylvatica L.), unique in Croatia, with a dense cover of Sphagnum quinquefarium (Braithw.) Warnst. on the forest floor. The bedrock is quartzite and gneiss, sloping between 35 and 45, and exposed to the northwest. This Fagus-Sphagnum quinquefarium forest was spread over 2.4 ha., with a poorly developed layer of herbaceous plants. Sphagnum platyphyllum was recorded during an extensive survey of spruce forests throughout Croatia. It was found in Stirovaca, a plateau in the central part of Velebit Mountain. The locality for this first record of S. platyphyllum for Croatia is just near the border of the Northern Velebit National Park (The whole Velebit Mountain is protected as a Nature Park). According to Dull et al. (1999), Sabovljevic (2006), and Sabovljevic et al. (2008), the species has not been recorded from Croatia, although it is known to occur in neighbouring countries: Italy, Slovenia, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia (Cortini Pedrotti, 1992 ; Sabovljevic et al., 2008 ; Papp et al., 2010). In many of these countries, it is red listed: as VU (vulnerable) in Hungary, Slovenia, and Serbia (Martincicc, 1992 ; Sabovljevic et al., 2004 ; Papp et al., 2010) and further in the Balkans as NT (near threatened) in Romania (Stefanut & Goia, 2012). This part of Velebit Mountain is characterized by cool and long winters, with 1900 mm average annual precipitation and an average annual temperature of 3.5C. The natural vegetation consists of beech-fir and spruce forests and some of the forest stands are still primeval. Sphagnum platyphyllum occurred in a wet spruce (Picea abies (L.) H.Karst.) forest, where it grew in dense carpets covering the forest floor and the banks of shallow depressions (ca 100 m2) filled with water. The collection site in Stirovaca is the only known locality for this unique spruce forest community with peat mosses in Croatia. Sphagnum teres was found at two localities in Croatia, in or near the National Park Plitvicka jezera lakes, but in different habitats within the belt of beech-fir forests. The climate is moderately temperate, with 1500 mm annual precipitation and an average temperature of 7.9C. This is the first record of this species for Croatia, although in the neighbouring countries, it is known from Italy, Slovenia, Hungary and Serbia, and further to the south-east, in FYR Macedonia, Bulgaria and Greece (Papp et al., 2010 ; Sabovljevic et al., 2008). S. teres has been recently recorded as new for Albania (Marka & Sabovljevic, 2011), Bosnia- Herzegovina (Sabovljevic´ et al., 2010) and Montenegro (Martincic, 2006), and is red listed as CR (critically endangered) in Hungary (Papp et al., 2010), and as VU (vulnerable) in Serbia (Sabovljevic et al., 2004). The first locality, Ljeskovacˇke bare, is within the National Park Plitvicka jezera lakes. Here, the species occurred in transitional peat bog belonging to the community Drosero-Caricetum echinatae and occupying an area of ca 1 ha., S. teres was the dominant Sphagnum species. Sphagnum squarrosum Crome, S. palustre L., S. centrale C.E.O.Jensen and S. flexuosum Dozy & Molk. were also relatively abundant. The bog is wet throughout the year, but mostly without open water. Depending on the amount of precipitation, it can be flooded during winter and spring. The bog is not shaded ; it is completely exposed to the sun, but partially overgrown by Molinia coerulea Moench, which is mowed in the management of the Park. Some other species characteristic for this site were Drosera rotundifolia L., Carex echinata Murray, C. lasiocarpa Ehrh., and Menyanthes trifoliata L. The second locality, Vrhovinsko polje, is situated near the eastern border of Plitvicˇka jezera lakes National Park. It is a typical karst field, with the lowest, central part periodically flooded during winter and early spring. It is covered with grassland vegetation of different communities reflecting gradients of water and soil pH. The flora was very rich. In the lowest part of the field were several shallow depressions with a perimeter of 10–20 m overgrown by sedges, mostly Carex vesicaria L. On the edges of these depressions were scattered peat moss hummocks of Sphagnum palustre L., S. capillifolium (Ehrh.) Hedw., and S. subnitens Russow & Warnst. Among them, S. teres (Schimp.) Angstr. also occured, but in much lower abundance.

New national and regional bryophyte records, 37

We report the first record of Drepanocladus longifolius for Slovakia evidenced by herbarium specimen.

New national and regional bryophyte records, 48

Andreaea rothii has been recorded for the first time in Croatia. It is a boreo-temperate suboceanic species (Hill et al., 2007) relatively rare in SE Europe, since it is known only from Romania (Ellis et al., 2014d), Slovenia and Serbia (Sabovljevic´ et al., 2008 ; Hodgetts, 2015). The species was found in the Papuk Mountains, situated in the mainly lowland area of NE Croatia. In this region Papuk is the largest and highest mountain range, with peaks between 800 and 900 m a.s.l. They are characterized by high geological diversity dominated by metamorphic rocks, such as different types of schists, as well as granites. The climate is temperate, moderately warm without an explicit dry period. About 60% of the almost totally forested area is covered by different communities of beech forests. The well-developed black patches of A. rothii cover an area ca 2 m× 0.5 m on a steep north-facing cliff on the edge of an acidothermophilic sessile oak (Quercus petraea agg.) forest. The specimens of A. rothii grew on the bare rock with the following bryophyte species: Cynodontium polycarpon (Hedw.) Schimp., Dicranella heteromalla (Hedw.) Schimp., Dicranum scoparium Hedw., Polytrichum piliferum Schreb. ex Hedw. and Rhabdoweisia (cf.) fugax (Hedw.) Bruch & Schimp. The population is very small with an extremely high risk of extinction, therefore we propose CR as Red List status for the taxon in Croatia. According to the last checklist of the moss flora of Croatia (Sabovljevic´, 2006), only Andreaea rupestris Hedw., collected from just one locality in 1927 (Horvat, 1932 and ZA), was reported for the genus. The locality is very interesting from the point of view of the vegetation of Croatia, because it is within 100 m of the second stand of Fagus sylvatica L.-Sphagnum quinquefarium (Braithw.) Warnst. forest (Alegro et al., 2015). The second occurrence of Dicranum spurium Hedw. (Ellis et al., 2014d) and Rhabdoweisia fugax (Papp et al., 2013) in Croatia are also found here. Another interesting moss is S. capillifolium (Ehrh.) Hedw., that forms small red patches within the thick carpets of S. quinquefarium under the open oulder scree forest in the neighbourhood.

Crossidium laxefilamentosum Frey & Kürschner (Bryopsida: Pottiaceae), new to Europe and to North Africa

Abstract Crossidium laxefilamentosum Frey & Kürschner is shown to be a distinct taxon that is easily distinguished from the related C. crassinerve. Discovery of two plants of C. laxefilamentosum with sporophytes has permitted the description of the capsule and spore characters for the first time. This species is recorded as new to Europe and to North Africa. The known range of this desert species is now expanded from South-West Asia to North Africa, to the steep loess cliffs along the River Danube, and to the dry S.E. coast of the Iberian Peninsula. Among these regions five localities are reported from northern Serbia, three from central Hungary, S. of the 47° line of latitude, one from Romania, 20 from Spain and six localities have been found in Tunisia. The distribution of C. laxefilamentosum suggests that it had a circum-Tethyan origin.

Riella heliospora (Riellaceae) a New Monoicous Species of Riella Subgenus Trabutiella from California

Abstract Species of Riella subgenus Trabutiella are characterized by their winged involucres. Although several species are included in this subgenus, to date only one, R. affinis, is monoicous. During the course of a worldwide revision of Riella including samples throughout the distribution area of R. affinis, populations with exceptionally different spore characters were discovered after examination of herbarium and fresh specimens and laboratory cultures. Morphological traits studied included spore characters measured by light and SEM microscopy. All samples had a high gametophytic similarity. Nonetheless, samples from Californian populations differed from the remaining ones of R. affinis in female involucre morphology, and more conspicuously in spore morphology and ornamentation. Statistical analyses of spore morphological traits confirmed the significant differences between the two species. Therefore, a new monoicous species of Riella subgen. Trabutiella is described as R. heliospora. This species can be distinguished from R. affinis by the female involucres with broader wings, the spores showing a triradiate mark on the proximal face, the presence of a conspicuous reticulum of basal membranes on the distal and proximal faces, longer and less dense spines on the distal face, and a conspicuous wing-like marginal webbing at the equatorial plane.

Riella bialata Trab. (Riellaceae, Marchantiophyta): A New Addition to the European Liverwort Flora

Abstract Riella (Riellaceae, Sphaerocarpales) is a genus of aquatic liverworts with a disjunct worldwide distribution in areas of seasonal Mediterranean-type climates. Its centre of diversity is located in the Mediterranean basin, where about half the species number of the genus is concentrated. In the course of a worldwide revision of the genus Riella, plants from a monoicous species with wingless, not papillose and smooth involucres were found in two distant Iberian localities. These plants showed a geminate dorsal wing, unlike the single wing occurring in the remaining species of the genus. This character unambiguously assigns these populations to R. bialata, a species known to date from a single collection in its Algerian type locality. Riella bialata is thus reported as new to Europe. Fresh materials enabled detailed morphological analyses, and the Iberian materials are extensively described and illustrated herein.

Riella cossoniana Trab. (Riellaceae, Marchantiophyta) New to France

Abstract Riella (Riellaceae, Sphaerocarpales) is a genus of aquatic liverworts with disjunct range in areas of Mediterranean-type climates. Riella has been traditionally subdivided into two subgenera, subgenus Riella, whose plants show smooth or papillose female involucres and Trabutiella, whose plants show winged female involucres. To date only three species of Riella are known in France, all belonging to subgenus Riella. During the course of a study of the plant diversity of temporary brackish ponds in the Camargue area (Southern France), soil sediments were collected from 10 localities and cultivated in the laboratory. From cultures of five of these localities emerged dioicous plants of Riella showing winged female involucres that unambiguously assigned them to subgenus Trabutiella. The study of those specimens with Light and Scanning Electron Microscopy allowed us to identify them as R. cossoniana var. cossoniana. Fresh materials allowed for detailed morphological analyses on these new French materials which were fully described and illustrated. These findings represent the first report of a species belonging to subgenus Trabutiella from France and the second European country where R. cossoniana is reported. Four nearby populations occur within the perimeter of the Tour du Valat Regional Natural Reserve, and another in the industrial polygon of the Grand Port Maritime de Marseille.

An eco-physiological and biotechnological approach to conservation of the world-wide rare and endangered aquatic liverwort Riella helicophylla (Bory et Mont.) Mont.

Abstract The rare aquatic liverwort Riella helicophylla (Bory et Mont.) Mont., inhabitant of temporary shallow ponds around the Mediterranean basin, is considered threatened throughout its distribution range. In addition, little is known of its biology and ecology or of its role in such an important ecosystem where environmental conditions vary yearly in unpredictable ways. In these variable habitats, due to the seasonal fluctuation of water levels, there is no guarantee of yearly spore input into the spore bank. Spore germination rate and the effects of different culture media in an axenic culture establishment, as well as propagation procedures of R. helicophylla, were tested. New insights into the ecology and biology of R. helicophylla are given. Spore dormancy is documented, and the protocols for the in vitro culture establishment, propagation and acclimatization of this liverwort are developed. Dry storage at 20 ± 2 °C for about three months broke the dormancy of spores, which subsequently germinated in a high percentage (over 90%). A two phase (solid and liquid) culture media system was developed for the purpose of achieving fully developed gametophytes. The liquid phase contained electrolytes simulating brackish water.