Michał Węgrzyn

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.

New National and Regional Bryophyte Records, 49

Paper presents couple of new national and regional bryophyte records accross the world, including our new record of Pseudocalliergon lycopodioides in the Carpathians (Czarny Dunajec); the only recent record for the Carpathians.

Phytosociology of snowbed and exposed ridge vegetation of Svalbard

Abstract Arctic vegetation still lacks a uniform system to classify its plant communities, the current arrangement of the phytosociological data being difficult to interpret. However, using modern methods, it has proved possible to organize the current data to create a suitable system based on numerical algorithms (detrended correspondence analysis and cluster analysis) and traditional methods for 135 phytosociological relevés from snowbed and exposed ridge habitats of Svalbard; 125 relevés were selected from twentieth and early twenty-first century publications, and ten relevés were collected by our group in 2012 from the Kaffiøyra Plain (Oscar II Land, NW Spitsbergen). Our analysis has shown there to be four associations and one community. Two associations and one community are distinguished within the Luzulion arcticae Gjærev. 1950: (1) the Pedicularietum hirsutae ass. nov., (2) the Deschampsietum alpinae (Nordh. 1943) Węgrzyn and Wietrzyk 2015 stat. nov., and (3) the Minuartia biflora community. Two syntaxa were assigned to the Luzulion arcuatae Elvebakk ex Węgrzyn and Wietrzyk 2015: (4) the Anthelietum juratzkanae Kobayashi ex Węgrzyn and Wietrzyk 2015 with a confirmed status and (5) the Gymnomitrietum coralloidis Hadač ex Węgrzyn and Wietrzyk 2015 stat. nov. was described by means of a new approach.

Lichens on lignum in the coastal regions of western Spitsbergen (Svalbard)

Eighteen species of eleven lichen genera were found on driftwood and worked timber deposited on the beaches in the Hornsund and Billefjorden regions (the west coast of Spitsbergen, Svalbard archipelago). Majority of them indicate low substrate specificity in the high arctic regions. Only three species (Caloplaca spitsbergensis, Lecanora mughicola, L. orae-frigidae) are typical for lignum. Most of the taxa are widespread in Svalbard. Species like: Caloplaca holocarpa, C. spitsbergensis, Protothelenella sphinctrinoidella, Rinodina archaea were sporadically reported till now. Lecanora mughicola was not reported from Svalbard up to the present and this is the first record of the species for the region.

Usnic acid and atranorin exert selective cytostatic and anti-invasive effects on human prostate and melanoma cancer cells

OBJECTIVES AND METHODS Lichens are an interesting source of potential anti-tumor compounds, among which usnic acid and atranorin seem to be the most promising, but their impact on invasive potential of tumor cells has not yet been comprehensively addressed. The aim of the study was focused on the impact of the two lichen metabolites, on the viability (by Trypan blue test and fluoresceine diacetate and ethidium bromide assay), proliferation (cell counting in a Bürkers chamber), apoptosis (flow cytometry analysis and Western blot) and motile activity (cell movement recording and image analysis) and actin cytoskeleton organization (immunofluorescent staining) of melanoma HTB-140, prostate cancers DU-145 and PC-3, normal human skin fibroblasts and prostate epithelial PNT2 cells, with special emphasis to their selectivity and versatility. RESULTS Both compounds exerted strong inhibitory effects on cancer cell proliferation, migration and actin cytoskeleton organization, while their effect on apoptosis process was less relevant. The impact of usnic acid on the examined cancer cells was found more efficient in comparison to atranorin. Also, selective effect of both agents on tumor cells was observed. SIGNIFICANCE The ability of usnic acid and atranorin to inhibit cancer cells motility may have future implications for development of new therapeutic strategies targeted at the interference with the metastatic cascade.

Tardigrada in Svalbard lichens: diversity, densities and habitat heterogeneity

Tardigrades in lichens have been poorly studied with few papers published on their ecology and diversity so far. The aims of our study are to determine the (1) influence of habitat heterogeneity on the densities and species diversity of tardigrade communities in lichens as well as the (2) effect of nutrient enrichment by seabirds on tardigrade densities in lichens. Forty-five lichen samples were collected from Spitsbergen, Nordaustlandet, Prins Karls Forland, Danskøya, Fuglesongen, Phippsøya and Parrøya in the Svalbard archipelago. In 26 samples, 23 taxa of Tardigrada (17 identified to species level) were found. Twelve samples consisted of more than one lichen species per sample (with up to five species). Tardigrade densities and taxa diversity were not correlated with the number of lichen species in a single sample. Moreover, the densities of tardigrades was not significantly higher in lichens collected from areas enriched with nutrients by seabirds in comparison to those not enriched. The incorporation of previously published data on the tardigrades of Spitsbergen into the analysis showed that tardigrade densities was significantly higher in moss than it was in lichen samples. We propose that one of the most important factors influencing tardigrade densities is the cortex layer, which is a barrier for food sources, such as live photosynthetic algal cells in lichens. Finally, the new records of Tardigrada and the first and new records of lichens in Svalbard archipelago are presented.

New national and regional bryophyte records, 53

L. T. Ellis, O. M. Afonina, R. L. Andriamiarisoa, H. Bednarek-Ochyra, B. Cykowska-Marzencka, M. Stryjak-Bogacka, N. E. Bell, M. Boiko, D. A. Callaghan, P. Campisi, M. G. Dia, M. L. Marino, F. Provenzano, J. Eckstein, J. Enroth, P. Erzberger, T. Ezer, M. L. Gargano, E. Ginzburg, P. Górski, S. R. Gradstein, C. Reeb, C. Hannoire, M. Infante, I. Jukonienė, E. V. Kushnevskaya, M. Lebouvier, J. Nagy, A. Opmanis, V. Plášek, Z. Skoupá, M. S. Sabovljević, A. D. Sabovljević, J. R. Shevock, D. K. Singh, S. Majumdar, M. Skudnik, A. Uselienė, G. Venturella, M. Węgrzyn, P. Wietrzyk, Y.-J. Yoon, J. H. Kim, E. Yücel

Lichen Diversity on Glacier Moraines in Svalbard

Abstract This paper contributes to studies on the lichen biota of Arctic glacier forelands. The research was carried out in the moraines of three different glaciers in Svalbard: Longyearbreen, Irenebreen and Rieperbreen. In total, 132 lichen taxa and three lichenicolous lichens were recorded. Eight species were recorded for the first time in the Svalbard archipelago: Arthonia gelidae, Buellia elegans, Caloplaca lactea, Cryptodiscus pallidus, Fuscidea kochiana, Merismatium deminutum, Physconia distorta, and Polyblastia schaereriana. One species, Staurothele arctica, was observed for the first time in Spitsbergen (previously recorded only on Hopen island). All the studied glaciers lie in Spitsbergens warm region. However, Kaffiøyra Plain, where Irenebreen is located, is characterized by higher levels of humidity, which may explain its different lichen composition compared to that of the other two moraines. The forelands of Rieperbreen and Longyearbreen are located in the same area of Svalbard, which is also the warmest and the driest and where high species diversity is expected. This proved to be true for the Rieperbreen moraine, but not for the Longyearbreen moraine, where species diversity was lowest. The expansion of tourism along Longyearbyen appears to be a major factor behind the poor development of lichen biota on the Longyearbreen moraine.

Components of the Natural Environment

Western Sorkapp Land geological structure is very varied. Pre-Quaternary bedrock consists of three complexes: (1) the most extensive rocks from the Middle Proterozoic to the Silurian, folded in the Caledonian Orogeny: dolomites, phyllites, schists, quartzites, limestones, sandstones, breccias, and others; (2) Early Carboniferous clastic sediments: sandstones, including quartzitic sandstones, siltstones, and shales; and (3) Triassic sedimentary rocks: sandstones and conglomerates. None of these complexes lies horizontally. Loose Quaternary deposits (marine, glacial, fluvial, organic, frost-weathering, slope, including talus and solifluction) are not continuous. The climate is Arctic and marine-type. Average annual temperatures vary from −9 to −3 °C there. Average annual precipitation totals reach 300–500 mm. The mountains in northwest Sorkapp Land remain free of glaciers due to their exposure to relatively warm and dry eastern foehn winds. All the lowlands are unglaciated too. Sorkapp Land glaciation is clearly Arctic-type for two reasons: the common presence of permafrost, and the very weak influence of altitude on the distribution and extent of glaciers. The principal landform types in western Sorkapp Land are coastal lowlands, mountains, and mountain valleys. Nonglacial rivers and lakes (supplied directly by atmospheric precipitation and an active layer of permafrost) play an important part. There are also karst springs and glacial rivers and lakes in the northeast and southeast of the study area. Typically for the High Arctic, the flora of western Sorkapp Land is dominated by cryptogams, mainly lichens—about 170 species—whereas vascular plant flora includes 82 species. Different vegetation types often create complex mosaics, following diverse habitat conditions (bedrock, terrain relief, hydrology, etc.). In a few places the presence of seabird colonies has a local but strong impact on the vegetation.

Conclusions and Prognosis for Environmental Change

The first and direct result of climate warming has been glacial recession, which stimulated an entire process of landscape (and seascape) changes along the eastern boundary between western Sorkapp Land (devoid of glaciers) and the glaciated peninsula interior. A completely new landscape has appeared there. Also fore-fields of glaciers have been indirectly influenced by the glaciers’ retreat. Some sequences of non-glacial and non-postglacial coastline have been affected by an increase in the geomorphic activity of the sea due to a shorter sea-ice season. During the next few decades, the described trend of environmental-landscape transformation will continue unless the climate cools down. In the case of a progressive warming, the extensive tongues of big glaciers will first retreat and then disappear. The main result of that would be an expansion of non-glacial landscape, vegetation and animal life to the east, into the currently glaciated peninsula’s interior. On the basis of repeated vegetation mapping, significant changes in composition and extent of several plant communities were documented. Decrease in species diversity, leading to a more uniform vegetation, has been observed mainly in dry habitats. In some cases boundaries between plant communities that were clear in the 1980s, have now vanished. Fruticose epigeic lichens, like Flavocetraria nivalis, Cladonia rangiferina, and other species of Cladonia have disappeared from the most part of the study area and their extent is now limited to steep rocky slopes. In some communities increase in abundance of Salix polaris was recorded. The main cause of vegetation changes in Sorkapp Land is the rapidly growing reindeer population in the area.