Liverwort Flora Research Articles

A Model of Southern Sikhote-Alin Liverwort Flora and a New Approach to Analyze the Altitudinal Distribution Patterns in the Zov Tigra National Park (South of the Russian Far East, Temperate Pacific Asia)

The liverwort flora in Zov Tigra National Park in southern Sikhote-Alin (Primorye Territory, south of the Russian Far East), which has one of the richest regional floras, was studied to assess its taxonomic diversity, and analyzed using a new approach to determine altitudinal distribution patterns. This new approach is based on probabilistic models of the altitudinal distribution of individual taxa proposed for identifying altitudinal groups of species. This method can be used to analyze patterns of the distribution of species of various taxonomic groups in cases where a sufficiently representative dataset is available and may be especially relevant in regions where altitudinal zonation is not obvious or changes in the altitudinal fractions of the dominant vegetation are too continuous. The proposed method revealed three altitudinal groups that were more clearly differentiated than groups of taxa based on altitudinal vegetation belts. Based on the obtained results, the most important bioclimatic indices correlated with the altitudinal distribution of liverworts were identified: annual mean temperature (BIO1), annual precipitation (BIO12), isothermality (BIO3), and factors associated with the temperature and amount of precipitation during the warmest period of the year, including the maximum temperature of the warmest month (BIO5), the mean temperature of the wettest quarter (BIO8), the mean temperature of the warmest quarter (BIO10), precipitation during the wettest month (BIO13), precipitation during the wettest quarter (BIO16), and precipitation during the warmest quarter (BIO18). This study reports 130 species, 1 variety, and 1 subspecies. Pseudolophozia debiliformis and Scapania praetervisa are newly recorded for Sikhote-Alin and the Primorye Territory. Diplophyllum albicans and Cephaloziella rubella are newly reported for the Primorye Territory. The national park liverwort flora can be classified as boreal–temperate circumpolar–East Asian. Given the high taxonomic diversity and coverage of all altitudinal zones represented in the region, the liverwort flora in Zov Tigra National Park can serve as a model for all liverwort floras in southern Sikhote-Alin.

Liverwort (Marchantiophyta) and Hornwort (Anthocerotophyta) Flora of Yenice District (Çanakkale): New Floristic Findings from the Northern Part of Mount Ida (Kaz Dağı)

The Yenice district of Çanakkale stands out due to its diverse land features, being part of the Kaz Dağı (Mount Ida), its expansive coniferous and deciduous forests, and its potential for high biological diversity and endemism. It also provides highly suitable habitats for liverworts. However, the absence of legally protected areas highlights the need for a detailed assessment of the region's biodiversity. Liverworts are key components of floristic biological richness. Nevertheless, studies on the liverwort flora in both Çanakkale province and Yenice district are quite limited. Based on these considerations, this study aimed to investigate the liverwort flora of the Yenice district. During the study, a total of 295 liverwort specimens were collected from 74 different sites representative of the district’s various regions. The collected specimens were identified using appropriate methods and preserved as herbarium material. As a result of the study, 29 liverwort species from 17 families and 1 hornwort species were identified from the area. Of the identified species, 7 taxa are new records for the B6 grid square according to Henderson’s grid system (1961), and 13 taxa are new records for Çanakkale province.

Novelties in the liverwort flora of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Novelties in the liverwort flora of Bosnia and Herzegovina

К флоре печеночников полуостровов Рыбачий и Средний (Мурманская область).

As part of the study of the flora of the Regional Natural Park “Rybachy and Sredny Peninsulas”, 20 species of liverworts were recorded that had not previously been found for these peninsulas. Among the newly discovered species is Eremonotus myriocarpus, a species listed in the Red Book of the Murmansk region and two species that are threatened in Europe (Moerckia blyttii, Lophoziopsis rubrigemma). Taking into account the latest taxonomic changes and new records, the flora of liverworts of the Rybachy and Sredny peninsulas counts now 111 species.

Another cup of Java—An updated checklist of hornworts and liverworts of Java

This represents an update to the 2010 checklist of all hornworts and liverworts reported for Java. The checklist includes i) new information published since 2010, ii) previously overlooked historical literature as well as iii) corrected unintentional mistakes that were published in 2010. We now report that the hornwort and liverwort flora of Java consists of 608 known and accepted species as well as several invalid names that we can not place to any taxon. The updated checklist includes 35 recorded species that are considered dubious and another 157 species are excluded from the flora of Java.

New Updates on the Distribution of Scapania umbrosa (Schrad.) Dumort. (Scapaniaceae, Marchantiophyta) in Pacific Asia

The distribution of liverworts in the North Pacific is still poorly understood. Scapania umbrosa, which is rare in Asia, was first recorded during the study of the liverwort flora of the Commander Islands (the westernmost Aleutians). The results of the molecular genetic analysis not only confirmed that the specimen belonged to Scapania umbrosa but also demonstrated the genetic specificity of the discovered population in comparison with the European, Siberian, and Alaskan populations. The island population of Scapania umbrosa is likely a recently diverged isolate of the species. Previously reported data on the distribution of Scapania umbrosa in the Russian Far East from Kamchatka and Kunashir (VBGI Herbarium), as well as from Sakhalin and Southern Primorye (reported in GBIF), are based on misidentifications. Morphological descriptions, distinguishing characters, line drawings, and photographs of Scapania umbrosa based on the collected material are provided.

Bryophytes of Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve, Western Australia

Context Although the vascular flora of Western Australia is renowned for high species diversity and endemism, very little is known about the state’s moss and liverwort flora. Aims In 1984 we conducted surveys of bryophytes in Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve. Methods We searched comprehensively for bryophytes at seven major habitats on the Reserve, collecting voucher specimens subsequently identified with modern literature and with the help of Australian bryophyte experts. We updated the text to reflect modern taxonomy and considering modern literature on phytogeography and hypotheses associated with OCBIL (Old, Climatically Buffered, Infertile Landscapes) theory. Key results A total of 38 species of mosses representing 25 genera from 13 families were identified along with 10 species of liverworts representing nine genera and six families. Two moss species (Distichium inclinatum and Tortella dakinii) were previously unknown from Western Australia. Another represented a new species (Pleurophascum occidentale) in a heretofore monotypic genus, family, and order. The Pottiaceae, with 11 species, was the most diverse family of mosses. The Lepidoziaceae, with three species, was the most diverse family of liverworts. Conclusions Lower levels of endemism in bryophytes versus vascular plants may reflect the bryophytes’ capacity for wide and long-distance dispersal of spores and fragments. Bryophyte diversity and endemism may be less than on extensive OCBILs because much of the Reserve emerged from the ocean as recently as the mid-Pleistocene. Implications This, the first listing published of bryophytes on a Reserve in WA, indicates the potential rewards for further survey of mosses and liverworts.

Sphaerocarpos ibericus sp. nov. (Sphaerocarpaceae), a new European liverwort species that includes S. stipitatus auct. eur. non Lindenb.

ABSTRACT Introduction Specimens of Sphaerocarpos collected during 2022 from the central Iberian Peninsula did not match any previously known species of this genus. Examination of other herbarium material revealed three identical specimens from three different localities in Spain. These were also morphologically identical to Portuguese specimens previously identified as S. stipitatus, a southern hemisphere and Himalayan species that in fact is different from these Portuguese plants. Methods The morphology of the newly collected specimens was compared with that of the known European species plus descriptions of South African plants of Sphaerocarpos stipitatus. A phylogenetic analysis based on the nuclear gene 26S and plastid psbA and rbcL regions was performed to investigate its relationships in the genus. Key results and conclusions Based on morphological and molecular data, we describe the plant as a new species of bryophyte, Sphaerocarpos ibericus M.Infante, Luceño, Quirós-de-la-Peña, Míguez, J.Muñoz & Heras, hitherto an Iberian endemic. It is diagnosed by having cylindrical female involucres with a partially bistratose wall whose inner cells are finger-like and arranged in more-or-less definite ribs in the medial part of the involucre, and the distal part of its spores covered with complete areolae larger at the centre of the spores than on their sides, gradually becoming incomplete and with the remaining lamellae transforming into ridges towards the line where the individual spores of the tetrad are joined. According to published illustrations, Portuguese specimens identified as S. stipitatus pertain indeed to the new species, and therefore S. stipitatus auct. eur. non Lindenb. should be removed from the European liverwort flora.

Материалы к флоре печеночников хребта Сетте-Дабан (Восточная Якутия, Россия)

The Sette-Daban Range, about 650 km long, is the southernmost part of theVerkhoyansk Mountains System. The only information on the liverworts of the range so far has been based on the results of field research 2000–2001. The bedrock of the Sette-Daban Range consists mainly of limestone and dolomites, while the rest of the Verkhoyansk Mountains System is composed of acid rocks. Because of this, the flora of the liverworts of the Sette-Daban Range differs significantly in its species. The present research was carried out in 2015–2017 in the basins of the Vostochnaya Handyga and Sakkyryr rivers using the route method in different habitats throughout the vertical profile. The annotated list describes the growth conditions of each species and indicates the structures associated with reproduction. A total of 44 species were identified. Of these, Apopellia alpicola and A. megaspora are new for Yakutia, 22 species are new to the flora of the Sette-Daban Range, seven species are rare in the territory of Yakutia or in the mountains of the northeast of the republic (Arnellia fennica, Eocalypogeia schusteriana, Frullania subarctica, Lejeunea alaskana, Mannia triandra, Sauteria alpina, Scapania sphaerifera). Eocalypogeia schusteriana, Mannia triandra, and Scapania sphaerifera are included in List of Russian Protected Species, Lejeunea alaskana — in the Red Data Book of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). At present, 69 species are known for the liverwort flora of the Sette-Daban Range. Sette-Daban is the habitat and conservation area of many basiphilic and calcephilic liverworts, rarely found in the Verkhoyansk and Chersk Mountain systems.

Liverworts of Magadan: Life on the Edge of Beringia

Magadan Province, located on the southwestern edge of Greater Beringia, combines various floristic elements in its flora, including Beringian and circum-boreal species. The geographic position and habitat diversity of Magadan Province predicts its liverwort flora is one of the richest hemiarctic floras in Asia. The distribution of species throughout the region is uneven, and while its southern part shows close connections with the suboceanic floras of Kamchatka, the middle and central parts are clearly related to the floras of Chukotka, where the Beringian land bridge directly lies in the past. The wide distribution of basic rocks here leads to the existence of a significant complex of basiphylous taxa. A total of 214 taxa (including 205 species and nine varieties) are reported in the present paper. The study of liverworts of Magadan Province should be continued and several new additions to the floral list are highly likely.

<i>Riccia stenophylla</i> (Ricciaceae: Marchantiophyta), new to the Eastern Ghats of India

Riccia stenophylla was earlier known from the American Continents and was first recorded for Asia by Athira and Daniels (2022) from the Southern Western Ghats. The current report is from the Sirumalai Hills which is an addition to the liverwort flora of the Eastern Ghats. A detailed description of the species with images and a distribution map are provided.

Sporophyte frequency in British dioicous liverworts

ABSTRACT Introduction The extent and causes of variation in sporophyte production among British dioicous liverworts are assessed. Methods Reproductive attributes of dioicous species are taken from Paton’s The Liverwort Flora of the British Isles (1999). The extent to which sporophyte production is potentially restricted by low levels of sex expression, unbalanced phenotypic sex ratios, and probable spatial segregation of the sexes, is quantified. Patterns of variation in sexual reproduction are also characterised for species associated with different biogeographical zones in Europe. Results Of the 188 British liverwort species that are dioicous (62%), sporophytes are unknown in 65, rare in 58, occasional in 50 and frequent in 15. Some species are not or rarely sexually reproductive, but major causes of restricted sexual reproduction are sexual imbalance and probable isolation of the sexes. Among species with skewed sex ratios, female bias is substantially more common than male bias. Sporophyte frequency is relatively high among species widely distributed in temperate and boreal Europe, compared with taxa associated with other climatic zones, including the oceanic fringe. Conclusions Restricted sporophyte production implies that asexual reproduction and clonal longevity are critical for the persistence of many liverworts. Further insights will require field surveys of patterns of sex expression and sporophyte distribution, together with information on reproductive plasticity, genotypic sex ratios, and levels of genetic diversity and structure.

Marsupella subemarginata (Gymnomitriaceae, Marchantiophyta) Newly Found in the Carpathians in the Polish and Slovak Tatras

Abstract Marsupella subemarginata Bakalin & Fedosov is a semi-cryptic Eurasian species. Recently, it has been found in the Far East (Kamchatka and Japan) and Swiss Alps, as well as the Giant Mountains (Sudetes, Czech Republic). The plant was also observed in the Carpathians for the first time. A revision of the herbarium collections of M. emarginata (Ehrh.) Dumort. consisting of 102 specimens from the Polish and Slovak Tatra Mountains revealed the occurrence of M. subemarginata at 24 localities, eight of which were in the Polish Tatras. Most of the localities of this species were concentrated in the High Tatras, and only four sites were discovered in the Western Tatras. Marsupella subemarginata has been briefly characterized morphologically and illustrated. The habitat requirements of the species have been described in detail, and the floristic composition of its phytocoenoses has been shown in a phytosociological table consisting of 10 relevés. Marsupella subemarginata is a valuable addition to the liverwort flora of Poland and Slovakia, which currently consist of 241 and 232 species, respectively. Currently, the liverwort flora of the Tatras comprises 195 species, including 185 species in Poland and 186 species in Slovakia.

Liverworts of the South Kamchatka Nature Park: Survival in Active Volcanism Land

Kamchatka, due to its position in hemiarctic northeast Asia on the migration pathways of taxa from Asia to America and vice versa, which has an insular geographical position and provides numerous pieces of evidence regarding current active volcanism, has a peculiar flora. The study of the liverwort flora of the southeastern part of the Kamchatka Peninsula (South Kamchatka Nature Park), which, until now, has been very poorly explored, showed high taxonomic richness and some specificity due to volcanic evidence. In total, 132 species have been recorded in this sector of the “Pacific Ring of Fire”. This number is quite high compared to other floras of hemiarctic Asia. The influence of volcanism on flora formation is prominent due to the regular renewal of substrates, the appearance of specific habitats (for example, thermal water outlets), the displacement of vegetation belts, and ashfalls leading to the presence of extended spaces free of vegetation cover and is an area that is open for invaders. The altitudinal zonality, despite the difference of 2000 m in elevation, is not clearly expressed in the flora of the liverworts: arctomontane species descend far down the altitudinal profile, reaching the Betula ermanii forests. The “plantless” uppermost belt in the mountains, commonly described in floristic studies of vascular plants, is not actually free of plants if liverwort occurrences are considered. A number of species normally occupy unusual habitats in the studied flora due to contemporary volcanism evidence, e.g., sulfur-rich substrates.

The Taxonomically Richest Liverwort Hemiboreal Flora in Eurasia Is in the South Kurils

The long coexistence of various floral elements, landscape diversity, and island isolation led to the formation of the richest Eurasian hemiboreal liverwort flora in the southern Kurils. This land that covers less than 5000 square kilometres and houses 242 species and two varieties of liverworts and hornworts. The flora ‘core’ is represented by hemiboreal East Asian and boreal circumpolar taxa. Other elements that have noticeable input in the flora formation are cool-temperate East Asian hypoarctomontane circumpolar and arctomontane. The distribution of some species is restricted to the thermal pools near active or dormant volcanoes or volcanic ash deposits; such species generally provide specificity to the flora. Despite the territorial proximity, the climate of each considered island is characterized by features that, in the vast majority of cases, distinguish it from the climate of the neighbouring island. The last circumstance may inspire the difference in the liverwort taxonomic composition of each of the islands. The comparison of the taxonomic composition of district floras in the Amphi-Pacific hemiarctic, boreal, and cool-temperate Asia revealed four main focal centres: East Kamchatka Peninsula and Sakhalin Island, the southern Sikhote-Alin and the East Manchurian Mountains, the mountains of the southern part of the Korean Peninsula, and the South Kurils plus northern Hokkaido. The remaining floras involved in the comparison occupy an intermediate position between these four centres.

A new liverwort and hornwort flora for the northern Andes

A new liverwort and hornwort flora for the northern Andes

Contribution to the biosystematic study of liverworts (Marchantiophyta) of Senegal: Case of Senegaleses herbaria and check-lists

The aim of this work is to contribute to a better knowledge of liverworts in the herbaria of Senegal in order to provide basic knowledge for a better sustainable management. This study is carried out in the firstly in the herbaria of the University Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar/Senegal: the herbarium of the Herbarium of the Institut Fondamental d'Afrique Noire (IFAN UCAD) and the herbarium DAKAR of the Department of Plant Biology of the Faculty of Sciences and Techniques. Secondly, a consultation of different checklists and databases was conducted to collect more information. This research work on the flora of liverworts is rich with nearly 39 species divided into 24 genera and 13 families. The order Jungermanniales is dominant in terms of families and the Porellales Jubulineae in terms of genera and species. The family Lejeuneaceae is in the majority in this flora before the families Ricciaceae, Plagiochilaceae and Metzgeriaceae. These results are important for the conservation of the environment and the development of the plant biodiversity of Senegal.

A catalogue of the hornworts and liverworts of Croatia

Alegro, A., Šegota, V. & Rimac, A. 2021. A catalogue of the hornworts and liverworts of Croatia. – Herzogia 34: 227–254. The amount of information on the hornwort and liverwort flora of Croatia has increased in the last decade due to new field records and detailed literature reviews. Based on these data, an updated list of the hornwort and liverwort taxa present in Croatia has been compiled and is presented here. Considering recent taxonomic and nomenclatural changes, five hornwort species, 156 liverwort species and seven infraspecific taxa are reported for the country. Additionally, 16 taxa are rejected with explanatory annotations. For each taxon, all the publications in which it is cited are listed in chronological order, along with the nomenclature originally used.

Two noteworthy ramicolous liverworts from Mount Roraima, Guyana: Frullania trigona and Metzgeria deniseana sp. nov.

Mount Roraima, at the geographical tripoint of Brazil, Guyana and Venezuela, is famous for its richness in rare and endemic species. Here we report two unusual ramicolous liverwort species from the north ridge of the mountain, located within the borders of the country of Guyana: Frullania (sect. Microphyllae) trigona and Metzgeria deniseana sp. nov. Frullania section Microphyllae is a group of ten species within subgenus Frullania, distributed in eastern Asia, Europe and tropical America, and characterized by the small dioicous plants with ocelli, caducous leaf lobes and tiny underleaves. Frullania trigona is one of the rarest species of the section and was only known from the type collection from Guadeloupe. It is recognized by the obclavate lobules with a very small mouth, leaf margins with protruding whitish trigones and the presence of a huge attachment cell at the dorsal leaf bases. The latter two features are unusual in Frullania and are unique to F. trigona. Metzgeria deniseana is a new member of the genus Metzgeria with saccate thallus lobes (= former genus Austrometzgeria) and stands out by the very irregular shaped sacs, varying from subglobose to strongly elongate, thallus margins with a wide and ill-defined border, and strongly convex gemmae with revolute margins. The discovery of Frullania trigona and Metgeria deniseana adds two further noteworthy species to the rich liverwort flora of Mount Roraima.

BRYOFLORA OF THE SHOSHONE NATIONAL FOREST, WYOMING. PART 1. A CATALOGUE OF MOSSES AND LIVERWORTS OF THE BEARTOOTH PLATEAU AREA

This work is the first in a series of catalogues on the bryophytes of the oldest National Forest of the USA, the Shoshone National Forest. Bordering Yellowstone National Park and being a part of the Greater Yellowstone System, the Forest has retained a wide spectrum of its pristine representative areas, which support a unique bryophyte flora. Based on over 4600 specimens, the catalogue of the bryophytes of the Wyoming's Beartooth Plateau, the northernmost territories of the Forest, has been produced. This bryoflora is composed of 282 species (45 liverworts and 237 mosses) in the study area, representing approximately 53% of the Wyoming bryophyte flora. The richness of the flora is due to the high diversity of habitats, caused by the geological history of this portion of the Central Rocky Mountains, location of the study area essentially in the subalpine and alpine belts, climatic and hydrologic features, and low anthropogenic disturbance. The high elevations and associated habitat conditions allow for many disjunct arctic-alpine species (approximately 25% in the bryophyte flora). Remarkable extensions of upper elevation limits for 72 taxa are registered. Fifteen species, two subspecies, and two varieties of liverworts, as well as 56 species and eight varieties of mosses have not previously been reported for Wyoming in Flora of North America and Synopsis of Liverwort Flora of North America North of Mexico. Thirty-nine taxa (five species of liverworts and 32 species and two varieties of mosses) are of potential conservation concern in Wyoming, including two rare species with Pacific coastal affinities, Philonotis yezoana Besch. & Cardot and Sphagnum miyabeanum Warnst., and one species of extreme northern habitats, Sciuro-hypnum glaciale (Schimp.) Ignatov & Huttunen, being a novelty for continental North America. Brachythecium erythrorrhizon Schimp. var. alpinum Kosovich-Anderson & Ignatov was recently described, using material collected as part of this study.