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The are three groups of islands in the Indian Ocean east of Africa, which are very different regarding their size, elevation, geological age and number of mosses and liverworts. Mauritius is situated 900 km E of Madagascar on 21°S and consists of volcanic rocks which originated about 8 million years ago. The island is relatively small, about 60 km from W to E and 80 km from N to S, and also relatively low with only a few mountains reaching 800 m altitude. Due to massive habitat destruction and deforestation, the natural forest is almost totally destroyed. Already Renauld (1897) stated "l'extension des cultures a forcément diminué la richesse de la vegetation spontanée". The lower altitudes are almost totally converted to sugar cane plantations. The largest semi-natural part of the island is the Black River National Park in the SW of the island, a high plateau with partial swampy forests, which is eroded by deep gorges. The SE flanks face the wind clouds and receive precipitation of up to 4000 mm or more. The NW parts are distinctly drier, particularly the higher mountains in the NW part of the Island (Le Pouce and Pieter Botha). The vegetation in the higher parts consists of a secondary growth of Sideroxylon bush which is partially forested with Pinus and Eucalyptus. A bryophyte flora of Mauritius was published by Tixier & Guého (1997), which is unfortunately no more available. The moss flora was treated by Frahm et al. (2009) and Een (2009). It consists of 238 species, as compared with 158 species of liverworts included in the checklist of the East African Island by Grolle (1995), updated by Wigginton (2009). (For comparison: Madagascar has 372, Réunion 260, Rodriguez 27, the Seychelles 108, the Comores 143 liverwort species). Réunion is situated 170 km E of Mauritius at the same latitude (between 20° and 21°S). It is with 2511 km2 only slightly larger as Mauritius but with 3069 m much higher. It is with 2 mya also much younger than Mauritius. Due to the steepness, natural habitats in the interior of the island are in a good state of conservation with the only exception of the coastal and lowland regions, which are densely populated. A checklist of the mosses and liverworts of Réunion was published by Ah-Peng & Bardat (2005), additional notes on the mosses by Frahm (2010). Mauritius and Réunion are comprised as the Mascarenes Islands. Further north are the Seychelles, which reach 4° S and thus almost the equator. They consists of 115 Islands, which are dispersed within 400.00 m2 in the Indian Ocean north of Réunion and Mauritius. They are usually divided into the Inner and Outer Islands. The Outer Islands comprise of the Amirantes; Alphonses; Farquhar Islands and Aldabra Islands. Only six species of mosses are known from some of the Aldabra Islands. The Inner Islands consists of 42 granitic islands and two coral islands (Bird Island, Denis Island). The granitic islands are part of the former Gondwana continent and have never been submerged during their geological history. After the split of the Gondwana continent, the Seychelles remained attached to India until 65 mya. Amongst the granitic islands, Mahé, Praslin, Silhoutte and La Digue are the largest and the most visited ones by bryologists, the others are much smaller.
The mediterranean vegetation is determined by a seasonal climate with hot and dry summers and cold and rainy winters. These contrasting seasons determine much the bryopohyte flora
by the way that part of the species are winter annual and show up only during the rainy seasons but diasappear over the summer. Therefore the best season for observing and collecting
bryophytes are the months January to March or April. As a consequence, a high percentage of mosses and liverworts are winter ephemerals, finishing its live cycle within two months such as many acrocarpous mosses, or „oversummer“ the dry period in dry state almost not visible such as many thalloid liverworts. This counts for the true mediterranean vegetation, which is found in the coastal areas around the Mediterranean Sea up to some hundred meters altitude, which is focussed in this books. The mountain areas as well as the temperate forests show a more temperate flora. Therefore the bryoflora of the higher regions is similar to that of Central Europe is is not concerned. Aim of this book is not to give an academic seminar on the ecology, altitudinal zonation, regional biodiversity or structural adaptation of mediterranean bryophytes nor to give
bibliographies for regional or complete (there is only one for liverworts) checklists or books for identifications but an illustrated guide to the mosses and liverworts of the Mediterranean with some comments on the species.
All the species of Chorisodontium recorded from the neotropical mountains (Bolivia –Costa Rica) have been critically revised. Three species, C. nigricans Herz, C. mittenii (C. Müll.) Broth. And C. wallisii (C. Müll.) Broth. Are accepted. Chorisodontium speciosum (Hook. F. & Wils. ) Broth. Is placed as a variety to C. wallisii.
The amino acid content (alanine/arginine, glutamine, proline, taurine) of five different lichen species (Evernia prunastri, Hypogymnia physodes, Parmelia sulcata, Physcia adscendens, Xanthoria parietina) from different parts of Germany and NW France with different atmospheric nitrogen depositions was determined.
The study revealed that the so called nitrophytic lichen species (Physcia adscendens, Xanthoria parietina) had no higher amino acid contents as compared with the other species. The amino acid contents of five different lichen species from the same tree varied without regard to the nitrophily of the species. The contents of amino acids of the lichen species studied from Bonn is four to twelve times higher as in the same species in the Vosges Mountains, France. The amount of amino acids in nitrophytic species (Xanthoria parietina, Physcia adscendens) from a region with high load of atmospheric nitrogen (35 kg/y/ha) is in average 5 times higher than in the same species from a region with low nitrogen immission (16 kg/y/ha).
It can be concluded that the amino acid contents of lichens reflects the atmospheric nitrogen load and that the amino acid content of so called nitrophytic lichen species is not higher as in other species, that lichens are passive sampler and take up the available nitrogen but make no use of it but store it as amino acids. On the other hand, the conductivity of the cell liquid (as a measure of the osmotic pressure) of nitrophytic lichen species is higher as compared with non-nitrophytic species. Thus the “nitrophily” of these species is presumably not based upon the facility to higher nitrogen uptake but osmotic tolerance against the salt effects of nitrogen compounds. Within nitrophytic species, the osmotic values of Phaeophyscia orbicularis are double as high as those from Physcia adscendens, which is explained by the higher tolerance of Phaeophyscia against dry deposition. The higher osmotic values of nitrophilous lichen species lead to the conclusion that they are also drought resistant species and occur in regions with low humidity where they are more competitive than other lichen species.
Coscinodon humilis was described by Milde from mica schist in the Passeiertal NE Merano (formerly southern Tyrolia in Austria, hence cited as Austria by Greven 1995. now Alto Adige in Italy). Limpricht (1890) regarded it as “verkümmerte Form von C. cribrosus”, and although Mönkemeyer (1927) still cited it, the species got forgotten by the time. Thus the species was no more mentioned by Corley et al (1981) in the European checklist and therefore no more included by Frey et al. (1995) in the German edition of the “Moos- und Farnpflanzen Europas”. Greven (1995) re-established the species in his treatment of Grimmia (and related genera) in Europe. Therefore Frey et al. (2006) included the species, which was, however, not keyed out. Finally Hill et al. (2006) listed it again in the new European checklist as a good species.
Es werden 12 tropische Moosarten (alles nur Laubmoose) aufgeführt, welche in den Tropen (vorwiegend den Neotropen) eine geschlossene Verbreitung haben, in Europa aber nur lokal oder regional begrenzt vorkommen. Sie belegen die Möglichkeit der transkontinentalen Fernverbreitung von Moosen. Der Zeitpunkt als auch die Art und Weise der Verbreitung wird diskutieert.
The identity of Braunia alopecura (Brid.) Limpr. with Braunia secunda (Hook.) Bruch & Schimp.
(2013)
Braunia alopecura, originally regarded as species endemic to the Southern Alps, later known in addition from the the Cape Verde Islands and recently reported from the Indohimalaya, has revealed to be identical with the neotropical Braunia secunda. This is another case of an American species in the Southern Alps and in Europe in general, as well as an example of possible long distance dispersal.
The location of Ticino in the southern Alps with an altitudinal range from 200 to more than 3000 m generates a high biodiversity of bryophytes, however, in addition, a mixture of mediterranean elements (caused by mild temperatures), atlantic elements (caused by high precipitation) and especially insubrian elements (confined to the Southern Alps) has attracted many famous bryologists over the past 150 years and make this region to a real bryological hot spot. Six of the 7 insubrian species are mainly distributed in North America. Their presence in the Southern Alps is correlated with a certain geological formation and their origin is not clear.
Thalloid liverworts with unistratose thallus margins are easily determined as Aneura maxima, which shall be identified by this character. However, forms of Pellia epiphylla and P. endiviifolia grown under humid conditions can have an unistratose undulate thallus margin and thus confused with the latter. Pellia species can, however, be distinguished from Aneura by the presence of slime hairs vz. slime papillae, which are described and illustrated here.
Hot spots are characterized by the occurrence of „hot“ species, rare, endangered, phytogeographically (for example highly disjunct) or ecologically interesting species (for example heavy metal species). The Apuanian Alps (ital. Alpi Apuani) are a place of extraordinary botanical and also bryological interest. Although situated far from the west coast of Europe, many atlantic species are found there, which have isolated occurrences and show up next in Asturias, Macaronesia. Ireland or Scotland. Representative of the oceanic element in the bryoflora are Dumortiera hirsuta, Lejeunea lamacerina, Lophocolea fragrans, Plagiochila exigua, P. bifaria, Saccogyna viticulosa, Harpalejeunea ovata and Marchesinia mackaii, supplemented by ferns such as Trichomanes speciosum and Hymenophyllum tunbrigense (Cortini-Pedrotti et al. 1992). Reasons for the presence of such species in Italy are the extraordinary climatic conditions. Situated directly along the Meditrerranean Sea, the climate is mild and due to depressions in the gulf of Genova, the rain is caught by the mountains resulting in a high precipitation of about 1400 at the foot of the region and more than 3000 mm in the summit region. This does, however, not explain whether these species are relics from the Tertiary or dispersed from the W-coast of Europe after the Pleistocene glaciations.