BRYOLOGICAL TIMES 126 NOW ON THE IAB-WEBSITE

I am pleased to inform you that a new issue of “The Bryological Times”
has now been published on our website and I hereby use the opportunity
to thank all those who contributed to this issues.

You can download the Bryological Times (also past issues) by clicking on image above and using your User-ID and password that you received from the webmaster.

As decided during the IAB-Council Meeting in Vienna (August 2005),
members wishing to obtain a paper copy of the BT via regular mail should
pay 10 USD on top of their membership fee.

Cordially,


Geert Raeymaekers
Editor “The Bryological Times”

The IAB World Congress 2009 in South Africa: an update

The dates for our South Africa meeting have been set for 16-20 August 2009.
Participants should arrive on 15 August. This is a change from the tentative dates announced earlier because those dates were in conflict with the start of school in many northern hemisphere universities.
Terry Hedderson will be making a full, detailed announcement soon, but informed me that he is constructing a draft scientific programme with the following major themes.

• African Bryology
• Bryophyte Biology (A general session)
• Evolutionary Community Ecology
• Conservation Biology
• Phylogeny & Systematics
• Phylogeography & Biogeography

We will keep you informed through Bryonet and the IAB-website

Bryophyte classes at the Jepson Herbarium this spring

BRYONET

Dear all,

The Jepson Herbarium is again teaching bryophyte classes in 2009. To
register for one or both of these classes, see:
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/workshops/2009/regform_2009.html

_____________________________________________

Intermediate Bryology

February 21 =96 22, 2009

Brent Mishler and Ken Kellman

Location: Valley Life Sciences Building, UC Berkeley
This two-day class will build upon the skills taught in the Jepson
Herbarium introductory bryology class (or equivalent preparation
elsewhere). Specifically, we will work towards genus recognition of
all California mosses and liverworts, and use more advanced keys than
those used in the beginner's class. Emphasis will be on the bryoflora
of the central coast, but participants are encouraged to bring their
own collections to work on. Lecture time will be kept to a minimum,
so that students will be able to maximize time in the lab working with
microscopes collaboratively on plants. There will be no field trip.

Participants will be expected to know beginning dissection techniques,
and to understand basic bryophyte biology and morphology. Completion
of the beginner's class is strongly recommended. Participants should
bring the Norris and Shevock "Key to the Mosses" (Madro=F1o vol. 51,
issue 2) and Doyle and Stotler "Keys and Annotated species Catalogue
for Liverworts and Hornworts" (Madro=F1o vol. 53, issue 2). Copies can
be purchased in advance from Heather Driscoll, Corresponding Secretary
for the California Botanical Society (email:

or phone: (510) 643-7008), or, can be purchased at the workshop.

Ken Kellman is a Field Associate at the California Academy of Sciences
who has been studying bryophytes since 1995. Ken has published a
catalog of the Mosses of Santa Cruz County California and is currently
working on a Catalog of the Bryophytes of Monterey County. He is
largely self-taught, which puts him in the position of understanding
how to teach and encourage beginning bryologists.

Brent D. Mishler is Director of the University and Jepson Herbaria as
well as Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology, where he
teaches systematics and plant diversity. He received his Ph.D. from
Harvard University in 1984. His research interests are in the
systematics, evolution, and ecology of bryophytes, especially the
diverse moss genus Tortula, as well as in the phylogeny of green
plants and the theory of systematics.

Course fee ($235/$260)

_____________________________________________

Grimmia

February 28 =96 March 1, 2009

Roxanne Hastings

Location: Valley Life Sciences Building, UC Berkeley
The genus Grimmia is the most diverse and abundant group of moss to
inhabit the higher and dryer parts of western North America. Given
California's diverse rocky landscape it is not surprising that it has
the highest species richness and the most number of endemic Grimmia to
be found anywhere in the world! Grimmia form an important component of
the saxicolous bryoflora and their abundance and diversity means that
they cannot be easily ignored. However, Grimmia species have a
notorious reputation for being difficult to recognize, in part because
they can only be identified with a compound microscopic, but also
because most species are separated by a suite of intergrading relative
characters. This makes using dichotomous keys unreliable and
needlessly difficult. The key to identifying Grimmia is to toss away
the keys and use a series of tables. Once the genus is broken into
four easily recognized subgenera, identification can be rapidly and
reliably accomplished by comparing a diversity of characters with the
tables. This workshop will focus on learning the key characters of
Grimmia that are critical to using the tables and on how to chop up a
Grimmia specimen to maximize the probability of correct identification
with as few steps as possible.

Roxanne Hastings is the Curator of Botany at the Royal Alberta Museum.
She received her Masters in Plant Ecology from the University of
Alberta (1984) and her current research focuses on moss systematics
and floristic biogeography as related to continental drift and the
structure of ancient continental landscapes. She has contributed
treatments of Grimmia and Coscinodon to the Bryophyte Flora of North
America, and has published five new species in the Grimmiaceae and one
new lichen taxon. Currently Roxy is working on several new treatments
of Grimmia from California.

Course fee ($235/$260)

In celebration of Dr. John J. Engel: A tribute to 40 years in bryology

BRYONET

Dear colleagues,

We wish to share a special occasion.

On the 10th of December, John Engel (Curator, Botany), was presented
with a Festschrift volume of Fieldiana entitled "In celebration of Dr.
John J. Engel: A tribute to 40 years in bryology". The volume was in
recognition of an illustrious career spanning four decades and his
outstanding contribution to bryological research, which includes a
strong and active field program and 120 publications to date,
including the recently published 897 page first volume of the New
Zealand liverwort and hornwort flora. In the Festschrift there are 18
scientific papers on liverworts and hornworts by 34 authors,
representing 14 countries, as well as three biographic articles as
well as a full bibliography of John Engel's publications. For your
interest, the table of contents is provided below. Authors have PDF
files of their papers and we also have a limited number of volumes
available at request.

The papers cover a broad array of disciplines, including chemistry,
anatomy, cytology, life history, and physiology. The taxonomic studies
are particularly encouraging, with researchers utilizing large sets of
tools at their disposal in order to unravel species relationships,
including phylogenetic reconstructions based on molecular data and
morphometric analysis. The special volume includes a new genus and
several new species to science, with some of these named in the honour
of John Engel himself. The volume was made possible with the very kind
support of Michael Dillon (Chair, Botany Dept., The Field Museum),
Harold Voris (Chief Editor, Fieldiana, The Field Museum), and Lance
Grande (Senior Vice President, Collections and Research, The Field
Museum). The Festschrift was edited by Matt von Konrat and Sabine
Huhndorf (both Field Museum). We thank the many people, including
authors, reviewers, and assistants, especially Anders Hagborg and
Laura Briscoe (The Field Museum) who helped make this special volume a
success. We wish John another four decades of equally productive years
in Bryology!

Matt and Sabine

Table of Contents
Part One: Biographical Contributions
MATT VON KONRAT
Chapter One. John J. Engel: At the Field and in the Field, p.3
JOHN E. BRAGGINS
Chapter Two. A Letter from Down Under, p. 11
KAREN ENGEL, BETH ENGEL, AND LAURA ENGEL
Chapter Three. A Letter from the Family, p. 13

Part Two: Bryophyte Life History
HILARY A. MCMANUS AND YIN-LONG QIU
Chapter Four. Life Cycles in Major Lineages of Photosynthetic
Eukaryotes, with a Special Reference to the Origin of Land Plants, p.
17

Part Three: Liverwort Chemistry and Physiology
AGNIESZKA LUDWICZUK AND YOSHINORI ASAKAWA
Chapter Five. Distribution of Terpenoids and Aromatic Compounds in
Selected Southern Hemispheric Liverworts, p. 37
SILVIA PRESSEL, ROBERTO LIGRONE, AND JEFFREY G. DUCKETT
Chapter Six. The Ascomycete Rhizoscyphus ericae Elicits a Range of
Host Responses in the Rhizoids of Leafy Liverworts: An Experimental
and Cytological Analysis, p.59

Part Four: Liverwort Anatomy and Cytology
XIAOLAN HE-NYGRÉN AND PIRKKO HARJU
Chapter Seven. Pattern of Leaf Development in Schistochilaceae, p.75
MIN ZHENG AND RUI-LIANG ZHU
Chapter Eight. Karyological Studies on Some Liverworts from China and
Singapore, p.81

Part Five: Liverworts—Globally and Locally
MATT VON KONRAT, MATT RENNER, LARS SÖDERSTRÖM, ANDERS HAGBORG, AND JENS MUTKE
Chapter Nine. Early Land Plants Today: Liverwort Species Diversity and
the Relationship with Higher Taxonomy and Higher Plants, p. 91
LARS SÖDERSTRÖM, ANDERS HAGBORG, MATT VON KONRAT, AND MATT RENNER
Chapter Ten. Early Land Plants Today: Liverwort Checklist of Checklists, p.105

Part Six: Liverwort Floristics and Revisions—Asia and Australasia
JIŘàVÃÂŇA AND DAVID G. LONG
Chapter Eleven. Hamatostrepta concinna gen. et sp. nov.
(Jungermanniopsida, Scapaniaceae), a New Asiatic Leafy Liverwort From
the Sino-Burmese Border, p.133
TAMÃÂS PÓCS
Chapter Twelve. Bryophytes from the Fiji Islands, III. The Genus
Phaeolejeunea Mizut. (Lejeuneaceae), with Detailed Description of P.
amicorum (Hürl.) Pócs, stat. nov., p.139
TAMÃÂS PÓCS
Chapter Thirteen. Bryophytes from the Fiji Islands, IV. The Genus
Frullania Raddi (Jungermanniopsida), I. with Description of F.
vivipara Pócs, spec. nov., p.147
MATT A. M. RENNER AND ELIZABETH A. BROWN
Chapter Fourteen. Mnioloma (Calypogeiaceae: Jungermanniopsida) in
Australasia: How Many Species are There?, p. 159
DAVID GLENNY AND RUTH BARTLETT
Chapter Fifteen. A New Bazzania Species (Lepidoziaceae) from Stockton
Plateau, Nelson, South Island, New Zealand, p.175

Part Seven: Liverwort Floristics and Revisions—North and South America
JÖRN HENTSCHEL, PAUL G. DAVISON, AND JOCHEN HEINRICHS
Chapter Sixteen. Porella gracillima Mitt. (Jungermanniidae,
Porellaceae) in Tennessee, With an Illustrated Key to the Porella
Species of North America North of Mexico, p. 183
ROBBERT GRADSTEIN AND MICHAEL BURGHARDT
Chapter Seventeen. A New Species of Odontoschisma (Cephaloziaceae,
Marchantiophyta) from South America, p. 193
MICHAEL BURGHARDT AND ROBBERT GRADSTEIN
Chapter Eighteen. A Revision of Tylimanthus (Acrobolbaceae, Marchantiophyta) in
Tropical America, Africa, and Macaronesia, p. 199

Part Eight: Hornworts
BARBARA J. CRANDALL-STOTLER, RAYMOND E. STOTLER, WILLIAM T. DOYLE,
AND LAURA L. FORREST
Chapter Nineteen. Phaeoceros proskaueri sp. nov., a New Species of the
Phaeoceros hallii (Austin) Prosk.—Phaeoceros pearsonii (M. Howe)
Prosk. Complex and the Systematic Affinities of Paraphymatoceros
Hässel, p. 213
D. CHRISTINE CARGILL AND BRUCE A. FUHRER
Chapter Twenty. Taxonomic Studies of the Australian Anthocerotophyta
II: The Genus Phaeoceros, p. 239

Part Nine: Etymology
DAVID MEAGHER
Chapter Twenty-one. An Etymology of Australian Bryophyte Genera.
1—Liverworts and Hornworts, p. 257

--
Matt von Konrat, Ph.D.
Collections Manager (Bryophytes and Pteridophytes)
Department of Botany
The Field Museum
1400 South Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60605-2496,
U.S.A.
Phone: (312) 665-7864
Fax: 312 665-7158
Email: mvonkonrat@fieldmuseum.org

ELPT Project:
http://www.early-land-plants-today.org

Collections:
http://emuweb.fieldmuseum.org/botany/search_bryo.php



--
Matt von Konrat, Ph.D.
Collections Manager (Bryophytes and Pteridophytes)
Department of Botany
The Field Museum
1400 South Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60605-2496,
U.S.A.
Phone: (312) 665-7864
Fax: 312 665-7158
Email: mvonkonrat@fieldmuseum.org

ELPT Project:
http://www.early-land-plants-today.org

Collections:
http://emuweb.fieldmuseum.org/botany/search_bryo.php

Folia Cryptogamica Estonica now available

BRYONET

We have pleasure to inform you that the journal of Folia Cryptogamica
Estonica is now available on web at
<http://www.ut.ee/ial5/fce/index.html>.

The last number (fasc. 44) includes ten articles on bryology, the
majority of these are contributions from the participants of the last
ECCB conference in Romania in 2007.

The journal publishes papers on bryology, lichenology, mycology and
algology. It has international editorial board and the papers are peer
reviewed.

Manuscripts for the next number are welcome! The submission deadline for
the next number is April 1, 2009.

Orders for paper copies could be sent to: Estonian Naturalists' Society,
2 Struve St., 51003, Tartu, Estonia. This journal is also available on
exchange there.

Nele Ingerpuu, editor
University of Tartu
Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences
Department of Botany
Lai Str. 40, 51005 Tartu, Estonia
e-mail: Nele.Ingerpuu@ut.ee

Sphagnum fuscum not in Southern Hemisphere

Subject: RE: BRYONET: S. fuscum most important bryophyte?
Date: Wed, 10 Dec 2008 08:23:17 +1100
From: Rod Seppelt <Rod.Seppelt@aad.gov.au>

BRYONET

In reply to Ellen's questions regarding Sphagnum fuscum importance.
It is not in the southern hemisphere where Sphagnum, let alone peat
deposits, are not abundant. In Patagonia, it is probably Sphagnum
magellanicum that is the most important Sphagnum. In Australia and New
Zealand - no species really stands out.
I have seen it stated in the literature that S. fuscum is the most
significant peat former and may account for 45% of the Sphagnum peat.
What was the basis of this statement? I cannot answer that, but even in
the northern hemisphere where Sphagnum occurs in considerable
quantities, global statements need a lot more than broad statements.

Prof. Rod Seppelt,
Principal Research Scientist,
Australian Antarctic Division,
Channel highway,
Kingston 7050,
Tasmania, Australia
ph: +61 (03) 6232 3438
FAX: +61 (03) 6232 3449
e-mail: rod.seppelt@aad.gov.au

___________________________________________________________________________

Australian Antarctic Division - Commonwealth of Australia
IMPORTANT: This transmission is intended for the addressee only. If you
are not the
intended recipient, you are notified that use or dissemination of this
communication is
strictly prohibited by Commonwealth law. If you have received this
transmission in error,
please notify the sender immediately by e-mail or by telephoning +61 3
6232 3209 and
DELETE the message.
Visit our web site at http://www.antarctica.gov.au/
___________________________________________________________________________

Sphagnum fuscum carbon?

Subject: Re: BRYONET: S. fuscum most important bryophyte?
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2008 18:24:10 +0100
From: Ellen Dorrepaal <ellen.dorrepaal@ecology.falw.vu.nl>

BRYONET

Dear bryologists,
I would like to come back on the discussion whether Sphagnum fuscum is
the most important bryophyte or not. I agree that 'important' is a very
subjective measure, and as a peatland carbon cycling ecologist I mean
important in the terms suggested by Dick Andrus. For some time now, I
have been trying to find good references that deal with this at a global
scale, and although I have found several useful studies for individual
regions, I would still be very interested to know the
following:
What is the global importance of S. fuscum in terms of carbon fixation,
carbon stored, or maybe even in terms of (peat)land area covered? Is S.
fuscum the most important moss, or even peatmoss? Any ideas on this or
suggestions for literature dealing with this at a global or continental
scale are welcome.
Thanks,
Ellen

Ellen Dorrepaal
Post-Doctoral Researcher
Systems Ecology
Vrije Universiteit, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences
De Boelelaan 1085
1081 HV Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Tel. +31 20 5986961 / Fax +31 20 5987123
Ellen.Dorrepaal@ecology.falw.vu.nl

BBS image site

Subject: Re: BRYONET: identification pictures /suggestion
Date: Mon, 8 Dec 2008 23:01:25 -0000
From: Jonathan Sleath <jonathan.sleath@btinternet.com>

BRYONET

The British Bryological Society will shortly be publishing a field guide
to British bryophytes. This is a collaborative and evolving project
involving many of our members who have contributed brief written
accounts, drawings and digital images of approximately 350 mosses and
200 liverworts. The accounts and images are reviewed by the editors and
are also available on the field guide website for anybody who wishes
to contribute comments on the accounts or images. In essence they
represent an online identification resource created in the way suggested
by Norbert.

The pages are (mostly) available as pdf files via a dedicated website
that can be accessed via the BBS home page or at
http://hosting.sleath.co.uk/bbs/index.htm . Since they are pdfs you
wouldn't be able to locate them via a Google Image search. Each species
occupies one page. I think that they are currently in the process of
being updated so some of the pages are not available at the moment. You
can also see which species still require images and I'm sure the editors
would be grateful if anyone was willing to contribute images to fill in
the gaps.

best wishes

Jonathan

Jonathan Sleath
BBS Website Editor

80 mosses with Otzi

Subject: Re: BRYONET: Otzi The Ice Man
Date: Mon, 08 Dec 2008 11:17:04 +0100
From: Wolfgang Hofbauer <hofbauer@hoki.ibp.fhg.de>

BRYONET

Dear David,
actual there have been found more than 80 different mosses in
association with Ötzi. The six mosses you have mentioned were recovered
from his intestines. For further scientific reading please see also, e.g.:

Dickson, J.H. (2000): Bryology and the Iceman. In: Bortenschlager, S. &
Oeggl, K. (eds.): The Iceman and his Natural Environment. Springer,
Wien: 77-88.

Dickson, J.H. (2003): Low to Moderate Altitude Mosses at the Iceman Site
and their Significance. In: Fleckinger, A. (ed.): Die Gletschermumie aus
der Kupferzeit 2. Neue Forschungsergebnisse zum Mann aus dem Eis.
Folios. Schriften des Südtiroler Archäologiemuseums 3: 27-34.

Dickson, J.H., Bortenschlager, S., Oeggl, K., Porley, R., McMullen, A.
(1996): Mosses and the Tyrolean IcemanÂ's southern provenance.
Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 263: 567-571.

Dickson, J.H., Hofbauer, W., Kofler, W., Oeggl, K., Platzgummer, J.
(2005): How to find the bogmoss, Sphagnum imbricatum s.l., in South
Tyrol, Italy: Microscopically examine the Iceman´s colon contents.
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 14/3: 207-210.

Dicksond, J.H., Hofbauer, W., Porley, R., Schmidl, A., Kofler, W.,
Oeggl, K. (2009; published online 2008): Six mosses from the Tyrolean
Iceman´s alimentary tract and their significance for his ethnobotany and
the events of his last days. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 18/1:
13-22.

Best wishes!
Wolfgang

--

Dr.rer.nat. Wolfgang Hofbauer

Gruppenleiter Biologie
Abt. Bauchemie, Baubiologie und Hygiene

Fraunhofer-Institut für Bauphysik
Institutsteil Holzkirchen

Fraunhoferstraße 10
83626 Valley

eMail: hofbauer@hoki.ibp.fraunhofer.de
Telefon +49 (0)8024 / 643-219
Telefax +49 (0)8024 / 643-366

www.ibp.fraunhofer.de

So Be Free 2009

Subject: BRYONET: Re: SO BE FREE 14 - registration deadline in one week!
Date: Sat, 6 Dec 2008 12:02:21 -0800
From: Brent Mishler <BMishler@calmail.berkeley.edu>

BRYONET

A REMINDER -- NOTE THAT DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION IS DEC. 15th. -- ONE
WEEK TO GO!

The Fourteenth Annual
Spring Outing,
Botanical Excursion,
Foray, Retreat, and Escape to the Environment!

**** SO BE FREE 14 ****

Tuesday-Friday, 24-27th March, 2009
Central Sierra Nevada near Oakhurst, California

impresario: Brent Mishler
treasurer: Paul Wilson
fieldtrip scout: Jim Shevock

Founded in 1996, SO BE FREE is a series of West Coast forays
started by the Bryolab at UC Berkeley, but open to all botanists. The
main focus is on bryophytes, but we also encourage experts on other
groups to come along and smell the liverworts. We welcome specialists
and generalists, professionals and amateurs, master bryologists and
rank beginners. SO BE FREE is held each spring, somewhere in the
Western US, associated with spring break at universities. The usual
tradition is to have a four-day, three-night schedule with communal
meals, in inexpensive and remote locations. Evening slide shows and
informal talks are presented as well as keying sessions with
microscopes. In addition to seeing interesting wild areas and
learning new plants, important goals for SO BE FREE include keeping
West Coast bryologists (and friends) in touch with each other and
teaching beginners. For glimpses of the past outings, consult the SO
BE FREE web site: http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/bryolab/trips/sobefree.php

LOCATION THIS YEAR:
The 2009 SO BE FREE will be held in the lower elevations of the
central Sierra Nevada. The area offers great sites for montane
coniferous forest, oak woodland with rocky outcrops, chaparral, and
gorges of all sizes cut through granite by swiftly flow waters. We
will also visit a giant sequoia grove and a foothill woodland.
Bryophyte diversity will span a life-strategy range from California's
spring ephemerals to the brown mosses of continuously wet sites. The
wildflowers should be great too!
Beginning bryologists are welcome, and we are planning some
special activities for beginners, as well as serious fieldtrips that
will be exciting for the hard-core.
We will be based at Calvin Crest Conference Center, near
Oakhurst, California (not far from the south entrance of Yosemite
National Park, which will not visit during the Foray but a good choice
for a tourist trip before or afterwards). Fresno airport is ~60 miles
(1 hour and 20 minutes) away.
Calvin Crest is at 5,000 ft elevation, and has great facilities
(www.calvincrest.com
), with bryophytes right on the grounds there for the picking. Calvin
Crest will be providing eight meals starting with dinner on Tuesday
night and going through breakfast on Friday morning. For lodging, we
have several options: (1) Cedar Lodge (where our headquarters and
microscope room will be) has 22 hotel-style rooms each with a
bathroom, intended for 3-4 people per room, and linens are provided.
(2) The Apple Orchard is a group of 4 cabins with 8 bunk beds per
cabin to be occupied by students and other destitute individuals who
bring their own linens. (3) You may engage your own motel/lodge in or
near Oakhurst (although we do not encourage this option -- Cedar Lodge
is quite nice, probably the best accommodations we have ever had for
SO BE FREE). (4) You may camp nearby (we really don't encourage this
option, but it is there for the truly destitute). Calvin Crest is
completely surrounded by Sierra National Forest.
Registration details are below. Registrations and deposits are
due by 15 December 2008 (and housing will be reserved on a first-come,
first-served basis). All registration is being handled by Paul
Wilson, so please do not contact Calvin Crest directly. Paul has
already had to pay 20% down for reserving Calvin Crest, so (1) if you
can pay the full balance by 15 December, that would be great, (2) or
if you must, Paul will accept a non-refundable deposit of $80 with the
full balance due at the event. If you do not register by 15 December,
then an additional $50 late fee will be charged if we are still able
to accommodate you at all, which seems problematic since Calvin Crest
needs a head-count three months in advance. Please fill out the
following registration form and return by paper mail. Further details
will be sent to those who register.
******************************************************************************
SO BE FREE 14 24-27 MARCH, 2009 Sierra Nevada near
Oakhurst, CA
Name: ____________________________
Date: _____________________________
Address: __________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
Phone No: _________________
email: _____________________
Room and board (facility fee and copying fees included):
[ ] Bed in Cedar Lodge, room shared among a few acquaintances, linens
included: $150 for 3 nights, 8 meals
[ ] Bunk in the Apple Orchard for students and others claiming
poverty, bring your own sheets, sleeping bag, towel, etc.: $80 for 3
nights, 8 meals
[ ] Meals and facility fees only; you're on your own with motels,
camping, or whatever: $100 for 8 meals, facility fee, copying fees; or
$50 for the one day and $25 for each subsequent day
We really encourage everyone to eat with the group, as this is part of
the magic of SO BE FREE. But if you insist:
[ ] Facility fees only; you're on your own for housing and all food:
$35 for 3 days.

**************************************************************************
Checks should be made out to Paul Wilson and sent to:
Paul Wilson
Department of Biology
California State University, Northridge
Northridge, CA 91330-8303
email: paul.wilson@csun.edu - phone 818-677-2937

Otzi in National Geographic

Subject: BRYONET: Otzi The Ice Man
Date: Fri, 5 Dec 2008 10:08:10 -0500
From: David DuMond <daviddumond@windstream.net>

BRYONET

It appears that at least six species of mosses have been found in
association with Otzi, the 5300 frozen mummy from Tyrol in the Italian
Alps found. Otzi has commonly been referred to as the Iceman. I have
found the Otzi saga quite interesting to follow since his first
discovery in 1991.

A recent article in National Geographic recounts these bryological
finds.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/12/081204-iceman-moss.html

wrong ID on web pictures

Subject: SV: BRYONET: identification pictures /suggestion [SEC=Unclassified]
Date: Fri, 5 Dec 2008 10:07:35 +0100
From: Tomas Hallingbäck <tomas.hallingback@artdata.slu.se>

BRYONET

Hii
On the web I often see wrongly identified specimens.
To make web pages with bryophyte pictures within a short time causes
problems for others.
I suspect that people gladly publish pictures without a thorough checking
the identification of the species.
When I take pictures for our illustrated Nordic Moss flora I always keep a
voucher specimen for each picture.
This is very useful when someone is questioning the correctness of the
identification.
I admit that I have made a couple of mistakes because some species are
difficult to identify without a careful checking of several details under
the microscope.
I am in favor of first of all a high correctness of the determination of the
taxon before publishing it on the internet.
Tomas

Tomas Hallingback
Bryologist
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
ArtDatabanken
P. O. Box 7007
SE-750 07 Uppsala
SWEDEN

record size starch & altitude

Subject: BRYONET: record size starch
Date: Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:32:48 -0500
From: Janice M. Glime <jmglime@mtu.edu>

BRYONET

As an addition to the bryophytic records suggested, I have attached an article
from the Bryological Times 37 (May 1986) with a suggested record for the size of
starch grains. The same issue also suggests an altitudinal record for
bryophytes, liverworts, and lichens of 5750-6060 m on the Chile-Argentina
border. Unfortunately, no species is named.
--
*****************************************
Dr. Janice Glime, Professor Emerita
President of IAB; Manager of Bryonet
(Michigan Technological University)
219 Hubbell St.
Houghton, MI 49931 USA
email: jmglime@mtu.edu
phone: 906-482-1610
fax: 906-487-3167
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Mitochondrial evolution of bryophytes

BRYONET
Dear all,

I am presently doing a molecular phylogeny of the genus Dicranum Hedw.
(Dicranaceae) and I'm looking for mitochondrial genes to be sequenced.

It is known that the chondriome exibits duplication, replication
...that make the information difficult to be interpreted and that's
why, among others, people prefere to sequence plastid genes.

But publications related to this subject are all about tracheophytes
and I wondering if bryophyte chondriome works like tracheophyte
chondriome ?? Do you know publications related to this ?

Thanks in advance,

Amélie

Amélie PICHONET

PhD Student, Teaching Assistant
National Museum of Natural History
Departement of Systematique and Evolution, Bryology Team
Case 39, 57 rue Cuvier
75005 Paris - France
Tel : 00 33 1 40 79 31 88
Fax : 00 33 1 40 79 35 94

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BRYONET

Dear Amelie,

I have used mtDNA markers during my PhD thesis.
I have used rps3, nad5 and nad4-5 spacer

They have proven to be quite useful and show good variation. The use of
mtDNA is not uncommon in phylogenetic studies of mosses.
I will check the references and will send it to you soon (I am not in my
office right now).
Best Regards

Paulo Camara, PhD.
Missouri Botanical Garden, PoBox 299
Saint Louis, MO. USA. 63130
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BRYONET

Dear Amélie,

I greatly recommend the papers summarised at
http://izmb.de/knoop/papers.htm as my supervisor Volker Knoop and his
research group (then in Ulm, now in Bonn, Germany) were the first to
introduce mitochondrial loci for bryophyte phylogeny in 1999.
The mitochondrial genomes in bryophytes (and in plants in general) are
known to have very conserved gene sequences with sometimes highly
varying gene order, that's why only few intergenic spacer regions are
conserved within and between liverworts, mosses and hornworts, the
nad5-nad4 spacer being one of them. As the genes do not exhibit much
variation, introns are the preferred target such as the second
nad5-intron in mosses, that is widely used for phylogenetic studies in
mosses and liverworts.
For genus phylogeny you intend to do I would rather go for mitochondrial
introns and spacer regions.

Best wishes,

Ute.


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Ute Wahrmund
Abt Molekulare Evolution
IZMB - Institut für Zelluläre
und Molekulare Botanik
Universität Bonn
Kirschallee 1, 53115 Bonn
Tel: 0228/736523 Fax: 0228/736557
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