Species distribution models (SDMs) rely on the concept of niche theory that suggests that individual species live within definable ranges of environmental conditions. Comparisons of SDMs between species can help further the understanding of competitive exclusion and niche differentiation. SDMs were created for Erioderma pedicellatum, E. mollissimum, Pectenia plumbea and Pannaria lurida, four sympatric species that occur in Nova Scotia, Canada. Logistic regression was used to create SDMs using nine environmental explanatory variables and presence of the modeled species as the response variable. There was significant overlap in environmental space between species, but each species tended to occupy a unique combination of environmental attributes. The Erioderma pedicellatum model from this study suggests this species occurs in cooler wet climate at mid-elevations in older closed canopy coniferous forest. Results from this study indicate Erioderma mollissimum occurs in old to mature deciduous forests at low to mid-elevation in warm, moderately wet climates. Pectenia plumbea tended to be found at low to mid-elevations in areas with moderately cool temperature with mid to high mean annual precipitation. Pannaria lurida tended to occupy mature to old forests occurring in areas with mid-range mean annual precipitation at higher elevations. Since this study examined a relatively small number of environmental variables, further study at different scales and with more extensive datasets would likely reveal further insights into competitive exclusion among these four cyanolichens.

During a study of the genus Mazosia in China, a new species, named here M. weii, was found. Its position was found to be supported by molecular data of the mtSSU and nuLSU markers. The new species is characterized by a pilose thallus with brown verrucae and 3-septate ascospores measuring 22.5–35 × 4–6.25 µm. The morphological, anatomical and chemical characteristics are described in detail and a key to Mazosia with pilose thalli is added.

Long considered one of the best examples of a moss endemic to the Blue Ridge Escarpment of the Southern Appalachian Mountains, “Mnium carolinianum” has been reduced to synonymy with the widespread pantropical Plagiomnium rhynchophorum. It therefore joins a number of other bryophytes and ferns that represent tropical species disjunct to the moderated microenvironments provided by the deep gorges of these high-rainfall mountains. Our evidence from starch gel electrophoresis of isozymes and sequencing of both chloroplast (rps4 and rpL16) and nuclear (ITS2) DNA supports this taxonomic decision originally proposed by Timo Koponen but largely ignored in recent checklists and floras. A similar situation prevails in Hawaii, where plants previously referred to P. rostratum also proved to be P. rhynchophorum. Both of these species are allopolyploids, expressing fixed heterozygosity at diagnostic loci. Although more extensive sampling of populations and additional genetic markers are desirable, it is clear that P. rhynchophorum combines the genomes of P. maximoviczii and P. integrum, whereas P. rostratum combines the genomes of P. vesicatum and P. integrum. This conclusion is congruent with morphological evidence, which shows the allopolyploids are intermediate or combine diagnostic characters of the progenitor haploids.

The lichen family Parmeliaceae is among the best studied groups of lichens. Canoparmelia amazonica, Myelochroa lindmanii, and Parmelinella salacinifera are species of Parmeliaceae that have yet to be studied in detail with molecular methods. This study used analyses of ITS sequences to examine the phylogenetic position of these three species. Canoparmelia amazonica and M. lindmanii were recovered within Parmelinella rather than the genera to which they are currently assigned. While for the P. salacinifera we confirmed its phylogenetic position within the genus. Chemical and morphological descriptions of species are provided, generic placement is discussed, and new combinations are proposed as needed. These results highlight the need for morphological revision of the delimitation of Parmelinella, a small genus of Parmeliaceae that has been considered well-defined morphologically and is phylogenetically closely related to Bulbothrix s.l.

Bacidia depriestiana is described as new to science based on material from the southern Appalachian Mountains of eastern North America. The species has a granular to minutely areolate thallus, with minute, erumpent soralia, produces atranorin and zeorin, and is not known to produce apothecia. The combination of chemistry and thallus type appears to be unique within the genus. Originally identified as Lecanora nothocaesiella, the species was recognized as distinct in conjunction with study of a large metagenomic dataset for lichens from the region. In connection with obtaining molecular loci use for phylogenetic placement of the material, the mitochondrial genome was assembled, found to be 38,546 bp in length, and encoded for the full suite of protein coding genes previously found in lichen fungi, with the exception of atp9.

A new species of Riccia, R. keralensis sp. nov. of the subgenus Riccia of section Riccia and group Squamatae is described from the disturbed low land areas of Kozhikode and Malappuram districts of Kerala, India. Riccia keralensis resembles species in the group Squamatae such as R. billardieri Mont & Nees., R. gangetica Ahmad ex L.Soderstr. and R. treubiana Steph. in external appearance and internal structure of the thallus, but distinctly differs in the spores which have a distinct triradiate mark in almost all spores, prominent wing and fewer areolae across the diameter. Riccia keralensis is also similar to R. pandei Udar of the subgenus Ricciella and section Spongodes and group Crystallina in its external thallus morphology, monoicous sexuality and form and number of areolae in the spores, which are 5–6 across diameter. But it differs from R. pandei Udar in the internal anatomy of thallus, the spore size and the smooth-vermiculose texture of the spores.

Anaschisma, a new genus of Pottiaceae, is distinguished from both Tortella and Trichostomum by the caducous, cleistocarpous capsule, and from Aschisma by capsule dehiscence irregular, not circumscissle. It is similar to Aschisma in the denticulate, weakly bordered cauline leaves, broadest at the base, and tendency to secund leaf stance. Four species of South America comprise the genus, two of them new to science. The new genus is an apparent descendant of Trichostomum brachydontium because gametophytes are nearly identical but unlike other species of that genus. Trichostomum planifolium is newly reported for Brazil. Corrections are made to a previous treatment.

The study of the liverwort and hornwort flora of Vietnam has received additional interest in recent years as many new records have been revealed. This raises the question of the number of new records that may possibly be found and where they should be located. Data on new liverwort occurrences within the last 55 years were summarized to identify whether the discovery ‘plateau’ has been reached. The bioclimates of the localities of the newest records were examined using canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) to determine whether there was any regularity in the distribution of the new records. Progress in liverwort flora knowledge has not reached a plateau; moreover, within recent years, the number of recorded species has grown quickly. The new records are located in mountainous areas, and climatic characteristics of localities are different from those of the dominant low elevations in the study area. At the current stage 573 taxa (568 species plus 5 varieties) are known in Vietnam. They belong to 105 genera of 46 families. Vietnam has recently become a flagship country in the study of liverwort diversity in Indochina, and the regularities found in the country may be applied to other countries in this macroregion. Higher numbers of recorded species than are now known may be found in all Indochina countries. Mountainous land areas possess the potential ability to harbor a high number of new records.

Intercontinental disjunct distributions of many bryophytes continue to raise questions about their nature and origin. While mounting evidence points to long-distance dispersal as a mechanism to explain broad distribution ranges, there is a need to clarify whether the disjunct populations belong to the same species connected by gene flow or actually harbor hidden genetic variation indicating speciation due to geographic isolation. During recent fieldwork, new populations of a moss morphologically matching Orthotrichum consobrinum were discovered in eastern North America. This moss had until this point been considered to be restricted to Eurasia. To shed light on the identity of these new populations and their nature as a species with intercontinental range versus cryptic speciation, we compared morphological characters with molecular sequence divergence over the global range of O. consobrinum and the putative American populations. Our results identify the North American specimens as belonging to O. consobrinum, forming a monophyletic group with specimens from eastern and western Asia. This study therefore provides an addition to the North American flora, alongside a description and images of distinguishing morphological features to facilitate the differentiation from the closely related Orthotrichum stellatum. The known distribution of O. consobrinum is now conceived as disjunct pan-Holarctic, adding new evidence to the long-distance dispersal capacities of bryophytes.

Lichens constitute the largest organisms among the stone colonisers. Several studies have shown that lichen species and their traits respond to environmental changes, but none of them focused on saxicolous communities. Five granite Galician churches were studied to characterize the lichen saxicolous communities established in the four façades. In four of the churches two climatic stations were placed, on the N and the S façades. Sampling was also more systematic on N and S walls, as these tend to show the most extreme microclimatic characteristics: relatively cool and humid in the N vs. warm and dry in the S. We aimed at identifying the species and traits associated with these conditions, so as to predict the possible evolution over time in these communities in the prospect of further climate warming in the future. Climatic data were subjected to two-way analyses of variance (ANOVA). We computed species accumulation curves and species richness estimators with EstimateS, analysed the effect of the church, the aspect (N vs. S) and the position of sampling squares on the number of lichen species and on lichen abundance, and community composition in terms of species and lichen traits. Richness analysis showed that only orientation had a significant effect on the number of species present on the walls. Lichen cover was always higher in the N, but the difference was not significant, and only the church factor had a significant effect. Taxa characterizing the N façades were the two varieties of Haematomma ochroleucum, Ochrolechia parella, together with the lichen species with Trentepohlia as photobiont. On the S façades, the characteristic species were Candelariella vitellina and Lepra leucosora; there was a higher diversity of biotype, size and color; with a total absence of sorediate species or with Trentepohlia as photobiont. There was a clear difference between the lichen species requirements in sunlight and aridity on the N and S façades. We hypothesize that a warmer and more arid climate may result in an expansion of the S-dominant lichen species and/or lichen traits to the detriment of those N-dominant.