• Subjects
• Journals
• Books
• New Titles

Dry climate bryophytes - Pottiaceae

Dr Maria Teresa Gallego, Scientific Editor, Journal of Bryology

This striking family of mosses has aroused the interest of several groups of bryologists around the world. As well as the South American work detailed below, over the last decade the Journal of Bryology has reported genera and species of Pottiaceae new to science from Europe, South Africa, India and Thailand in addition to new data on distribution, taxonomy, ecology and physiology. Since 2007 six new genera have been reported, five of these: Ludorugbya, Acaulonopsis, Algaria, Picobryum and Vrolijkheidia, from South Africa by Hedderson & Zander and one, Indopottia, from India by Daniel, Raja & Daniels. Ten new species of Pottiaceae have been described in the Journal over the last decade, and as well as the distributional accounts listed below there are also records in the New National and Regional Bryophyte Records column.

The Pottiaceae Lab at Murcia University (Spain) has a coordinated a research program for the study of South American dry climate bryophytes, represented mainly by Pottiaceous mosses. These particular non-vascular plants are widely spread around the world and, as they are great specialists in survival in drought stressed environments, many of them are often dominant mosses in arid regions of the world. The aim of the team, led by Professor María J. Cano, is currently the study of the diversity and distribution of South American Pottiaceae, which is the most numerous of the known families of mosses. Since 2001, they have conducted explorations in Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina and Venezuela. Details of this continued fieldwork are shown on the webpage with photographs and results. The research team collaborates on the characterization of the Bolivian bryophytes with Steven P. Churchill, Director of the Bolivian Program for the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Return to the JBR Journal of the Month main page

New Genera & Species in Pottiaceae:
Akiyama H. & Goffinet B. 2011. Indopottia irieandoana sp. nov. (Pottiaceae) from Doi Inthanon, northern Thailand. Journal of Bryology 33(2): 122-129.

Cano M.J., Jiménez J.A. & Guerra J. 2011. Pseudocrossidium perpapillosum (Pottiaceae) a new species from South America. Journal of Bryology 33(4): 300-303.

Daniels A.E.D., Raja R.D.A. & Daniel P. 2010. Indopottia zanderi (Bryophyta, Pottiaceae) gen. et sp. nov. from the Western Ghats of India. Journal of Bryology 32(3): 216-219.

Frahm J-P. & Gallego M.T. 2001. Syntrichia glabra, a new moss from Germany. Journal of Bryology 23:119–122.

Hedderson T. & Zander R. 2007. Ludorugbya springbokorum (Pottiaceae) a new moss genus and species from the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Journal of Bryology 29: 222-227.

Hedderson T. & Zander R. 2008. Vrolijkheidia circumscissa (Pottiaceae), a new moss genus and species from the Succulent Karoo of South Africa. Journal of Bryology 30: 143-146.

Hedderson T. & Zander R. 2008. Algaria nataliei (Pottiaceae), a new moss genus and species from the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Journal of Bryology 30: 192-195.

Jiménez J.A. & Cano M.J. 2008. Didymodon hegewaldiorum (Pottiaceae), a new species from the Tropical Andes. Journal of Bryology 30: 121–125.

Oesau A. 2003. Pterygoneurum papillosum (Bryopsida: Pottiaceae), a new moss species from Germany. Journal of Bryology 25: 247-252.

Zander R. & Hedderson T. 2009. Acaulonopsis, a new moss genus of the Pottiaceae from Western Cape Province of South Africa, and comments on Vrolijkheidia. Journal of Bryology 31: 234-239.

Zander R. & Hedderson T. 2011. Picobryum, a new genus of Pottiaceae (Bryophyta) from South Africa, and an erratum for Acaulonopsis. Journal of Bryology 33(2): 130-133.

Zander R. & Hedderson T. 2011. A new species of Crossidium (Pottiaceae, Bryophyta) from South Africa. Journal of Bryology 33(4): 304-306.

New distribution data:
Pócs T., Sabovljevič M., Puche F., Moragues J.G., Gimeno C. & Kürschner H. 2004. Crossidium laxefilamentosum Frey & Kürschner (Bryopsida: Pottiaceae), new to Europe and to North Africa. Journal of Bryology 26(2): 113-124.

Bates J., Matcham H. & Lara F. 2007. Dialytrichia fragilifolia (Bryopsida: Pottiaceae) in Berkshire and Caernarvonshire, new to Britain. Journal of Bryology 29(4): 228-234.

Blockeel T.L., Rothero G.P. & Long D.G. 2009. Tortula inermis and Schistidium helveticum, two mosses from Scotland, new to the British Isles. Journal of Bryology 31(3): 174-179.

Porley R.D. & Edwards S. 2010. Leptodontium proliferum Herzog (Bryopsida: Pottiaceae), new to Europe. Journal of Bryology 32(1): 46-50.

Martin P. 2011. Syntrichia montana var. calva (Durieu & Sagot ex Bruch & Schimp.) J.J. Amann in Gloucestershire, new to Britain. Journal of Bryology 33(1): 77-79.

Conservation:
Callaghan D.A. 2008. Scale dependency and area of occupancy: Tortula freibergii in north-west England. Journal of Bryology 30(4): 279-282.

Taxonomy:
Guerra J. & Cano M.J. 2000. A taxonomic contribution on the European cleistocarpous species of Pottiaceae (Musci). Journal of Bryology 22(2): 91-97.

Holyoak D.T. 2010. Notes on taxonomy of some European species of Ephemerum (Bryopsida: Pottiaceae). Journal of Bryology 32(2): 122-132.

Ochyra R. & Zander R. 2002. The genera Didymodon and Bryoerythrophyllum (Pottiaceae) in Antarctica. Journal of Bryology 24(1): 33-44.

Physiology:
Cleavitt N.L. 2002. A test of physical limitation to specific substrata during establishment for Didymodon johansenii, a rare moss. Journal of Bryology 24(3): 197-206.

Stark L.R. 2005. Phenology of patch hydration, patch temperature and sexual reproductive output over a four-year period in the desert moss Crossidium crassinerve. Journal of Bryology 27(3): 231-240.

Ecology:
Andriessen L., Nagels C., Arts T., Sotiaux A., Sotiaux O. & Vanderpoorten A. 2002. Taxonomic assessment, distribution, and ecology of Tortula vahliana var. minor (Pottiaceae, Bryopsida). Journal of Bryology 24(3): 254-256.

Reynolds L.A & Nicholas McLetchie D. 2011. Short distances between extreme microhabitats do not result in ecotypes in Syntrichia caninervis. Journal of Bryology 33(2): 148-153.

Reproductive biology:
Stark L.R. 2001. Spore liberatiopn in Grimmia orbicularis and Tortula inermis: two patterns from the Mojave Desert. Journal of Bryology 23(2): 83-90.