Diversity and Classification of Bryophytes

Dear Colleagues,

The Special Issue 'Diversity and Classification of Bryophytes' aims to delve into the intricate world of mosses, liverworts, and hornworts, exploring their vast diversity and ecological significance. Contributions to this issue can span phytogeographical questions, ecological investigations, taxonomic studies, or even evolutionary relationships within bryophyte lineages.

We invite researchers to submit original research articles shedding light on the diversity and classification of bryophytes. From morphological descriptions to molecular phylogenetics, this Special Issue will synthesize diverse approaches to comprehensively understand the taxonomy and evolutionary history of bryophytes.

This focus can extend beyond taxonomy, highlighting the ecological roles of bryophytes in various habitats, demonstrating their importance in ecosystems worldwide. Overall, this Special Issue aims to bridge the gap between traditional taxonomy and modern molecular techniques, presenting a holistic view of bryophyte diversity and classification.

Contributions elucidating the biogeography and distribution patterns of bryophyte taxa across different regions and environments are encouraged. Insights into the adaptive strategies, reproductive biology, and physiological adaptations of bryophytes will be essential to comprehending their diversity and classification.

Proposed manuscripts can emphasize the significance of bryophyte diversity in ecological processes, conservation, and ecosystem functioning. Studies investigating cryptic species, hybridization events, and their implications in bryophyte diversity will add depth to our understanding of their classification.

Manuscripts that address the impacts of environmental changes, such as climate change and habitat degradation, on bryophyte diversity are highly valued. This Special Issue will prioritize manuscripts offering novel perspectives, experimental approaches, and synthesizing existing knowledge in bryophyte diversity and classification.

Dr. Vítězslav Plášek
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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• bryophytes
• diversity
• taxonomy
• distribution
• ecology

Title: Taxon- and context- dependent nestedness of bryophytes on islands off the southeastern coasts of China, and their potential mechanisms and significances for convervation.
Authors: Shuilaing Guo; Jing Yu; Dandan Li; Jun Yang; Tonghe Yuan; et al.
Affiliation: /
Abstract: There are about 7600 islands off the southeastern coast of China (within Zhejiang, Fujinag and Guangdong), their landscapes being typically fragmented. Before the present studies, we know little about bryophtye flora and distribution pattern of these islands except a few large islands such as Taiwan, Hongkong, Puotu, and Chongming. To clarify the diversity, nestedness levels and possible mechanisms for bryophytes on Chinese costal islands, from 2014 to 2024, we systematically surveyed the bryophyte flroa of 255 islands, and the environmental factors of these islands including physiocal attributes such as island area, perimeter, elevation, vegetation coverage, shape irregularity, degree of human disturbance, degree of isolation, and number of habitat types, weather attributes such as temperature and rainfall, and salinity concentration in the sea water around each island. We analyzed floral and geographical elements of bryophytes, their variaiotns among islands, and quantified the levels of nestedness for bryophytes (as well as total mosses, liverworts, acrocarpous mosses, and pleurocarpous mosses) and their different ecological categories (at different substrates, with different history strategies) at taxonomical, functional and phylogenetic dimensions, and explore potential mechanisms relevant to habitat nestedness hypothesis, selective extinction hypothesis, selective colonization hyphothesis, and passive sampling hyphothesis. Our preliminary findings showed: (1) there are about 550 bryophyte species ion these 255 islands; (2) significant nestedness existed at taxonomical, functional and phylogenetic dimensions for these bryophytes on the southeastern costal islands in China; (3) the nested levels are basically higher in mosses than in liverworts, in acrocarpous mosses than in pleurocarpous mosses; in the categories with a srong dispersal capacity than in the categories with a weak dispersal capacity; (4) the levels of nestedness varied among different archopelagos; (5) the nestedness of bryophytes on the southeastern Chinese coastal islands were not due to passive sampling, but duo to habitat nestedness and selective extinction, partially to selective colonization ; (6) the SLOSS strageories, If the need for protction is more urgent for rare and species with a narrow range, the conservation of bryophyte diversity in the study region tended to be SL strategy, and the preference of SL strategy was positively related to the levels of nestedness.

Title: History, taxonomy and distribution of Fontinalis antipyretica Hedw. sensu lato in the world.
Authors: Kamil Polus; Grzegorz J. Wolski
Affiliation: /
Abstract: Fontinalis antipyretica is not only the oldest, most widespread but also the most variable species of Fontinalis genus. This taxon in question is recognized differently throughout its range - throughout the Northern Hemisphere. The manuscript not only discusses its history in great detail, but also shows a different way of interpreting individual taxa of the described species. A key illustrating the features of individual taxa, as well as detailed photographic documentation, is provided in the manuscript.