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Diversity, Ecology and Taxonomy of Cryptogams

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A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Ecology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2023) | Viewed by 15085

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Dr. Grzegorz J. Wolski

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Department of Geobotany and Plant Ecology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Łódź, Łódź, Poland
Interests: taxonomy and distribution of Plagiothecium genus; ecological preferences and bioindicative role of bryophytes in forest ecosystems; medical potential of mosses
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Joanna Żelazna-Wieczorek

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Department of Algology and Mycology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Łódź, Łódź, Poland
Interests: taxonomy and ecology of diatoms; ecology of freshwater ecosystems; diatoms as tools of biomonitoring; ecology of springs ecosystems; forensic diatomology

Prof. Dr. Martin Kukwa

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Department of Plant Taxonomy and Nature Conservation, University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland
Interests: lichens; lichenized fungi; lichen symbiosis; photobiont diversity and evolution; lichen taxonomy; lichen ecology; lichens and global warming

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cryptogams is an unformal and traditionally distinguished group of organisms that do not produce flowers, and instead propagate mainly by various types of diaspores developed through different sexual and asexual processes. Cryptogams include, for example, lichens, algae, bryophytes, and ferns, and this group is the largest and the most diverse in the world.

The dissemination of molecular methods significantly changes our perception of these organisms, not only at the species level or from taxonomic or phylogenetic point of view; however, still many taxa have not been included in the detailed studies and their taxonomic status is still ambiguous. On the other hand, cryptogams are known to be good bioindicators (e.g., of substrates; of plant community conditions; or of air, water, and soil pollution) and are used in various environmental studies. Despite that, their importance as indicators is still underused and the phytosociological utility is still not sufficiently understood.

Nowadays, we can observe more and more prominent negative impact of man on nature in local and global scale. This affects also cryptogams, both in water and land environments. The decline or even disappearance of native species, the appearance of geographically alien taxa, and changes caused by their share in natural ecosystems are important processes that require constant research.

Therefore, countless new questions appear constantly and remain unanswered, and we hope that this Special Issue will help to answer at least some of them.

Dr. Grzegorz J. Wolski
Prof. Dr. Joanna Żelazna-Wieczorek
Prof. Dr. Martin Kukwa
Guest Editors

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Keywords

algae
bioindication
bryophytes
distribution
ecological preferences
ferns
lichens
mosses
relationships with other organisms
role in environment
taxonomy

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 3535 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Macrolichen Communities Depend on Phorophyte in Conguillío National Park, Chile

by Johana Villagra, Leopoldo G. Sancho and David Alors

Plants 2023, 12(13), 2452; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12132452 - 26 Jun 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 862

Abstract

The community composition of epiphytic macrolichens from two tree species (Araucaria araucana and Nothofagus antarctica) was conducted in temperate forests in the Conguillío National Park, Chile. The composition of lichen biota is influenced by phorophyte species, bark pH, and microclimatic conditions. A total of 31 species of macrolichens were found on A. araucana and N. antarctica. Most of the species showed phorophyte preference, with nine being exclusive to A. araucana and 10 to N. antarctica. The detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) indicated the formation of three communities: one representing macrolichens growing on N. antarctica and two others growing chiefly on A. araucana, either with north or south exposure. More work is needed to study the lichen biota of the forests of the Chilean Andes, which are under multiple threats, including clearing and climate change. In order to counteract such risks to native forests and to the biodiversity of the associated epiphytic lichens, conservation plans should be established that consider the factors that influence the composition of the lichen community. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diversity, Ecology and Taxonomy of Cryptogams)

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19 pages, 2840 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Differences in Phytobenthic Diatom Community between Natural and Channelized River Sections

by Igor Zelnik, Mateja Germ, Aleksandra Golob and Aleksandra Krivograd Klemenčič

Plants 2023, 12(11), 2191; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12112191 - 31 May 2023

Viewed by 974

Abstract

The structure of phytobenthic diatom communities was studied to reveal differences between natural and channelized river sections in Slovenia. As part of the national monitoring of surface waters, samples of phytobenthos were collected at 85 sites throughout the country according to standard protocols. At the same time, basic environmental parameters were also assessed. Trophic (TI) and saprobic (SI) indices were calculated based on diatoms and other algae, while diversity indices and gradient analyses were performed only for the diatom community. The results showed that channelized rivers harbor significantly more diverse benthic diatom communities than natural sections, mainly due to the significantly higher number of motile diatom taxa that are able to take advantage of more nutrient-rich and less-shaded river sections because of their high adaptability. Selected environmental parameters explained 34% of the variability in diatom community structure when taxa were classified into ecological types. The removal of Achnanthidium minutissimum yielded clearer results (24.1%) than the total species matrix (22.6%). Therefore, we suggest excluding this taxon from calculations of TI, SI, or other indices when it is determined as A. minutissimum complex, because A. minutissimum complex was most abundant in both types of reaches in our study and has a wide ecological amplitude, which reduces the indicative power of the diatom community in the evaluation of environmental conditions and ecological status. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diversity, Ecology and Taxonomy of Cryptogams)

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15 pages, 1256 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fern Spores—“Ready-to-Use” Standards for Plant Genome Size Estimation Using a Flow Cytometric Approach

by Sheng-Kai Tang, Pei-Hsuan Lee, Wei-Ting Liou, Chen-Hsiang Lin, Yao-Moan Huang and Li-Yaung Kuo

Plants 2023, 12(1), 140; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12010140 - 27 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1604

Abstract

Spores and pollen of plants were used as flow cytometric materials to efficiently infer genome sizes. Given this advantage, they hold great potential for various flow cytometric applications, particularly as plant genome size standards. To develop such novel standards, we investigated conditions of pretreatment (bead vortex), buffer, and reliable genome sizes of three fern spore collections—Cibotium taiwanense “Kuo4395”, Sphaeropteris lepifera “Tang0001”, and Alsophila metteniana “Lee s.n.”. Additionally, up to 30 year-old spore collections were obtained from herbarium specimens and from samples stored at 4 °C; their spore nuclei were extracted, and the quality and quantity of these nucleus extractions through storage ages were examined. Nuclear extractions with a longer bead vortex duration or lower spore/bead ratio generally resulted in a higher recovered quantity but a lower quality or purity. For each spore standard, the protocol optimization was determined by their performance in bead vortex conditions, and a 1C genome size was further inferred by linear regression (C. taiwanense “Kuo4395” = 5.058 pg; S. lepifera “Tang0001” = 7.117 pg; and A. metteniana “Lee s.n.” = 19.379 pg). Spore nucleus quality and quantity are significantly negatively correlated with storage ages. Nuclear extractions of 10-year-old refrigerated spores remained qualified as a genome size standard; however, none of the herbarium spore collections fit such criteria. Our study is the first to develop and apply dried and refrigerated spores for genome size standards. These standards are ready to use, easy to manipulate, and feature long-term storage in comparison with traditionally used standards of fresh leaves. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diversity, Ecology and Taxonomy of Cryptogams)

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29 pages, 28079 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ecological Preferences and Indication Potential of Freshwater Bryophytes–Insights from Croatian Watercourses

by Anja Rimac, Antun Alegro, Vedran Šegota, Nina Vuković and Nikola Koletić

Plants 2022, 11(24), 3451; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11243451 - 9 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1131

Abstract

A comprehensive survey of Croatian watercourses covering the whole of the national territory and investigating inherent watercourse heterogeneity was conducted to explore the ecological responses of the most frequent freshwater bryophytes with respect to water chemistry variables and land use within the catchment area. Direct multivariate ordination (CCA) of vegetation data paired with 18 environmental variables revealed that freshwater bryophytes and their assemblages were segregated along the gradients of water chemistry and the proportion of natural and urban area within the catchment. Generalized additive models (GAM) were employed to explore the ecological responses of individual species. The results showed that most of the investigated species preferred natural, clean, well-oxygenated watercourses, with low nutrient and organic matter content, as well as with low electrical conductivity. Species such as Palustriella falcata, Eucladium vertcillatum, Dichodontium flavescens and Jungermannia atrovirens had narrow ecological niches and were restricted to pristine watercourses, while the most frequent and widely distributed species, such as Fontinalis antipyretica, Rhynchostegium riparioides, Cratoneuron filicinum, Fissidens crassipes, Cinclidotus fontinaloides and C. riparius, had a wide ecological tolerance. Riccia fluitans and Leptodyctium riparium had wide ecological ranges, but with optima in hypereutrophic waters with high nutrient and organic content, as well as high electrical conductivity. Furthermore, these two species were frequently associated with a high share of intensive agriculture and a low share of natural land within the catchment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diversity, Ecology and Taxonomy of Cryptogams)

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26 pages, 12247 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Hidden Diversity within Tetralophozia filiformis (Marchantiophyta, Anastrophyllaceae) in East Asia

by Vadim A. Bakalin, Anna A. Vilnet, Yulia D. Maltseva, Ksenia G. Klimova, Daniil A. Bakalin and Seung Se Choi

Plants 2022, 11(22), 3121; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11223121 - 15 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1446

Abstract

Tetralophozia filiformis s.l. is known from a number of localities mostly in amphi-oceanic areas in Northern Hemisphere, including Atlantic Europe, amphi-Pacific Asia, South Siberia, and western North America. The newly obtained collections of this ‘species’ show strong variation in morphology of the taxon across amphi-Pacific Asia although connected by some ‘intergrading’ modifications. This implies the genetic diversity within this unit earlier recognized as a single taxon. Authors used molecular-genetic, morphological, and chorological methods to understand if the geographically correlated morphological variation also correlates with genetic differences and if it is possible to distinguish some additional taxa within the series of specimens originating from the various areas in amphi-Pacific Asia. It was found that Tetralophozia filiformis is a complex of at least three morphologically similar species, including one long forgotten name (Chandonanthus pusillus) that should be reinstated as separate species and one taxon (Tetralophozia sibirica) that should be described as new. Tetralophozia filiformis and Chandonanthus pusillus are lectotypified, and the new combination is provided for the latter. The three accepted taxa distinctly differ one from another in distribution patterns, preferable climate characteristics, and genetic distances, besides minor differentiations in morphology. The main morphological distinguishing features are the leaf cell size, height of undivided part in leaf lamina, and leaf dentation characteristics. Taking into account the robust correlation between the climate-based and molecular-genetic-based clusters, one more (fourth) taxon could be probably segregated from Tetralophozia filiformis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diversity, Ecology and Taxonomy of Cryptogams)

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10 pages, 3936 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Four Remarkable Additions to the Biodiversity of Chinese Mosses

by Mamtimin Sulayman, Vladimir Fedosov and Vítězslav Plášek

Plants 2022, 11(19), 2590; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11192590 - 30 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1458

Abstract

Four species of moss genus Schistidium are reported for the first time from China. All of them have been found in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Ecological and distributional details of the newly recorded species are provided and their local distribution is mapped. Photographs of the species are attached. Checklist of Schistidium species and identifying key are added. Considering the present records, Schistidium consists of 15 species in China. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diversity, Ecology and Taxonomy of Cryptogams)

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20 pages, 6838 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Revision of the Original Material of Plagiothecium denticulatum var. obtusifolium (Turn.) Moore and New Synonyms for This Taxon

by Grzegorz J. Wolski, Daniel Bożyk and Jarosław Proćków

Plants 2022, 11(19), 2446; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11192446 - 20 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1372

Abstract

Hypnum denticulatum var. obtusifolium was described by Turner in the early nineteenth century. This taxon, now known as Plagiothecium denticulatum var. obtusifolium, has not been studied in detail or received a detailed description. During the revision in the Natural History Museum (herbarium BM), a specimen described there as a type (BM000890810) was found, but a careful analysis showed that it is currently not a type specimen. On the other hand, the conducted research showed that the holotype of this taxon is the figure attached by Turner to the newly described taxon. However, because the holotype does not contain all taxonomically significant features, the specimen found was used to designate the epitype of this name (BM000890810). Therefore, this paper provides the first complete description of the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of this taxon, which is today known as P. denticulatum var. obtusifolium. Forty qualitative and quantitative characteristics analyzed made it possible to make redescription of the examined taxon. Moreover, analysis of two morphologically similar, currently distinct taxa, P. sandbergii and P. denticulatum var. auritum, revealed no differences between them. Therefore, these taxa were proposed as new synonyms of P. denticulatum var. obtusifolium. Additionally, for both taxa mentioned above, lectotypes were proposed for P. denticulatum var. auritum, specimen PC0132639, and for P. sandbergii, specimen PC0132604, both from the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France (Herbarium PC). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diversity, Ecology and Taxonomy of Cryptogams)

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30 pages, 4525 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Taxonomically Richest Liverwort Hemiboreal Flora in Eurasia Is in the South Kurils

by Vadim A. Bakalin, Ksenia G. Klimova, Daniil A. Bakalin and Seung Se Choi

Plants 2022, 11(17), 2200; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11172200 - 25 Aug 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1682

Abstract

The long coexistence of various floral elements, landscape diversity, and island isolation led to the formation of the richest Eurasian hemiboreal liverwort flora in the southern Kurils. This land that covers less than 5000 square kilometres and houses 242 species and two varieties of liverworts and hornworts. The flora ‘core’ is represented by hemiboreal East Asian and boreal circumpolar taxa. Other elements that have noticeable input in the flora formation are cool-temperate East Asian hypoarctomontane circumpolar and arctomontane. The distribution of some species is restricted to the thermal pools near active or dormant volcanoes or volcanic ash deposits; such species generally provide specificity to the flora. Despite the territorial proximity, the climate of each considered island is characterized by features that, in the vast majority of cases, distinguish it from the climate of the neighbouring island. The last circumstance may inspire the difference in the liverwort taxonomic composition of each of the islands. The comparison of the taxonomic composition of district floras in the Amphi-Pacific hemiarctic, boreal, and cool-temperate Asia revealed four main focal centres: East Kamchatka Peninsula and Sakhalin Island, the southern Sikhote-Alin and the East Manchurian Mountains, the mountains of the southern part of the Korean Peninsula, and the South Kurils plus northern Hokkaido. The remaining floras involved in the comparison occupy an intermediate position between these four centres. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diversity, Ecology and Taxonomy of Cryptogams)

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30 pages, 4796 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Environmental Gradients Shaping the Freshwater Bryophyte Communities of Croatia (Western Balkans)

by Anja Rimac, Antun Alegro, Vedran Šegota, Nina Vuković and Nikola Koletić

Plants 2022, 11(12), 1542; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11121542 - 9 Jun 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1702

Abstract

A comprehensive field survey of 527 sites on 293 watercourses across Croatia revealed 76 sites (14.42%) in which bryophytes were the dominant part of the macrophyte vegetation. Using classification and ordination analyses, we obtained five community types segregated across the gradients of several climatic, physiographic and water chemistry parameters. The Didymodon tophaceus–Apopellia endiviifolia and the Berula erecta-Cratoneuron filicinum communities were mostly confined to the clean and basic karstic rivers of the Dinaric Ecoregion under the influence of the Mediterranean climate, with the Didymodon tophaceus–Apopellia endiviifolia community being a tufa-forming community associated with the seasonally dry watercourses of small catchment areas and cascades along the larger karstic rivers, while the Berula erecta–Cratoneuton filicinum community was mostly associated with rivers with larger catchment areas and permanent flow. On the other hand, the Oxyrrhynchium hians–Chiloscyphus pallescens community and the Fissidens pusillus–Veronica beccabunga community were associated with eutrophic water restricted to small rivers of the Pannonian Ecoregion under the influence of the temperate climate and flowing over silicate bedrock. The most represented and widespread in Croatia was the Cinclidotus community, displaying the widest ecological range in the study. It was mostly associated with the relatively clean karstic rivers of large catchment areas belonging to the Dinaric Ecoregion, with the majority of the sites under the influence of a temperate climate with higher precipitation during the warm period of the year. The geographical patterns of the freshwater bryophyte communities showed that the relatively clean, fast and cold karstic rivers belonging to the Dinaric Ecoregion provide habitats that harbour a greater diversity of bryophyte communities than the watercourses of the Pannonian Ecoregion, where bryophyte-dominated communities are restricted to a small number of small lowland and semi-montane rivers and predominantly occupy periodically flooded microhabitats such as river margins. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diversity, Ecology and Taxonomy of Cryptogams)

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