New article published - A Molecular Phylogeny of the Moss Genus Taxithelium (Pylaisiadelphaceae) Based on Plastid, Mitochondrial and Nuclear Markers

Authors: Paulo E.A.S. Câmara, Jonathan Shaw

Abstract

To test infrageneric classification and species delimitation within the pantropical moss genus Taxithelium (Pylaisiadelphaceae), we constructed a molecular phylogeny using three chloroplast loci (trnL, psbT and rps4), three mitochondrial loci (rps3, nad5 and nad4–5) and the nuclear marker ho1. Analyses of each locus separately and in various combinations, all support the monophyly of Taxithelium. Two major clades corresponding to taxonomically recognized subgenera were resolved within the genus. The first clade is composed of at least five smaller groups, four of which only include Southeast Asian plants and one is from the Americas and Africa; the latter is nested within the Southeast Asian groups. The second group appears to have a Southeast Asian origin with two dispersal events into America. Taxithelium is highly variable morphologically and includes plants with pluripapillose leaf cells as well as plants that lack papillae. Our data show that species T. nepalense, T. leptosigmatum, T. concavum, T. instratum, T. lindbergii and T. isocladum are each demonstrably monophyletic. On the other hand, T. planum and T. kerianum as circumscribed today are polyphyletic. The ho1 nuclear locus is used for the first time, with promising results for moss phylogenetic investigation.

Published in Systematic Botany (2013), 38 (4) - Full article: Click here

New article published - Morphology and development of leaf papillae in the Pilotrichaceae

Authors: Ana Gabriela Duarte-Silva, Micheline Carvalho-Silva, Paulo Eduardo Aguiar Saraiva Câmara

Abstract

Sporophyte morphology has been traditionally used in pleurocarpous moss taxonomy. However, in the Pilotrichaceae gametophytic morphology still holds interesting and under-investigated characters. We investigated in greater depth the morphology and development of leaf papillae in the family and assess their usefulness to infer the family’s evolutionary history. Specimens were observed under the scanning electron microscope and seven morphological kinds of papillae were identified, as well as two different pathways of development. Results suggest that papilla morphology and development are phylogenetically informative in the Pilotrichaceae.

Published in Acta Botanica Brasilica, Vol. 27, No 4 (2013) - Full article: Click here

Book: Species muscorum frondosorum (1801)

Title: Species muscorum Frondosorum descriptae et tabulis aeneis LXXVII coloratis ilustratae: opus posthumum, Volume 1

Author: Johann Hedwig, Christian Friedrich Schwägrichen

Year: 1801 (1° edition)

Language: Latin

The founder of modern bryology, Johannes Hedwig comes into this history because of the fundamental importance of his earlier works. At present his Species Muscorum of 1801 is the starting point for the nomenclature of musci, but this work came out posthumously and contained in fact the result of a lifetime of excellent empirical and observational work.

Hedwig was able to improve his microscope and to achieve magnifications up to 290 times. The work was posthumously edited by C. F. Schwaegrichen, who succeeded Hedwig as professor of Botany and Director of the Botanical Gardens in Leipzig.
Text: Google Books

Available for free at:

Google Books 
Botannicus 
Biodiversity Heritage Library

Book: Field Guide: Cerrado vegetation - 500 species.

Title: Field Guide: Cerrado vegetation - 500 species

Organizer: João de Deus Medeiros. 

Ano: 2011

Language: Portuguese only

The publication provides basic information on 500 species of the Cerrado, including photographs obtained growing in natural conditions, mostly in protected areas. With her visitors of these areas will have an additional stimulus and conditions to observe and admire the beautiful and diverse flora of the Cerrado.

This book is freely available on the Ministry of Environment website: Download here.

Other publications Biodiversity series here.

Book: Guide to the Ferns and Lycophytes of REBIO Uatumã - Central Amazonia (bilingual)

Created in 1990, the Reserva Biológica Uatumã protects almost 10 thousand square kilometers of Amazonian rain forest and comprises a fascinating diversity of favorable habitats for the likable ferns and lycophytes. This richly illustrated book treats the ecology and identification of 120 species of ferns and lycophytes and provides to the reader a pleasant introduction to the fantastic world of these groups of plants.

Zuquim, G., Costa, F. R. C., Prado, J. & Tuomisto, H. Guide to the Ferns and Lycophytes of REBIO Uatumã - Central Amazonia. Manaus: Áttema Design Editorial, 2008. 321 p.

Preface

Biodiversity on planet Earth is under imminent threat as a result of human activities, and this diversity is rapidly decreasing as a consequence. This is true in most, if not all, countries of the world, but especially in tropical areas, like the Amazon lowlands, which harbor a disproportionate and biologically interesting share of the biota of the planet. For many areas, we still have no manual with which to identify plants or animals, yet alone a simple inventory, so we may never know what has been lost.

This guidebook on the ferns of Rebio Uatumã, about 140 kilometers north of Manaus, in the state of Amazonas, Brazil, is a well-executed attempt to remedy our lack of knowledge of one small segment of the biota of the region. Florulas – guides to the plants of a relatively small geographic region – are the first step in documenting what grows in a larger area, in this case the Amazon basin.

At Rebio Uatumã, 123 species of ferns and lycophytes are known, and most of them are treated in this book. The beauty of this work is in the presentation – clear, simplified descriptions, field identification tips, and comments on the ecology and distribution, as well as an opposing page of helpful color photographs (habit and details), selected to illustrate the most important parts of a species for easiest identification.

The authors of the book also address the importance of conservation of such relatively pristine areas. A first step in conservation is an inventory of the biota of a region. Simultaneously, it is important to provide protection for these biotic “hotspots”. To aid in the protection of biologically diverse areas, the general public must appreciate, even treasure, life’s intricate web, and it is with this focus and goal that the authors present their work.


Even if you know nothing about ferns, this guide is a wonderfully usable, taxonomically up-to-date introduction to the ferns of Rebio Uatumã. More broadly, it is a helpful guide to identification of some of the commonest ferns of the entire lowland Amazon basin, for novices and professionals alike.

Dr. Alan R. Smith
Research Botanist and Fern Specialist. University of California, Berkeley, U.S.A.

Book available for free download in PDF format on the website of the Research Program on Biodiversity (PPBio): Download here

The printed version can be purchased on site Publisher INPA