The extent to which biotic factors (competition, predation/disease, longevity) regulate lichen community development can be addressed by considering a number of general trends expected in higher plant successions and searching for supporting evidence from lichen studies. Four of the most frequently observed (or predicted) trends during succession are that: (1) superior competitors replace poor competitors; (2) ecologically specialized species replace generalists; (3) chemically well-defended species replace poorly-defended species; (4) long-lived species replace ephemeral species. Available evidence suggests that, for many lichen communities, competitive exclusion rarely occurs once thalli are established. This is especially true for communities that develop on the most stable habitats. An absence of competitive exclusion suggests that lichen successions are driven more by additions of colonists than by species replacements, and replacement trends observed in higher plant successions are therefore observed less frequently inlichen successions.

In support of the Lichen Flora of Great Britain and Ireland, 22 new combinations are made, and the following new species are described: Bacidia subcircumspecta Coppins, B. viridifarinosa Coppins & P. James, Coccotrema citrinescens P. James & Coppins, Eopyrenula avellanae Coppins, E. grandicula Coppins, E. septemseptata Coppins, Fuscidea hibernica P. James & Poelt, Graphis alboscripta Coppins & P. James, Lecidea doliiformis Coppins & P. James, Melaspilea atroides Coppins, Opegrapha fumosa Coppins & P. James, and O. multipuncta Coppins & P. James.

Using ITS nrDNA sequence data, the Caloplaca cerina group (Teloschistaceae) is defined here as a monophyletic, but internally richly branched lineage. The group is also characterized by a combination of morphological and anatomical characters. Its internal lineages are supported by phenotypic characters in addition to ecology and distribution. Within the large C. cerina group, we have found at least 20 phylospecies in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere. Two species complexes do not produce any vegetative diaspores: the polyphyletic, corticolous Caloplaca cerina s. lat. (six separated cryptic or semi-cryptic species) and the monophyletic C. stillicidiorum s. lat. that grows mainly on plant debris, small shrubs and bryophytes and consists of at least four internal lineages. All lineages producing vegetative diaspores (soredia, blastidia, isidia or lobules) are phenotypically characteristic and represent fairly easily distinguishable species: C. chlorina, C. isidiigera, C. monacensis, C. subalpina, C. thracopontica, C. turkuensis and C. ulmorum. Only the North American sorediate C. pinicola possibly represents an aggregate of species. Caloplaca sterilis is described as a new species. A key to the phenotypically distinguishable species is provided.

Lectotypes are designated for C. albolutea, Caloplaca cerina f. coronulata and for C. monacensis. The Australian C. hanneshertelii belongs to this group, but this and other possible species from the Southern Hemisphere are not treated here in detail. Some species traditionally placed in the C. cerina group due to their similar morphology are excluded here on the basis of our phenotype examinations and molecular data. Caloplaca albolutea, C. mydalaea and C. virescens are uncertain taxa and their identities still remain unclear.

Each reference is numbered progressively and is characterized by publication details, a brief abstract and one or more abbreviations referring to specific themes. The list is followed by an Analytical Index of the different themes, showing the numbers corresponding to the appropriate references in the Bibliographic list. A new topic (RV) has been introduced to identify the review articles.

Sixteen sorediate epiphytic species of Lecanora with atranorin from Europe are reported here. Lecanora substerilis is described as a new species from Carpathian beech forests in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania and Ukraine; it belongs to the L. subfusca group in its strict sense and is characterized by its usually verrucose thallus, sorediate apothecial margin, epihymenium with coarse granules at paraphyses tips, amphithecium with large crystals and it produces atranorin and fatty acid(s). A new, yellow chemotype of L. barkmaniana containing pulvinic acid derivatives is recognized from Austria. Morphological, ecological and chemical variation in L. exspersa, L. farinaria and L. variolascens is discussed in detail, and brief comments on the remaining 11 species are provided. Evaluation of the type material and molecular data indicate that the predominantly saxicolous L. caesiosora is a sorediate form of L. cenisia. Molecular data confirmed the identities of the sorediate forms of L. albella and L. allophana that are conspecific with their fertile counterparts. New Central European localities are listed for the rare species, L. barkmaniana, L. exspersa, L. mughosphagneti, L. norvegica and L. variolascens. Positions in ITS and mtSSU phylogenies are outlined for most species. Identification keys to fertile as well as sterile populations are provided.

The species richness and composition of lichens was quantified for four temperate broad-leaved tree species (Acer platanoides, Fraxinus excelsior, Tilia cordata and Ulmus glabra) in boreo-nemoral forests on the talus slope of the North-Estonian limestone escarpment (North-Estonian Klint). Thirteen study sites were distributed along the klint on a west to east gradient. The effects of tree and stand characteristics and geographical location of a stand on composition and diversity of epiphytic lichens were evaluated by multivariate analyses (DCA, CCA, pCCA) and by general linear mixed models (GLMM). Tree level variables (e.g. bark pH, bryophytes cover and host tree species) explained the largest fraction of the variation in lichen species composition. However, species richness and composition were significantly influenced also by the unique habitat conditions of klint forest (length of the forest fragment, proximity of the stand to the sea and height of the escarpment). A significant correlation between stand locality and lichen diversity on the tree bole was found which is most likely related to local air pollution gradients caused by alkaline cement dust and acid pollutants in the north-eastern part of Estonia.

Lichen thalli represent the most conspicuous examples of fungal-algal interactions. Studies that describe phycobiont diversity within entire thalli are based mainly on Sanger sequencing. In some lichen species, this technique could underestimate the intrathalline coexistence of multiple microalgae. In this study different multi-tool approaches were applied to two lichen taxa, Circinaria hispida and Flavoparmelia soredians, to detect algal coexistence. Here, we combined Sanger sequencing, a specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primer, 454-pyrosequencing, phycobiont isolation and ultrastructural characterization. Furthermore, we compared pyrenoid ultrastructural features of lichenized phycobionts with microalgae isolated in culture. An improved methodology was used to isolate and propagate phycobionts which, in combination with fast genetic identification, resulted in a considerable reduction in time and cost to complete the process. This isolation method, coupled with a specific PCR primer, allowed for the detection of coexisting algae in C. hispida (four Trebouxia lineages). 454-pyrosequencing detected only a fraction of such diversity, while Sanger sequencing identified only the primary phycobiont. Ultrastructural features of the isolated algae were observed by transmission electron microscopy; the maintenance of the pyrenoid characteristics suggested the existence of different Trebouxia lineages. In F. soredians a single Trebouxia lineage was identified using all these approaches.

In cases of lichens with algal coexistence, a combination of different molecular and ultrastructural approaches may be required to reveal the underlying algal diversity within a single thallus. The approach proposed in this study provides information about the relationship between molecular and ultrastructural data, and represents an improvement in the delimitation of taxonomic features which is needed to recognize intrathalline Trebouxia diversity.

In this study we clarify the phylogeny and reassess the current taxonomy of the Micarea prasina group, focusing especially on the M. byssacea and M. micrococca complexes. The phylogeny was investigated using ITS, mtSSU and Mcm7 regions from 25 taxa belonging to the M. prasina group. A total of 107 new sequences were generated. Data were analyzed using maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood methods. The results reveal five undescribed well-supported lineages. Four of the lineages represent new species described as Micarea pseudomicrococca Launis & Myllys sp. nov., M. czarnotae Launis, van den Boom, Sérusiaux & Myllys sp. nov., M. microareolata Launis, Pykälä & Myllys sp. nov. and M. laeta Launis & Myllys sp. nov. In addition, a fifth lineage was revealed that requires further study. Micarea pseudomicrococca is characterized by an olive green granular thallus, small cream-white or brownish apothecia lacking the Sedifolia-grey pigment and two types of paraphyses up to 2 µm wide. Micarea czarnotae forms a granular, densely granular or continuous olive green thallus, convex to hemispherical apothecia often with the Sedifolia-grey pigment and no crystalline granules in the thallus. Micarea microareolata is characterized by a ± pale green areolate thallus (composed of goniocysts), cream-white apothecia lacking the Sedifolia-grey pigment and narrow spores. Micarea laeta has a vivid to olive green granular thallus, pale apothecia lacking the Sedifolia-grey pigment and wider spores compared to M. microareolata. Descriptions, images and a key are provided for the new species. Crystalline granules are introduced as a novel species-level character for Micarea.

Micarea soralifera sp. nov., a new sorediate species belonging to the M. prasina group, is characterized by soralia developing directly from the endoxylic thallus or small external areoles, as well as the presence of micareic acid. Phylogenetic analyses of mtSSU rDNA sequences have shown that its closest relative is M. subviridescens. ITS rDNA sequence, a marker proposed as the universal barcoding region of fungi, was generated from the holotype.

In contrast to the frequently assessed macrolichens, microlichens are rarely considered in biodiversity assessments despite their high species richness. Microlichens require generally a higher species identification effort than macrolichens. Thus, microlichens are more expensive to assess. Here we evaluate if macrolichen richness can be used as an indicator of total and threatened microlichen richness. Furthermore, we tested if different sets of environmental variables (modelled climatic variables, forest structure, altitude, etc.) improve the regression models based on macrolichens only or even replace the macrolichens as predictors. Multiple linear regressions were used to model species richness of microlichens, and Poisson regressions for threatened microlichens.

On 237 forest plots (200 m2) distributed randomly across Switzerland, 77 macrolichens and 219 microlichens occurred. Macrolichen richness was positively related to the richness of microlichens (=0·27) and, in combination with threatened macrolichens as an additional predictor, also to the number of threatened microlichens (=0·14). Environmental variables alone and in different combinations explained between 0·20 and 0·41 () of the total variation of microlichen richness, and between 0·09 and 0·29 () of the total variation of threatened microlichen richness. All models based on environmental variables were considerably improved when macrolichens were included. Furthermore, macrolichen richness turned out to be the most important variable in explaining species richness of all, as well as threatened microlichens. The best models for total microlichen richness reached a of 0·56. Threatened microlichens were more difficult to model with the best model reaching a of 0·29.

We conclude that in biodiversity assessments with scarce resources, lichen sampling could be focused on the better known macrolichens, at least in many temperate lowland and mountain forests. In combination with environmental variables, reliable predictions of microlichen richness can be expected. If the focus is on threatened microlichens, however, models were not reliable and specialized taxonomists are necessary to assess these species in the field.

We used a genetic distance approach in conjunction with molecular phylogeny to establish species boundaries and detect cryptic lineages in the Parmotrema reticulatum – P. pseudoreticulatum complex. The phylogeny of specimens from a broad geographic distribution was reconstructed from the internal transcribed spacer region. Pairwise genetic distances were calculated and compared to an intraspecific range defined for the parmelioid lichens to circumscribe species-level groups. Our results showed that P. reticulatum and P. pseudoreticulatum are polyphyletic, being comprised of at least seven well-supported lineages. In contrast, the genetic distance approach revealed ten cryptic lineages within the P. reticulatum – P. pseudoreticulatum complex. Neither morphology nor geography was conclusive in attempting to corroborate these genetic lineages. However FST indices suggest significant genetic differentiation between these lineages. Our results suggest that the morphology-based circumscriptions underestimated species in Parmotrema and that, in some cases, genetic distances may be used as an additional tool to determine species boundaries in morphologically cryptic species complexes. The most significant contribution of the present study is the application of a fast and accurate method to identify problematic groups and candidate species using the ITS locus with a genetic distances approach.

A taxonomic treatment of the genera included in Catapyrenium s. lat. in the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands is provided, based on study of c. 2000 specimens from both herbaria and fresh material collected by the authors from 2005 to 2009 in numerous localities.

A total of 33 species belonging to six of the eight genera included in Catapyrenium s. lat. are present in the region, which correspond to c. 80% of species from Europe. The genera are Anthracocarpon Breuss, Catapyrenium Flot. (Catapyrenium s. str.), Heteroplacidium Breuss, Involucropyrenium Breuss, Neocatapyrenium H. Harada and Placidium A. Massal. The genus Neocatapyrenium is reported for the first time from this region. Clavascidium liratum, the only representative of the genus Clavascidium in the region, has been reduced to synonymy with Anthracocarpon virescens.

Heteroplacidium acervatum, H. congestum and Neocatapyrenium cladonioideum are new to Europe. Involucropyrenium pusillum, only previously known from Austria, I. waltheri, an arctic-alpine species, and Neocatapyrenium latzelii, known from Croatia and Greece, are cited for the first time in the Iberian Peninsula. Placidium subrufescens and P. tenellum, two mainly Mediterranean species, are also new records from the Iberian Peninsula. Placidium boccanum is here for the first time cited in Spain, and Anthracocarpon virescens, Heteroplacidium contumescens, Placidium imbecillum and P. michelii are new to Portugal. Most of the remaining species showed a considerable expansion of their known ranges. Placidium pyrenaicum is reduced to synonymy with P. velebiticum.

Keys to genera and species occurring in the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands are presented.

A new method has been developed to measure chlorophyll a fluorescence of bryophytes and lichens in situ in the field. Specially designed aluminium stands fixed to rocks or other suitable substrata allow several cryptogam thalli to be measured sequentially with only one pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) chlorophyll a fluorescence analyser. The stands guarantee a fixed position for the fluorescence probe in relation to the thallus surface and also provide the possibility to darken the thalli so that both the apparent and the potential quantumefficiency of PSII (▵F/Fm′ and Fv/Fm) can be measured. A detailed analysis of chlorophyll a quenching parameters (qP, qN, NPQ) can also be performed with only minimal changes in the environmental conditions. The method allows easy detection of periods of metabolic activity and inactivity of the poikilohydric organisms. In combination with gas–exchange and microclimatic measurements the carbon balance also can be calculated. The method is described in detail and examples of its application in the field are presented

This study aims to quantify dispersal of airborne traffic-related elemental pollutants and concurring responses – relative growth rate (RGR), maximal quantum yield of PSII (Fv/Fm), and chlorophylls (Chl ab) – in four epiphytic lichens (Lobaria pulmonaria, Parmelia sulcata, Ramalina farinacea, Usnea dasopoga). Lichens were transplanted from 25 September to 26 March to 1·5 m tall stands in open farmlands at 10, 15, 30, 50 and 100 m from the E6 highway (SE Norway), along three transects on each side usnea dasopoga of the road. The concentrations of most elements (Ca, Mg, Na, Fe, Al, Zn, Ba, Cu, V, Cr, Ni, Co, Sn, As, Mo) significantly increased with increasing proximity to the road. Elements in bold had elevated concentrations relative to controls, at least in some species at 100 m. The heavy metal accumulation increased from foliose to fruticose lichens in the order: P. sulcata>L. pulmonaria>R. farinacea≫U. dasopoga. However, L. pulmonaria was the only species with strong pollutant-dependent reductions in growth, Fv/Fm, Chl ab, and Chl a/b-ratio. The RGR and viability parameters were adversely affected by the roadside environment near the road only (≤15 m), and only after substantial heavy metal accumulation. Measurement of metal accumulation in lichens is thus a far more sensitive way of monitoring road pollutants than recording growth and lichen viability. Despite strong species-specific contrasts in elemental concentrations, most road pollutant elements responded similarly to distance from the road in all species.

The phylogeny of the lichen family Gomphillaceae sensu Vězda & Poelt was reconstructed by parsimony analysis of a phenotype data matrix including ecological, thallus, apothecial, and hyphophore characters. Two hundred and twenty-eight taxa and 209 characters, grouped into ecology (14), thallus (45), apothecia (83), and hyphophores (67), were included in the analysis. Gyalidea hyalinescens (Asterothyriaceae) was used as outgroup. Because of the high level of homoplasy (consistency index of all-taxa tree without character weighting CI=0·12), and the resulting uncertainty (generally low support) with respect to group topologies, we accepted both monophyletic clades and paraphyletic grades and only rejected previously proposed classifications if the taxon in question appeared polyphyletic, or if segregate taxa were characterized by functionally independent apomorphies and/or by evidence of radiation. Thus, the following 19 genera (synonyms in brackets) are accepted as a result of this study: Actinoplaca (segregate of Echinoplaca; isidioid hyphophores), Aderkomyces (Psathyromyces; segregate of Tricharia; white setae, hyphal excipulum), Aplanocalenia (segregate of Calenia; immersed applanate apothecia), Arthotheliopsis (Phallomyces; segregate of Echinoplaca; smooth thallus, differentiated diahyphae), Aulaxina (Lochomyces; carbonized apothecia, bristle-shaped hyphophores with palmate diahyphae on prothallus), Calenia (Bullatina; zeorine apothecia, acute to bristle-shaped hyphophores with moniliform diahyphae), Caleniopsis (thick white thallus with dark prothallus, zeorine apothecia, bristle-shaped hyphophores with palmate diahyphae on prothallus), Diploschistella (segregate of Gyalideopsis; immersed apothecia), Echinoplaca (Spinomyces, Sporocybomyces; crystalline thallus, acute to bristle-shaped hyphophores with moniliform or derived diahyphae), Ferraroa (segregate of Gyalideopsis; campylidioid hyphophores), Gomphillus (vertically elongate apothecia, filiform ascospores), Gyalectidium (Tauromyces; zeorine apothecia, squamiform hyphophores), Gyalideopsis (Epilithia, Microlychnus, Microspatha; chiefly biatorine apothecia, setiform or flabellate hyphophores), Hippocrepidea (applanate apothecia, squamiform hyphophores with strongly derived diahyphae), Jamesiella (segregate of Gyalideopsis; isidioid hyphophores), Lithogyalideopsis (segregate of Gyalideopsis; lecideine apothecia, bristleshaped hyphophores with palmate diahyphae), Paratricharia (black setae, partly carbonized apothecia with columella), Rubrotricha (segregate of Tricharia; red-brown setae, hyphal excipulum), and Tricharia (Microxyphiomyces, Setomyces; black setae, proso- or paraplectenchymatous excipulum). The following taxa and combinations are introduced: Actinoplaca gemmifera comb. nov. [Echinoplaca gemmifera], Aderkomyces albostrigosus comb. nov. (Tricharia albostrigosa), A. armatus comb. nov. (T. armata), A. carneoalbus comb. nov. (T. carneoalba), A. cretaceus comb. nov. (T. cretacea), A. cubanus comb. nov. (T. cubana), A. deslooveri comb. nov. (T. deslooveri), A. dilatatus comb. nov. (T. dilatata), A. fumosus comb. nov. (T. fumosa), A. heterellus comb. nov. (Arthonia heterella; Lopadium membranula; Echinoplaca affinis), A. guatemalensis comb. nov. (T. guatemalensis), A. lobulimarginatus sp. nov., A. microcarpus comb. nov. (T. microcarpa), A. microtrichus comb. nov. (T. microtricha), A. papilliferus comb. nov. (T. papillifera), A. planicarpus comb. nov. (T. planicarpa), A. planus comb. nov. (T. plana), A. purulhensis comb. nov. (T. purulhensis), A. ramiferus comb. nov. (T. ramifera), A. subalbostrigosus comb. nov. (T. subalbostrigosa), A. subplanus comb. nov. (T. subplana), A. testaceus comb. nov. (T. testacea), A. verruciferus comb. nov. (T. verrucifera), A. verrucosus comb. nov. (T. verrucosa), Aplanocalenia gen. nov., A. inconspicua comb. nov. (Heterothecium inconspicuum; Calenia inconspicua), Arthotheliopsis serusiauxii comb. nov. (Echinoplaca serusiauxii), A. tricharioides comb. nov. (E. tricharioides), Caleniopsis aggregata comb. nov. (Calenia aggregata), C. conspersa comb. nov. (Thelotrema conspersa; Calenia conspersa), Diploschistella lithophila comb. nov. (Gyalideopsis lithophila), D. solorinellaeformis comb. nov. (G. solorinellaeformis), D. trapperi comb. nov. (G. trapperi), Echinoplaca macgregorii comb. nov. (Arthonia macgregorii), Ferraroa gen. nov., Ferraroa hyalina comb. nov. (Gyalideopsis hyalina), Gyalideopsis brevipilosa comb. nov. (Tricharia brevipilosa), G. buckei nom. nov. (Tricharia vezdae), G. cristata comb. nov. (Epilithia cristata), G. glauca comb. nov. (Microspatha glauca), G. puertoricensis sp. nov., Jamesiella gen. nov., J. anastomosans comb. nov. (Gyalideopsis anastomosans), J. perlucida comb. nov. (G. perlucida), J. scotica comb. nov. (G. scotica), Lithogyalideopsis gen. nov., L. aterrima comb. nov. (Gyalideopsis aterrima), L. poeltii comb. nov. (G. poeltii), L. vivantii comb. nov. (G. vivantii), L. zeylandica comb. nov. (G. zeylandica), Rubrotricha gen. nov., R. helminthospora comb. nov. (Tricharia helminthospora), R. subhelminthospora sp. nov., Tricharia atrocarpa sp. nov., and Tricharia variratae sp. nov. A key is presented to all genera of Gomphillaceae, and a synopsis of the family classification, with all presently known species, is provided.

A study of the diversity and distribution of lichens at 10 sites within the Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh, India, revealed 177 species, belonging to 71 genera and 35 families. The Sanctuary exhibited almost all the habit and habitat groups of lichens within its climatically heterogenous and altitudinally (400–2700 m) varied landscape. Among the different habitat groups, obligately corticolous lichens were dominant (133 species), followed by facultatively corticolous lichens (occurring on both rock and bark; 25 species), saxicolous lichens (17 species) and terricolous lichens (2 species). The corticolous habitat group was dominated by crustose species while saxicolous and terricolous groups were made up of mostly fruticose species. A substantial number of species (77) occurred at single sites only, and each of the 10 sites supported a distinct lichen assemblage. Altitude and humidity were the putative key factors controlling the diversity and distribution of lichens within the Sanctuary. The mid altitude range 1400–1600 m had the greatest lichen diversity, which showed a unimodal pattern in relation to altitude.