Amblystegiaceae

Vandeipoorten, A., Hedenas, L., Cox, C. J. and Shaw, A. J. (2002) Circumscription, classification, and taxonomy of Amblystegiaceae (Bryopsida) inferred from nuclear and chloroplast DNA sequence data and morphology. Taxon, 51 115-122, 633. 

Recent Results and Current Understanding of the Amblystegiaceae and the Newly... 

The Amblystegiaceae, as traditionally circumscribed, consists of between 120 and 170 species. These are most likely the most important mosses in relatively mineral-rich to calcareous wetlands in temperate to polar environments. They are also abundant in many other humid habitats of the temperate zones, as well as in wetlands at high altitudes in tropical and subtropical areas (cf., Hedenas, 1999,2003a). Because of their importance and widespread occurrence in wetland habitats... 

Circumscriptions of the Amblystegiaceae by Selected Authors who Treated the Family on a Global Scale... 

Neither Fleischer (1915-1922) nor Brotherus (1925) provided subdivisions of the Amblystegiaceae above the genus level. Their generic subdivisions were clearly based on a few, easily observable characters, such as leaf orientation and shape, development of the vegetative leaf costa and leaf border, leaf lamina cell shape, the presence or absence of paraphyllia, and the habitat of the species (cf., Brotherus, 1925). 

RECENT RESULTS AND CURRENT UNDERSTANDING OF THE AMBLYSTEGIACEAE AND THE NEWLY SEPARATED CALLIERGONACEAE... 

Although recent advances in our understanding of relationships among taxa that were earUer referred to the Amblystegiaceae are substantial, several challenging problans still ranain. We see the following as the fields where the primary efforts should be made in the near future ... 

Molecular variation within and between morphologically defined species is currently a poorly studied field. The few studies of species and species complexes made so far within the Amblystegiaceae and Calliergonaceae indicate that many of our ideas regarding the species circumscriptions will have to be revised in the future. 

Hedenas, L. (1997a) The Drepanocladus s. str. species with excurrent costae (Musci Amblystegiaceae). Nova Hedwigia, 64 535-547. 

Hedenas, L. (1998a) An evaluation of phylogenetic relationships among the Thuidiaceae, the Amblystegiaceae, and the temperate members of the Hypnaceae. Lindbergia, 22 101-133. 

Hedenas, L. (1998b) An overview of the Drepanocladus sendtneri complex. Journal of Bryology, 20 83-102. Hedenas, L. (1999) Altitudinal distribution in relation to latitude, with examples among wetland mosses in the Amblystegiaceae. Bryobrothera, 5 99-115. 

Hedenas, L. (2003a) Amblystegiaceae (Musci). Flora Neotropica Monograph, 89 i-iv, 1-107. 

Hedenas, L. and Kooijman, A. (1996) Phylogeny and habitat adaptations within a monophyletic group of wetland moss genera (Amblystegiaceae). Plant Systematics arul Evolution, 199 33-52. 

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