England"s Rare Mosses and Liverworts (ebook)

Argumento de England"s Rare Mosses and Liverworts (ebook)

This is the first book to cover England's rare and threatened mosses and liverworts, collectively known as bryophytes. As a group, they are the most ancient land plants and occupy a unique position in the colonization of the Earth by plant life. However, many are at risk from habitat loss, pollution, climate change, and other factors. Britain is one of the world's best bryologically recorded areas, yet its mosses and liverworts are not well known outside a small band of experts. This has meant that conservation action has tended to lag behind that of more charismatic groups such as birds and mammals. Of the 916 different types of bryophyte in England, 87 are on the British Red List and are regarded as threatened under the strict criteria of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

This book aims to raise awareness by providing stunning photographs--many never before published--of each threatened species, as well as up-to-date profiles of 84 of them, including status, distribution, history, and conservation measures. The book looks at what bryophytes are, why they are important and useful, and what makes them rare; it also examines threats, extinctions, ex situ conservation techniques, legislation, and the impact of the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity.

• Provides the first treatment of England's rare and threatened mosses and liverworts
• Features stunning photographs--many never before published--of each species and many of their habitats
• Treats each species in a handy and attractive double-page layout
• Includes up-to-date profiles of 84 species, including status, distribution, history, and conservation measures
• Presents the first overview of English bryophyte conservation
• Offers invaluable guidance to people working in conservation in England, the British Isles, Europe, and beyond

"Engaging, informative and beautifully illustrated. . . . This 224-page volume is the definitive reference for libraries--whether located on a university campus or natural history institution, in a public or personal library. Additionally, this field guide will appeal to naturalists of all ages and is indispensable to those who go 'mossing.'"--Devorah Bennu, GrrlScientist, Guardian

"This book deserves a place in the office of every conservation biologist, bryologist and ecologist. I expect it to be heavily referenced in grant proposals and to act as a template for guides to other countries' rare bryophytes."--Laura Forrest, Edinburgh Journal of Botany

"This is a beautifully prepared and well-written book, and I strongly recommend it to all who have an interest in bryophyte conservation and rarity; and as a means of providing bryophyte awareness to a broader public."--James R. Shevock, Bryologist0Introduction 5
What are bryophytes and why are they important? 9
Rarity in bryophytes 13
Conservation measures 19
People and bryophyte conservation 26
The Red List 31
Overview of threatened English bryophytes 34

THE SPECIES PROFILES (M: moss, L: liverwort)
M Acaulon mediterraneum Spiny-spored Pygmy-moss 46
M Acaulon triquetrum Triangular Pygmy-moss 47
M Andreaea frigida Icy Rock-moss 49
M Anomodon attenuatus Slender Tail-moss 51
M Anomodon longifolius Long-leaved Tail-moss 52
M Aplodon wormskioldii Carrion-moss 54
M Atrichum angustatum Lesser Smoothcap 56
M Bruchia vogesiaca Vosges Candle-moss 58
M Bryum calophyllum Blunt Bryum 60
M Bryum gemmiparum Welsh Thread-moss 61
M Bryum knowltonii Knowlton's Thread-moss 63
M Bryum marratii Baltic Bryum 65
M Bryum salinum Saltmarsh Thread-moss 67
L Cephaloziella baumgartneri Chalk Threadwort 69
L Cephaloziella dentata Toothed Threadwort 70
L Cephaloziella integerrima Lobed Threadwort 72
L Cephaloziella massalongi Lesser Copperwort 74
L Cephaloziella nicholsonii Greater Copperwort 75
M Ceratodon conicus Scarce Redshank 77
M Cheilothela chloropus Rabbit Moss 79
M Cinclidotus riparius Fountain Lattice-moss 81
M Cyclodictyon laetevirens Bright Green Cave-moss 83
M Cynodontium polycarpon Many-fruited Dog-tooth 85
M Dialytrichia saxicola Brittle Lattice-moss 87
M Dicranum spurium Rusty Fork-moss 88
M Dicranum undulatum Waved Fork-moss 90
M Didymodon cordatus Cordate Beard-moss 93
M Didymodon glaucus Glaucous Beard-moss 94
M Ditrichum cornubicum Cornish Path-moss 96
M Ditrichum subulatum Awl-leaved Ditrichum 99
L Dumortiera hirsuta Dumortier's Liverwort 100
M Ephemerum cohaerens Clustered Earth-moss 103
M Eurhynchiastrum pulchellum Elegant Feather-moss 104
M Fissidens curvatus Portuguese Pocket-moss 106
M Fissidens serrulatus Large Atlantic Pocket-moss 107
M Grimmia anodon Toothless Grimmia 109
M Grimmia elongata Brown Grimmia 111
M Homomallium incurvatum Incurved Feather-moss 113
L Jamesoniella undulifolia Marsh Flapwort 115
L Leiocolea rutheana Norfolk Flapwort 117
L Lejeunea mandonii Atlantic Pouncewort 119
L Liochlaena lanceolata Long-leaved Flapwort 121
L Lophozia capitata Large-celled Flapwort 123
L Lophozia herzogiana Herzog's Notchwort 125
L Marsupella profunda Western Rustwort 127
M Micromitrium tenerum Millimetre Moss 129
M Mielichhoferia elongata Elongate Copper-moss 131
L Nardia insecta Bug Flapwort 133
M Orthodontium gracile Slender Thread-moss 135
M Orthotrichum pallens Pale Bristle-moss 137
M Orthotrichum pumilum Dwarf Bristle-moss 139
M Philonotis marchica Bog Apple-moss 141
M Physcomitrium eurystomum Norfolk Bladder-moss 143
L Plagiochila norvegica Bilobed Featherwort 145
M Plasteurhynchium meridionale Portland Feather-moss 147
M Pseudocalliergon turgescens Turgid Scorpion-moss 148
M Rhynchostegium rotundifolium Round-leaved Feather-moss 150
L Riccia bifurca Lizard Crystalwort 153
L Riccia canaliculata Channelled Crystalwort 154
L Riccia nigrella Black Crystalwort 156
M Scopelophila cataractae Tongue-leaved Copper-moss 157
M Seligeria brevifolia Short Rock-bristle 159
M Seligeria carniolica Water Rock-bristle 160
M Seligeria diversifolia Long Rock-bristle 162
L Solenostoma caespiticium Delicate Flapwort 163
L Southbya nigrella Blackwort 165
L Southbya tophacea Green Blackwort 167
M Sphagnum balticum Baltic Bog-moss 168
M Splachnum vasculosum Rugged Collar-moss 170
L Telaranea europaea Irish Threadwort 172
L Telaranea murphyae Murphy's Threadwort 174
M Thamnobryum angustifolium Derbyshire Feather-moss 175
M Thamnobryum cataractarum Yorkshire Feather-moss 178
M Timmia megapolitana Indian-feather Moss 179
M Tomentypnum nitens Woolly Feather-moss 181
M Tortula cernua Flamingo-moss 183
M Tortula cuneifolia Wedge-leaved Screw-moss 185
M Tortula solmsii Solm's Screw-moss 186
M Tortula vahliana Chalk Screw-moss 188
M Tortula wilsonii Wilson's Pottia 190
M Weissia levieri Levier's Beardless-moss 191
M Weissia multicapsularis Many-fruited Beardless-moss 192
M Zygodon forsteri Knothole Yoke-moss 194
M Zygodon gracilis Slender Yoke-moss 197

Losses - The English extinctions 199
Appendix 1: British Red List species with post-2000 Welsh and Scottish records but not seen in England for over 50 years 206
Appendix 2: Species' Status Summary 207
Glossary 212
References 215
Acknowledgements 222
Index 223