Patiño J., I. Bisang, B. Goffinet, L. Hedenäs, S. McDaniel, S. Pressler, M. Stech, C. Ah-Peng, A. Bergamini, R.T. Caners, C. Cargill, N. Cronberg, J. Duckett, S. Eppley, N. Fenton, K. Fisher, J. M. González-Mancebo, M. Hasebe, J. Heinrichs†, K. Hylander, M.S. Ignatov, J. Martínez-Abaigar, N. Medina, R. Medina, D. Quandt, S. Rensing, K. Renzaglia, M. Renner, R. M. Ros, A. Schäfer-Verwimp, J. Carlos Villarreal & A. Vanderpoorten. 2022. Unveiling the nature of a miniature world: A horizon scan of fundamental questions in bryology. Journal of Bryology 41: 1–34. pdf

Abstract reads: INTRODUCTION Half a century since the creation of the International Association of Bryologists, we carried out a review to identify outstanding challenges and future perspectives in bryology. Specifically, we have identified 50 fundamental questions that are critical in advancing the discipline.
METHODS We have adapted a deep-rooted methodology of horizon scanning to identify key research foci. An initial pool of 258 questions was prepared by a multidisciplinary and international working group of 32 bryologists. A series of online surveys completed by a broader community of researchers in bryology, followed by quality-control steps implemented by the working group, were used to create a list of top-priority questions. This final list was restricted to 50 questions with a broad conceptual scope and answerable through realistic research approaches.
KEY RESULTS The top list of 50 fundamental questions was organised into four general topics: Bryophyte Biodiversity and Biogeography; Bryophyte Ecology, Physiology and Reproductive Biology; Bryophyte Conservation and Management; and Bryophyte Evolution and Systematics. These topics included 9, 19, 14 and 8 questions, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS Although many of the research challenges identified are not newly conceived, our horizon-scanning exercise has established a significant foundation for future bryological research. We suggest analytical and conceptual strategies and novel developments for potential use in advancing the research agenda for bryology.

Olivia presented her undergraduate research project entitled “Conserved progenitors of the hybrid moss Physcomitrium immersum across North America” at the EEEB undergraduate research symposium and was selected to compete at the All Biology undergraduate research symposium on Friday, April 29th. Congrats and good luck!

Liu Y., S. Wang, L. Li, T. Yang, S. Dong, T. Wei, S. Wu, Y. Liu, Y. Gong, X. Feng, J. Ma, G. Chang, J. Huang, Y. Yang, H. Wang, M. Liu, Y. Xu, H. Liang, J. Yu, Y. Cai, Z. Zhang, Y. Fan, W. Mu, S. Kumar Sahu, S. Liu, X. Lang, L. Yang, N. Li, S. Habib, Y. Yang, A.J. Lindstrom, P. Liang, B. Goffinet, S. Zaman, Jill. L. Wegrzyn, D. Li, J. Liu, J. Cui, E.C. Sonnenschein, X. Wang, J. Ruan, J.-Y. Xue, Z.-Q. Shao, C. Song, G. Fan, Z. Li, L. Zhang, J. Liu, Z.-J. Liu, Y. Jiao, X.-Q. Wang, H. Wu, E. Wang, M. Lisby, H. Yang, J. Wang, X. Liu, X. Xu, N. Li, P.S. Soltis, Y. Van de Peer, D.E. Soltis, X. Gong, H. Liu, S. Zhang. 2022. The cycad genome and the early evolution of seed plants. Nature Plants 8: 389–401.  pdf  Google Scholar

 

Abstract reads: Cycads represent one of the most ancient lineages of living seed plants. Identifying genomic features uniquely shared by cycads and other extant seed plants, but not non-seed-producing plants, may shed light on the origin of key innovations, as well as the early diversification of seed plants. Here, we report the 10.5-Gb reference genome of Cycas panzhihuaensis, complemented by the transcriptomes of 339 cycad species. Nuclear and plastid phylogenomic analyses strongly suggest that cycads and Ginkgo form a clade sister to all other living gymnosperms, in contrast to mitochondrial data, which place cycads alone in this posi- tion. We found evidence for an ancient whole-genome duplication in the common ancestor of extant gymnosperms. The Cycas genome contains four homologues of the fitD gene family that were likely acquired via horizontal gene transfer from fungi, and these genes confer herbivore resistance in cycads. The male-specific region of the Y chromosome of C. panzhihuaensis contains a MADS-box transcription factor expressed exclusively in male cones that is similar to a system reported in Ginkgo, suggesting that a sex determination mechanism controlled by MADS-box genes may have originated in the common ancestor of cycads and Ginkgo. The C. panzhihuaensis genome provides an important new resource of broad utility for biologists.

Simon A., B. Goffinet, L.S. Wang, T. Spribille, T. Goward, T. Pystina, N. Semenova, N.V. Stepanov, B. Moncada, R. Lücking, N. Magain & E. Sérusiaux. 2022. Global phylogeny and taxonomic reassessment of the genus Dendriscosticta (Ascomycota: Peltigerales). Taxon 71: 256–287.  pdf  Google Scholar

Abstract reads: The genus Dendriscosticta (Ascomycota: Peltigerales) encompasses several distinctive lichen-forming fungal species restricted to the Northern Hemisphere. Most are flagship species of old-growth forests with good air quality. A global phylogeny ofthe genus based on multilocus sequence data (ITS,RPB1,EF-1α,MCM7), model-based phylogenetic methods, and morphologicaland chemical assessments, reveals a high level of cryptic speciation often associated with restricted geographical distribution and/orchemical characters. Using sequence-based species delimitation approaches, we circumscribe two main clades referred to as the D. wrightii clade, with five unequivocal species, including D. gelida sp. nov., and the D. praetextata clade, with eight putative species, including D. phyllidiata sp. nov. The absence of recently collected material of D. hookeri comb. nov. from the type locality unfortunately prevents assignment of this epithet to one of the five supported lineages sharing this morphotype. Three new combinations are proposed: D. hookeri, D. insinuans comb. nov. and D. yatabeana comb. nov. Epitypes are designated for D. wrightii and D. yatabeana. Species diversity within the genus increased from four to nine. Our morphological assessment confirmed that Sticta and Dendriscosticta can be readily distinguished by the presence of excipular algae whereas the structure of the lower surface pores is not a reliable diagnostic feature.