The moss family Sematophyllaceae is revised for the Australian flora based on field studies, type specimens and collections in Australian and other herbaria. This study and forthcoming publications treat 14 genera, 27 species and 4 varieties and are a contribution towards the Flora of Australia (Mosses). Here we consider the genera Wijkia, Acanthorrhynchium, Trismegistia and Sematophyllum. Some chromosome data and Scanning Electron Micrographs of peristomes are presented. Keys to genera in the family and species for each genus are provided together with illustrations and distribution maps for all Australian species.

  The twenty-two Australian species of the Brachytheciaceae, belonging to the genera Brachythecium (8 species), Eurhynchium (4), Platyhypnidium (1), Pseudoscleropodium (1), Rhynchostegium (6), Scleropodium (1), and Scorpiurium (1) are presented with keys to genera and species. Descriptions of the species, illustrations of details that aid in the identification of the species, and distribution maps for Australia are provided. Most Brachytheciaceae species occur in the southeastern part of the continent, including Tasmania, and a few species are found in scattered areas along the coast of Queensland and in southwestern Western Australia. A lectotype is selected for Hypnum pseudoplumosum Brid.

  The bryoftora of two small maritime islands, Chisik and Duck Island (2,302 ha), comprising Tuxedni Wilderness in western lower Cook Inlet, Alaska, was examined to determine species composition in an area where no previous collections had been reported. The field study was conducted from sites selected to represent the totality of environmental variation within Tuxedni Wilderness. Data were analyzed using published reports to compare the bryophyte distribution patterns at three levels, the Northern Hemisphere, North America, and Alaska. A total of 286 bryophytes were identified: 230 mosses and 56 liverworts. Bryum miniatum, Dichodontium olympicum, and Orthotrichum pallens are new to Alaska. The annotated list of species for Tuxedni Wilderness expands the known range for many species and fills distribution gaps within Hultén's Central Pacific Coast district. Compared with bryophyte distribution in the Northern Hemisphere, the bryoftora of Tuxedni Wilderness primarily includes taxa of boreal (61%), montane (13%), temperate (11%), arctic-alpine (7%), cosmopolitan (7%), distribution; 4% of the total moss flora are North America endemics. A brief summary of the botanical exploration of the general area is provided, as is a description of the bryophytes present in the vegetation and habitat types of Chisik and Duck Islands.

  A checklist of the mosses of Sri Lanka is provided, containing 568 mosses together with 624 locally used synonyms. All distribution data and synonyms are supported by literature references, 180 in total. Two new combinations are made: Eriopus lucidus Thwaites & Mitt. in Mitt. becomes Calyptrochaeta lucida (Thwaites & Mitt.) O'Shea, and Ectropothecium subretusum Thwaites & Mitt in Mitt. becomes Taxiphyllum subretusum (Thwaites & Mitt.) O'Shea.

  Three new species of Fissidens from Japan are described. F. neomagofukui Z.Iwats. & Tad.Suzuki, F. pseudoadelphinus Z.Iwats. & Tad.Suzuki and F. fujiensis Tad.Suzuki & Z.Iwats. Fissidens neomagofukui is similar to F. diversifolius, but it lacks a limbidium, and its peristome teeth are short and papillose. Fissidens pseudoadelphinus in compared with F. teysmannianus (= F. adelphinus), but has narrower leaves which are often very asymmetrical, and a costa ceasing far below the apex. Fissidens fujiensis is similar to F. taxifolius, but the cells in the apical lamina are much larger than those in F. taxifolius, and have indistinct papillae in the comers.

  Campylopus fragilis has been recorded from Honshu and Shikoku, Japan. A new species, C. gemmiparus Z.Iwats., J.-P.Frahm, Tad.Suzuki & Takaki is described from central Honshu, Japan. The new species has brood leaves differing from those of C. fragilis in that they are costate and differ in shape. The habitat of the type of this new species is non-calcareous stone walls in a tea plantation. Relationships between this new species and other gemmiferous Campylopus are discussed.

  Some newly recognized differences support the generic segregation of Macrocolura R.M.Schust. from Colura (Dumort.) Dumort. and are summarized in a key. Only a single species of Macrocolura is recognized: M. sagittistipula (Spruce) R.M.Schust. [= M. clavigera (Gottsche ex Ast) R.M.Schust., syn. nov.; = M. lyrata (Steph.) R.M.Schust., syn. nov.], which is described and illustrated. Based on differences presented in a key Colura is newly subdivided into two subgenera (Glotta Grolle & R.L.Zhu and Colura), of which the former comprises the sections Glotta Grolle & R.L.Zhu and Heterophyllum Ast and the latter the sections Colura, Gamolepis Ast, Harmophyllum Grolle and Oidocorys Ast ex Grolle. For ease of access the 25 species published since the Colura monograph by Jovet-Ast (1954a+b) are listed in alphabetical order with full references under the appropriate sections.

  Lepidozia suyungii Gao et Bai, sp. nov. is described from Xizang and Yunnan, China. A key and the distributions of 13 species of Lepidozia Dumort. in China are also provided.

  Using allozyme markers, we estimated gene flow (Nm) and genetic differentiation (G_ST) among conspecific populations of four marchantialean liverworts. Estimates of gene flow ranged over four orders of magnitude, being highest for Conocephalum japonicum, a dioicous species that reproduces sexually by spores, and lowest for Lunularia cruciata, a dioicous species that reproduces asexually by gemmae and which may be adventive in East Asia. Moreover, L. cruciata showed very strong population differentiation (G_ST=0.956), whereas C. japonicum showed very little differentiation (G_ST=0.062) over the same geographical range. Overall, monoicous liverwort species showed greater population differentiation than did dioicous species, regardless of the overall level of genetic diversity.

  A vegetational or beta diversity of epilithic, epigeous and epiphytic bryophyte communities was studied based on average turnover rate of species (ATR proposed by Itow in 1991) in relation to environmental gradients. The epilithic bryophyte communities in Tomikawa-keikoku, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan were sampled at intervals of 2m with the phytosociological method. The epigeous bryophyte communities in Iwato-jinjya, Nagasaki Pref., Japan were sampled at intervals of 1m with the same investigation method as with epilithic communities. The epiphytic community analysis was based on data from Iwatsuki and Hattori (1956 a, b) in Wari'iwa, Miyazaki Pref., Japan. The beta diversity parameters calculated were ATR, IA (internal association), HC (Whittaker's half -change), and DR50, 80 and 95 (Distance range for 50, 80 and 95% change in species composition). The epilithic communities on bedrock of augitic andesite, the epigeous communities on substratum soil in the cave and the epiphytic communities on Cinnamomum japonicum Sieb., on Abies firma Sieb. et Zucc. and on Tsuga sieboldii Carr. were respectively, ATR=2.95, 5.97, 5.36, 1.94, 1.56, IA=83.8, 84.3, 78.2, 69.2, 69.2, HC=1.69, 1.81, 1.65, 1.34, 1.08. DR50=11.5m, 5.75m, 5.26m, 9.90m, 12.3m. DR80=21.6m, 10.8m, 10.9m, 24.4m, 31.5m. DR95=26.7m, 13.3m, 13.7m, 33.1m, 41.2m. The ATR values of bryophyte vegetation were positively correlated with the environmental gradients.

  Several of the recently described species in the genus Fuscopannaria have proved to have a wider distribution than anticipated: F. coerulescens (Borneo and India), F. dissecta (Borneo, The Philippines), F. saltuensis (India) and F. siamensis (India, Korea). F. dissecta has for the first time been found with ripe spores which are subglobose, in contrast to the ellipsoid ones of F. leucosticta. Leioderma sorediatum is reported as new to India and Thailand.

  A phylogenetic tree, inferred from the sequences of ITS regions (including ITS1, 5.8S rDNA and ITS2) of rDNA, has been constructed in order to confirm the infrageneric ranks of the genus Usnea in Japan. Twenty-one species of Usnea mainly collected from Japan were analyzed using the neighbor-joining (NJ) method. Samples were selected from various infrageneric groups of the genus. The data supports the segregation of the subgenera Dolichousnea and Eumitria from subgenus Usnea, and the treatment of sections Usnea and Ceratinae. Although the bootstrap values of the clades of the subgenera Dolichousnea and Eumitria and section Usnea are highly reliable, the values of the subgenus Usnea and the section Ceratinae clades are not enough to support the branches. This suggests that the subgenus Usnea and the section Ceratinae need to be divided into several phylogenetic groups. Therefore, OTUs of more species belonging to these groups should be analyzed in order to elucidate the relationships within the groups.

  Since 1966, immobilization of lichen cells or enzymes in inert, hydrophilic matrices by adsorption or entrapment is the usual method to improve the production of lichen metabolites without biomass destruction. Alginate and polyacrylamide are used for cell entrapment, whereas bioskin, clays or polyhydroxyurethane have been largely preferred as matrices for immobilization by adsorption. Entrapped or adsorbed cells can be used to induce a particular metabolic transformation, i.e., lecanoric acid into orsellinic acid, or, alternatively, to produce lichen phenolics from acetate as a primary precursor. The overall production of some of these phenolics, such as evernic and usnic acids, atranorin, parietin and fumarprotocetraric acid, is reviewed and analyzed the possible role in the process of phenolic production and accumulation of epiphytic bacteria contaminating lichen immobilisates.

  The effect of season on the size of phyco- and photobiont cells in the thalli of 12 lichen species from Knyszyńska Forest were investigated. Measurement of these cells showed three size groups: young cells, fully grown vegetative cells and autosporangia. The season with the highest percentage of young cells was considered to be the most favourable time for phyco- and photobiont cells propagation. The highest percentage of young cells of phyco- and photobiont was found in the thalli of lichens collected in: winter in Ramalina fraxinea; winter and spring in Parmelia sulcata and Peltigera canina; spring in Cladonia furcata; spring and autumn in Cetraria islandica and Hypogymnia physodes; summer in Platismatia glauca and Pseudevernia furfuracea; autumn in Cladina arbuscula, Peltigera rufuscens and Xanthoria parietina; and autumn and winter in Evernia prunastri.

  Four 5-acylresorcinol (1-4), twenty 5-alkylresorcinol (5-24), six 4-acylresorcinol (25-30) and three 4-alkylresorcinol (31-33) derivatives were synthesized and examined for mice liver monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitory effects. Among these compouds, some one (compounds 6-9, 11-13, 16 and 21-24) were known as lichen metabolites. Some compounds showed mice liver MAO inhibitory effects which corresponded to the length of the side chain; 4-acylresorcinol which has R=C₆H₁₃ as the side chain showed potent activity (IC₅₀, 4.27×10^-6 M). The compounds showing mice liver MAO inhibitory effects were tested for mice brain MAO inhibitory potencies.

  A zearalenone derivative, 6-(4,5-dihydroxy-10-methyl-6-oxo-7-undecenyl)-resorcylic acid lactone, was isolated from the liquid culture of a thallus-derived mycobiont and a thallus of Baeomyces placophyllus. The structure including the stereochemistry was established by spectroscopic studies.