BRYOPHYTES
Bryophyte Biogeography
Although whether or not bryophytes (mosses, liverworts, and hornworts) are a clade has been debated, the latest molecular evidence seems to indicated that they are. Despite being generally ignored due to their small size (and therefore need for careful microscope study to obtain reliable identifications), bryophytes are a diverse group (mosses: ca. 12,000 species; liverworts: ca. 9,000 species; hornworts: only ca. 200 species).
While we suspect that there is a fair amount of cryptic diversity within bryophytes (that is, species that are distinct based on molecular data but show little to no morphological differences), we still think there are relatively few bryophytes compared to flowering plants. Why is that? One possibility is because bryophytes disperse via small, generally wind-dispersed spores, there may be many opportunities for long distance dispersal. Relatively frequent long distance dispersal thus limits opportunities for reproductive isolation and in turn decreases rates of speciation on a global scale.
I am largely interested in sporophyte evolution within mosses and the ecological and biogeographical consequences of changes in sporophyte and spore form. Ongoing projects include examining the correlation between spore size and range size. We should expect that species with smaller spores are able to disperse more widely and thus have larger geographic ranges.
While we suspect that there is a fair amount of cryptic diversity within bryophytes (that is, species that are distinct based on molecular data but show little to no morphological differences), we still think there are relatively few bryophytes compared to flowering plants. Why is that? One possibility is because bryophytes disperse via small, generally wind-dispersed spores, there may be many opportunities for long distance dispersal. Relatively frequent long distance dispersal thus limits opportunities for reproductive isolation and in turn decreases rates of speciation on a global scale.
I am largely interested in sporophyte evolution within mosses and the ecological and biogeographical consequences of changes in sporophyte and spore form. Ongoing projects include examining the correlation between spore size and range size. We should expect that species with smaller spores are able to disperse more widely and thus have larger geographic ranges.
Bryophyte FloristicsEarly on in my career, I became active in the Ohio Moss and Lichen Association. This group holds semi-annual field trips to under-collected areas of Ohio. As a result, I became interested in the local distribution of bryophytes.
I am currently maintaining a checklist and distribution map of the bryophytes of Wisconsin. You can check it out here. |
Contact Me
Jeff Rose
Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin-Madison
430 Lincoln Dr.
Madison, WI, 53706
jeffrey.p.rose.3[at]gmail[dot]com
Jeff Rose
Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin-Madison
430 Lincoln Dr.
Madison, WI, 53706
jeffrey.p.rose.3[at]gmail[dot]com