IAL 4: Progress and Problems in Lichenology at the Turn of the Millennium (Barcelona, September 3^rd-8^th 2000)

The international congress of the IAL is the major scientific event in our Society. Detailed and continuously updated information is available at: http://www.bio.ub.es/. What follows is the preliminary program of oral presentations in the 12 sessions of the congress, as it was available at the end of June. I placed it here for the many IAL members who will not be there, and especially for those who have no access to the Internet. Browsing through the titles, they can hopefully get a glimpse of the many paths chosen by Lichenology at the start of the Millennium. I feel somehow guilty of having disregarded - for obvious reasons of space - the hundreds of announced posters: the portrait of modern Lichenology would have been much clearer.

The Editor

Session 1. Systematics of the Mycobiont (Conveners: A. Tehler, J.M. Egea) - Caloplaca studies - some sorediate species (Wetmore C.). Systematic studies of the Lecanora symmicta complex in New England and adjacent Canada (LaGreca S., Greene D., Lumbsch H.T.). Taxonomic studies on the lichen genus Siphula (Kantvilas G.). Evolutionary divergence and convergence in phenotype characters of the lichen family Gomphillaceae: a phylogenetic approach (Lücking R.). Reconstruction of lichen symbiosis evolution based on a nrDNA phylogenetic synthesis of the mycobiont (Lutzoni F., Pagel M., Reeb V.). Use of different gene regions in phylogenetic studies of lichenized fungi (Myllys L., Lohtander K., Stenroos S., Tehler A.). Phylogenetic relationships among sections of Cladonia and Cladina (DePriest P.T., Piercey-Normore M., Sikaroodi M., Kärkkäinen K., Oksanen I., Yahr R., Ahti T.). Molecular phylogenetic reassessment of the generic boundary between the genera Caloplaca and Xanthoria (Søchting U., Lutzoni F.). Phylogeny of Lichinales: a reassessment based on classical and molecular data (Schultz M., Büdel B.). Evolution, phylogeny and morphological synapomorphies of some Calicioid lichen families (Wedin M.).

Session 2. Photobionts (Conv.: T. Friedl, M. Hernandez-Mariné) - Where does the lichen photobiont come from? I. Photobionts of lichenicolous lichens (Beck A). Distribution and colonization patterns of photobionts and lichens in the Antarctic (Romeike J., Helms G., Friedl T., Ott S.). Genetical diversity of lichen phycobionts in a semiarid habitat, SE Iberian Peninsula (Souza-Egipsy V., Friedl T., Ascaso C.). Coevolution of symbiotic associations within peltigerous lichens (Peltigerineae, Ascomycota) (Miadlikowska J., Lutzoni F.). Symbiont choice and manipulation by a lichen fungus for maximal carbon acquisition (Hyvärinen M., Härdling R., Tuomi J.).

Session 3. Morphology and Structure (Conv. A. Bellemère, C. Ascaso) - Morphology and differentation of selected aposymbiotically grown mycobionts and their secondary chemistry (Stocker-Wörgötter E.). Hydrophilic and hydrophobic cell wall layers and their functions in the symbiotic phenotype of lichen-forming Ascomycetes (Honegger R., Scherrer S., Haisch A., Hugelshofer G.). Hydrophobins in Dictyonema glabratum: the water repellent coat of the apoplastic continuum (Trembley M.L., Ringli C., Honegger R.). Thallus-substratum interface of silicicolous lichens occurring on carbonatic rocks of the Mediterranean region (Salvadori O., Appolonia L., Tretiach M.). Form-building in the Cladoniaceae (Hammer S.). Asci and ascospores in various Lecanorales: TEM data (Bellemère A.). Water distribution within lichen soil crusts (Souza-Egipsy V., Ascaso C., Sancho L.G.). Homology assessment of the boundary tissue in fruiting bodies of the lichen family Sphaerophoraceae (Döring H., Wedin M.).

Session 4. Ecology, Ecophysiology and Lichen Physiology (Conv.: L. Kappen, L.G. Sancho) - The ecophysiological effect of high levels of nitrogen on nitrophytic and non-nitrophytic lichen species (Gaio-Oliveira G., Branquinho C., Máguas C., Martins-Louçao A.). The relevance of nutrient availability for lichen productivity in the maritime Antarctic (Valladares F., Sancho L.G.). Effect of ammonia on the physiology of lichens (Vidergar-Gorjup N., Pfanz H., Batic F.). The potential role of cyanolichens in the maintenance of native New Zealand ecosystems (Thomas M., Ryan D., Galloway D.). The influence of substrate and growth form on the accumulation of elements by lichens (St. Clair L., St. Clair S., Mangelson N., Weber D., Eggett D.). Effects of H₂S on CO₂ gas exchanges and growth rates of the epiphytic lichen Parmelia sulcata Taylor (Tretiach M., Baruffo L.). Evidences for ethanolic fermentation in lichens during periods of high thallus water content (Wilske B., Holzinger R., Kesselmeier J.). Effects of snow cover on lichen vegetation in the maritime Antarctic (Winkler J.B., Kappen L.). Spatial and temporal variation in water-related photosynthetic activity in lichens (Schroeter B.). Dynamic dehydration and photosynthesis in semi-arid lichens. Discriminative location of the water into the lichen thallus (Del-Prado R., Sancho L.G., Ascaso C.). Responses of antioxidants and plastid pigments to desiccation and rehydration of the lichen Cladonia vulcani compared to the reactions of its isolated photobiont and mycobiont (Kranner I., Zorn M., Yoshimura I.). Plastid pigments during desiccation and rehydration in the desert lichen Ramalina maciformis (Zorn M., Grill D., Kranner I.). Photosymbiodemes: factors contributing to the occurrence of 'well-balanced' lichens (Green A., Schlensog M., Winkler J.B., Sancho L.G., Schroeter B.). Lichens and ultraviolet radiation: a field test for adaptations (Glenn M., Orsi E.V.). Rhizocarpic acid, a photoprotector lichen metabolite (Quilhot W., Rubio C., Fernández E., Hidalgo M.E.). Does photoinhibition affect the productivity of Antarctic mosses and lichens? (Shlensog M., Schroeter B.). How can lichens survive in the understorey of tropical lowland rain forests? (Lakatos M., Rascher U, Büdel B.). Light and nitrogen use efficiencies of lichen growth (Pamqvist K., Sundberg B.). Characteristics of secondary products from isolated lichen mycobionts (Hamada N., Tanahashi T.).

Session 5. Lichen diversity and biogeography. Mediterranean and xerophilous lichens (Conv.: P.L. Nimis, E. Barreno) - Symbiotic (lichenised) and free-living fungi on desert rocks: propagation strategies and similarity of vegetative life-forms (Gorbushina A.A., Galun M., Golubkova N.S.). Interaction and colonization strategies of lichens of the gravel-Alvar (Gotland) (De Vera J.P., Schaper T., Ott S.). The phytogeography of the genus Peltigera Willd.: a quantitative analysis (Martínez I., Burgaz A.R., Vitikainen O., Escudero A.). Biogeographical research on European species of selected lichen genera (Litterski B., Otte V.). Bioclimatological influences on the floristic composition of epiphytic lichen communities on Quercus suber L. in Spain (Fos S., Calatayud A., Guera A., Barreno E.). Lichens from the Pacific Northwest of North America associated with a Mediterranean climate (Glew K.A.,Tønsberg T.). The distribution patterns of some Usnea species occurring in the Macaronesian area (Clerc Ph.). Floristic interactions between Letharia vulpina communities of the Cedrus atlantica (Morocco) and Larix decidua (NE Italy) woods (Ravera S., Massari G.). The genera Koerberia, Leptochidium, Massalongia and Polychidium (Peltigerales s.l.) in the Iberian Peninsula (Burgaz A., Martínez I.). Diversity of lichens in the Central Negev, Israel (Insarova I.). Lichen diversity in forested ecosystems in the Baltic area (Martin J., Martin L.). Lichens of the California Channel Islands (Bratt C.).

Session 6. Lichen-dominated communities (Conv.: C. Roux, X. Llimona) - Twenty years' synusial changes in a lichen-rich dry sand grassland vegetation (Daniëls F., Biermann R.). Relationship between species richness, biomass and habitat in terricolous lichen vegetation of different climatic regions (Bueltmann H., Daniëls F.). Parmelioid lichen biodiversity and distribution ecology in Taiwan (Lai M. J.). Life-form diversity of lichenized fungi in an Amazon lowland rainforest (Komposch H., Hafellner J.).

Session 7. Molecular approach to lichen phylogeny (Conv.: M. Wedin, A. Crespo) - Molecular phylogeny in Lecanoraceae, with special emphasis on the genera Lecanora s. lat. and Rhizoplaca (Arup U., Grube M.). Phylogeny of Dermatocarpon based on its sequences with a special emphasis on interrelationships of the D. miniatum-complex (Heidmarsson S.). The genus Physcia (Physciaceae): phylogeny inferred from ITS and intron sequences (Lohtander K., Myllys L., Moberg R., Källersjö M., Tehler A.). Phylogenetic studies on the genus Buellia (Baloch M., Trinkaus U., Mayrhofer H., Grube M.). The phylogenetic relationship of the New Zealand Lobariaceae based on its 5.8s molecular sequence data.(Thomas M., Ryan B., Galloway D.). A phylogenetic study of Acarospora and Acarosporaceae (lichen-forming Ascomycetes) and their position within the Ascomycetes (Reeb V., Roux C., Lutzoni F.). A molecular phylogeny of the Biatoraceae (Ekman S.). Comparison of morphological and molecular phylogenies in Agyriaceae (Schmitt I., Lumbsch H.T.). The reverse-splicing model of intron origin in lichen-fungi (Bhattacharya D., Lutzoni F., Reeb,V., Simon D., Fernandez F.). Molecular evidence for the interpretation of the ascomata in Coccotremataceae as perithecioid apothecia (Messuti M.I., Schmitt I, Lumbsch H.T.). Correlating the phylogeny of Biatora to vegetation history: the possibility of calibrating a molecular clock in lichens. (Printzen C.). Phylogenetic analyses of the fungi based on large rDNA data sets (Tehler A., Farris J. S., Lipscomb D. L., Källersjö M.).

Session 8. Lichenicolous fungi (Conv.: J. Hafellner, P. Navarro Rosinés) - Host-specificity and co-evolution in lichenicolous fungi (Diederich P.). Infection mechanisms of lichenicolous fungi (De los Rios M., Ascaso C., Grube M.). Phylogenetic position of selected lichenicolous fungi: Hobsonia, Illosporium and Marchandiomyces (Sikaroodi M., Lawrey J. D., DePriest P.T.).

Session 9. Bioindication by lichens of the stability and stress in ecosystems (Conv.: B.J. Coppins, A. Gómez-Bolea) - The use of plant bioindicators (lichens and tobacco plants) in the detection of air pollution (NO_x,0₃) in urban areas. (Asta J., Gombert S., Khalil K., Rolley F.). Populations of Hypogymnia physodes (L.) Nyl. under stress conditions: their structure and functioning (Mikhailova I.). The use of epiphytic lichens for monitoring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (Jeran Z., Leskovšek H.). Factors affecting the biodiversity of epiphytic lichens in Tyrrhenian and Alpine areas of Italy (Loppi S., Giordani P., Brunialti G., Isocrono D., Piervittori R.). Development of a hemeroby scale for oak forests in Sardinia (Italy) based on changes in the epiphytic lichen flora (Zedda L.). Mapping and analysis of the distribution patterns of lichens under application of statistical and geostatistical methods (Weber B., Büdel B.).

Session 10. Storage and retrieval of lichen data: publications, herbaria, checklists, floras (Conv.: M. Grube, N.L. Hladun) - Herbarium databases: creation and maintenance (Schoeninger R.). Lichenological collections and relevant databases in the University of Tartu, Estonia (Saag A., Randlane T.). Checklist, phytogeography and interactive database of Argentinian lichens (Calvelo S, Liberatore S.). A checklist of the lichens of Xinjiang (Abbas A., Miji, H., Tumur A., Wu, J.). Predictive distributional maps of Italian lichens (Nimis, P.L., Martellos S.). The foliicolous lichen homepage: foliicolous lichens on-line (Lücking R.). The mapping of terricolous lichens of Switzerland (Vust M.).

Session 11. Strategies for the sustainable management of lichen biodiversity (Conv.: R. Türk, A.R. Burgaz) - The biodiversity of lichens in mountains: research of management lichenic tool (Asta J., Collin G.). Juvenile development and diaspore survival in the threatened epiphytic lichen species Sticta fuliginosa, Leptogium saturninum and Menegazzia terebrata: conclusions for in situ conservation (Zoller S., Frey B., Scheidegger Ch.). Sustainable management for maintaining or re-establishing terrestrial lichen vegetation in coastal and inland dunes of the Netherlands (Ketner-Oostra R., Sykora K.V.).

Session 12. Populations and thallus individuality (Conv.: D. Hawksworth, O.F. Cubero) - Use of DNA fingerprinting to investigate thallus individuality and population variation within Graphis scripta, Ochrolechia parella and Xanthoria elegans (Dyer P.S., Murtagh G.J., Crittenden P.D.). Biogeography of the lichen forming fungi Parmelia saxatilis inferred by molecular data (its rDNA) (Crespo A., Molina M.C., Sancho L. G., Schroeter B.). Are lichens only fungi with a special form of nutrition? (Ott S., Ellersiek U., Krieg, T., Lisowsky T.). Inter- and intraspecific variation of homologous hydrophobin (H1) gene sequences among Xanthoria spp. (lichen-forming Ascomycetes) (Scherrer S., Honegger R.).

In a future history of lichenology, the end of the XX^th century - which is witnessing the first important steps of molecular systematics - is likely to be designated as "the era of checklists". Almost everywhere in the world we see converging efforts to synthesize the enormous amount of floristic-taxonomic data assembled after the Second World War, and in earlier times. Many more checklists were published during the last few years, some in paper-form, some only on the Internet, and this is obviously good. Paradoxically, at least to me, this is also a source of concern: whenever such a process occurred in the history of our discipline, it almost always marked the end of an enthusiastic progressive era, and the beginning of decades of decadence. However, let's think positive: history does not always repeat herself! Our four checklists summarize what we hitherto know about the lichens - and sometimes lichenicolous fungi - of Slovenia (820 infrageneric lichen taxa, 40 lichenicolous fungi), Estonia (802 lichens, 39 lichenicolous fungi, 22 non-lichenized allied taxa), the Czech Republic (1534 lichens), and Belgium (930 lichens, 201 lichenicolous fungi, 20 doubtfully lichenicolous or related fungi). Full coverage of the literature pertaining to the respective countries is given in all checklists, except Estonia. Languages are not so important in such works, except in the introductions, which tell us the interesting histories of lichenological explorations. They are: a) Slovenia: English, b) Estonia: English, c) Czech Republic: Czech, but kept short, with a generous English summary, d) Belgium: English, French and Dutch. The checklists differ in some important details: a) Those of Slovenia and Estonia are largely the result of very recent work, the others rely more on "historical" records, including - and this is meant as a compliment - those of the senior authors, Sérusiaux and Vezda; b) Annotation: the checklist of Belgium contains important annotations for certain taxa (in English), including relevant literature, those of Slovenia and Estonia only report the substrates in which a certain species was found and a few marginal notes, that of the Czech Republic does not include any notes; c) Subdivisions of the survey area: the checklists of Belgium, Slovenia and Estonia report the occurrence of a species within several subdivisions of the respective countries (7 in Slovenia and in Belgium, 5 in Estonia), that of the Czech Republic does not; d) Synonymies: several synonyms are reported in the checklists of Belgium, the Czech Republic, and Estonia, while that of Slovenia gives the name under which a given species was originally cited (but an index to synonyms is provided at the end); e) Standardization: this is a very important issue for checklists, and here they differ considerably. While nomenclature and generic concepts are not - in my opinion - a great problem, the general layouts and the editorial work are quite different, which could cause much extra work if we - and their authors - decide to merge them into a global database of lichen biodiversity worldwide (see later); furthermore, the checklists of Belgium, the Czech Republic and Estonia adopt author's abbreviations according to Brummitt & Powell (Royal Bot. Gard. Kew, 1992), that of Slovenia, unfortunately, does not. Two final remarks: 1) as an author of a checklist myself, I spent much time on these books (e.g. five hours on the outstanding checklist of the Czech Republic), looking for possible errors of mine. This was, indeed, time well-spent. These apparently arid papers looking like telephone directories reveal themselves - upon closer scrutiny - as products of hard work and deep insight. The authors deserve heartfelt thanks for having expended so much energy on something with no high Impact Factor and Citation Index scores, thereby setting important milestones for our discipline. 2) Maybe this will not be the "era of checklists" but we have plenty of them, and certainly this is the era of the Internet and global communication. Any text file - if properly structured - can be transformed into a database, and similar databases can be merged together, provided that they have a few fundamental things in common. The way to a global database of lichen biodiversity lies ahead: we only need a relatively small effort towards standardization (for some suggestions see those of T. Feuerer at: http//www.rrz.uni-hamburg.de/biologie/ialb/herbar/lichenw.htm). In Barcelona, hopefully, there will be some time for exploring this new pathway.

The Editor

ABBAS, Abdulla & WU, Jinong, 1998 - Lichens of Xinjiang. - 178 pp., 45 photos in colour. ISBN 7-5372-1518-9. Sci-Tech & Hygiene Publishing House of Xinjiang, Urumqi (China). Price unknown. Info (e-mail): abdulla@xju.edu.ch. In Chinese, with title page, foreword, preface and abstract also in English. - This is the first lichen flora of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the largest region of China, covering 1/6 of the country. It includes treatments of 268 species, all those so far identified to species level among the 6000 specimens recently collected (numerous specimens are cited). Mr. Abbas is a local lichenologist working in Urumqi, while Prof. J.N. Wu (who died in October 1999) was an eminent older lichenologist in Nanjing. Xinjiang does include large areas of lichenless Central Asian deserts (such as Taklimakan) but also areas with an abundant lichen flora (e.g. parts of Tian Shan Mts. and Altay Mts.). The flora is an honourable achievement in conditions where the world lichen literature must be difficult to obtain. For instance, the ascus tip structures are illustrated in the introduction - but also crystals of lichen acids, which are rarely used any more. Many colour illustrations (e.g., of Aspicilia lacunosa) are good. The plates also show that the identifications are largely reliable. Some recent changes in taxonomy (for example, Peltigera and Cladonia) need reexamination of the material. I could not read the Chinese descriptions but the species treatments indicate which species are found in the area. Most of the Xinjiang lichen flora consists of widespread temperate to arctic species, while those with oceanic affinities are little represented in this highly continental region. On the other hand there are elements which are restricted to arid Central Asia. Many of such species were described as new by A.H. Magnusson, and many of those are still poorly known in terms of taxonomic status and distribution. The present flora fills a large gap in our knowledge, and is therefore recommended to all major lichenological libraries.

Teuvo Ahti, Helsinki

Nordic Lichen Flora. Volume I. 1999. Introductory parts, Calicioid lichens and fungi. Bohuslän '5, Uddevalla, 94 pages, 82 colour photos; in English. ISBN 91-972863-3-8. Price 380 SKr (plus postage; lower prices for Europe and Scandinavia), available from: Svenska Botaniska Föreningen, c/o Museum of Evolution, Botany Section, Villavägen 6, SE-752 36 Uppsala, Sweden. - The Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, incl. Faeroe Islands and Spitzbergen) are known to have a rich lichen flora. The landscape is very varied, offering a wide range of vegetation, climate- and rock types. Moreover the area has a long tradition of lichen study. Both Linnaeus and Acharius lived and worked there. Consequently a lichen flora of this area is a huge and very important project; huge because of the vast materials that have to be studied, both in literature and in specimens, and important because many taxa were described from this area, and many elements of its lichen flora have a wide distribution in the Northern Hemisphere and beyond. The first volume contains a treatment of the "Calicioid lichens and fungi", prepared by the well-known specialist of this group, Leif Tibell. It treats all genera traditionally included in the Caliciales, mainly lichenized macro- and microlichens, but also including the lichenicolous genus Sphinctrina and the non-lichenized fungi with needle-like ascocarps Chaenothecopsis, Microcalicium, Mycocalicium, Phaeocalicium and Stenocybe. Altogether 81 species. The chosen format could be described as moderately detailed, more or less like the British Lichen Flora, a format that has proven its usefulness. The descriptions give sufficient detail to correct any derailments that might happen with the use of the keys. Separate paragraphs deal with the secondary chemistry and ecology. The distribution is given at the county level, and special characteristics and confusion possibilities are treated in notes. For each species a distribution map is given and, surprisingly, a good colour photograph! The Caliciales tend to have wide distributions. This book is therefore highly recommended (also for those outside of Scandinavia) for the temperate zones of the world, the Arctic, and corresponding mountain zones. The Scandinavian lichenological community is to be congratulated on this fine book, and it is to be hoped that it will be followed soon by further treatments.

Harrie Sipman, Berlin

NOWAK, J., 1998. Porosty, Tom. VI, Pt. 2, Buelliaceae (Physciaceae sensu lato). 236 pages, 26 black-and-white photograph tables; in Polish. Price US$ 25, available from: IB Publisher, Polish Academy of Sciences, W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Lubicz 46, PL-31-512 Kraków, Poland. fax (012) 219790; tel. (012) 215144; email: ed-office@ib-pan.krakow.pl. This volume continues the detailed Lichen Flora of Poland. Treated are the crustose Physciaceae, divided in the genera Buellia, Diplotomma, Diploicia, Dimelaena, Rinodinella, Rinodina and Phaeorhiza. Besides detailed keys, a detailed description is presented for each species, often occupying almost a whole page, while the treatment of distribution and ecology and further notes are short. No notes on easily confused taxa are given. Occasionally keys to infraspecific taxa are provided and significant varieties treated briefly. Poland is known to have an active lichenological community with a long tradition. The use of a more widely understood language would have contributed to make their experience and knowledge of the Polish lichen flora available to people outside the country, for whom it will certainly have much of interest.

Harrie Sipman, Berlin

CIESLINSKI S. & FALTYNOWICZ W. (eds.), 1999 - Atlas of the geographical distribution of lichens in Poland. Part 2. - Krakow, 61 pages. ISBN 83-85444-71-8. English and Polish. Available from: IB Publisher, Polish Academy of Sciences, W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Lubicz 46, PL-31-512 Kraków, Poland. fax (012) 219790; tel. (012) 215144; email: ed-office@ib-pan.krakow.pl. - This second issue (Part 1 appeared in 1993) treats 10 species, Agonimia tristicula, Collema flaccidum, Gyalecta jenensis, Lasallia pustulata, Leucocarpia biatorella, Normandina pulchella, Phaeophyscia kairamoi, Ptychographa flexella, Usnea capillaris and U. carpinea. For each species ecology and distribution in Poland and beyond are described, followed by a list of localities, relevant references, including those with Polish records, and a map with the Polish distribution, with a distinction between pre-1900, 1901-1960 and after-1960 localities.

Harrie Sipman, Berlin

WIRTH V. & DÜLL R., 2000. Farbatlas Flechten und Moose. - 320 pages, 303 photos; Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart. Price: 58 DM. email: info@ulmer.de; ISBN 3-8001-3517-5; in German. This is a pocket-sized book intended for a wider public. It contains short introductions to lichens and bryophytes and how to recognize them, while most of the book is filled with species treatments. Each species takes up one page and has a large colour photograph, of the superior quality for which V. Wirth is famous. About 150 lichen species are treated, mainly macrolichens. The intention of the book is that the reader can recognize the species by picture. Pictures of similar species are grouped together, and there is only a very rudimentary key to about ten species groups. The book has a great advantage over earlier German productions of this type in that the pictures are of really high quality and the selection of species is very adequate. Recommended for use in clean-air sections of Central Europe, and for anybody loving good lichen photographs.

Harrie Sipman, Berlin

St. CLAIR L. - A Color Guidebook to Common Rock Mountain Lichens. - Paperback. Price: US$ 19.95; 242 pages; ISBN 0-8425-2454-1. Available from: The M.L. Bean Life Science Museum 290 MLBM, Brigham Young University Provo, Utah 84602 USA. Payment: by check, money order or credit card (Mastercard or Visa). Shipping and handling: $2.50 for the first copy and $1.00 for each additional copy. Orders can also be placed by phone (+1-801-378-4879), fax (+1-801-378-3733), or email (larry stclair@byu.edu). - As the first comprehensive treatment of Rocky Mountain lichens, this guidebook contains an extensive introduction on the use of lichens as biomonitors, keys, detailed species descriptions, and colour photographs for almost 200 common Rocky Mountain lichens. Designed for use by both beginners and professionals, it fills a void in western North American lichenology. It provides information about common lichens from the northern Rocky Mountains south into the Great Basin, Colorado Plateau, and the Sky Island Mountains of southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico.