Molecular analyses support revision of species diversity of the moss genus Bryum in Antarctica

Bryum is a moss genus that is widely distributed across the planet. Many of its species are characterized by large phenotypic and morphological plasticity, generating uncertainty in species identification exclusively based on morphological characteristics. In Antarctica, the extreme and harsh environmental conditions are further likely to promote intra-specific morphological variation, leading to complexity in the taxonomic attribution of Bryum species. In this study, we apply molecular phylogenetic analyses to assist in developing accurate species identification of B. pseudotriquetrum and two other relatively abundant Bryum species (B. archangelicum and B. pallescens) currently reported as Antarctic species.[...]