Format: ORAL

Lars Hedens1 Flavien Collart2

1 Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden 2 University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

Thanks to molecular information, numerous new bryophyte species, both morphologically recognizable and cryptic ones were discovered during the last decades. Some of the new species are restricted to specific habitats, but what about haplotypes, haplotype groups, or lineages within species? Haplotype variation within bryophyte species was often used to infer migration routes of populations, population histories, and similar aspects. Much less often the focus was on correlations with habitat or potential niche adaptations or intraspecific habitat diversification. Still, we should expect these to occur when different populations adapt to environmental conditions and sometimes as part of speciation. By not considering this aspect, we may draw incorrect conclusions regarding which factors explain observed patterns of bryophyte haplotype variation and thus, predictions in species/haplotype response to climate change. Here we explore whether certain haplotypes, haplotype groups, or lineages in mosses are or may be associated with specific environmental niches, sometimes contrasting this with geographical patterns. Further, we discuss how correlations between haplotypes and habitat parameters could be explored in greater detail in the future, including important caveats for example, factors like the number of samples and sampling strategies.