The contributions to this Festschrift mirror current lichenological problems and progress, methods and fields of enquiry. Sophisticated techniques may give exciting results and sometimes solve long-standing questions. However, and this is evident in most articles, much basic research, such as collecting, still remains to be done, expecially of inconspicuous and therefore "unattractive" crustose lichen species. Only very few parts of the world presently have a somewhat complete inventory of their lichen diversity - a prerequisite of all further students.

This extensive volume (over 700 pp.) covers the broad field of lichenology, above all taxonomy mirroring the present progress in this discipline (use of new approaches and techniques, e.g. molecular analysis), and the evaluation of morphology and ontogeny, analyses of partner interactions in lichen associations, chemical and physiological investigations as well as biogeographical studies. Many new taxa are described, among them also taxa named in honor of H.H. (genus Hertelidea, Stereocaulaceae and 7 species). Taxonomical studies of various groups of lichens are well represented in the volume, e.g. Miriquidica (M.P. Andreev), Pannariaceae (P.M. Jørgensen), Heterodermia (R. Moberg) and Lobaria (H. Sipman). R. Lücking's revised key to foliicolous Porinaceae comprising 146 species is an important contribution. Also floristic contributions increase our knowledge on lichen flora from various parts of the world (e.g. Antarctica, New Zealand, South Africa, Soqotra I. and Tibet). K. Kalb published a number of new taxa and also otherwise interesting lichens. An analysis of the lichen flora of Tyrrhenian Italy (P.L. Nimis and M. Tretiach) and a review of species diversity in Antarctica (L. Kappen) are summaries of our knowledge to date and are valuable for the study of lichen biogeography in general. A study on the change in diversity of soil lichens along a climate gradient in Southern Africa by L. Zedda and G. Rambold is an important contribution to lichen ecology (relation to a rain system in particular) and for studying the use of lichens to indicate environmental changes. Another contribution on ecology (M.R.D. Seaward and B.J. Coppins) demonstrates how hypertrophication affects distribution of selected lichens in Britain. The study of regeneration and the repair of injuries in Nephroma arcticum and Peltigera aphthosa (S. Ott et al.), where the role of various tissues is examined, is interesting. Sexual reproduction and life strategy of Cladonia rangiferina are discussed in a contribution by H.M. Jahns et al. Lichen physiology is presented in a study of photosynthetic performance of the squamulose soil-crust of Squamarina lentigera by O.L. Lange and T.G.A. Green.

Papers evaluating traditional approaches to the classification of lichenized fungi are interesting. Ch. Kanz and G. Rambold investigate the phylogenetic position of the lichen genus Protoblastenia and the concepts of selected species using cladistic analyses of DNA sequences. Results are largely concordant with the traditional species concept of the genus and supported most of morphospecies. In another paper, H.T. Lumbsch uses 18 published studies using morphological and chemical characters for phylogenetic reconstruction and evaluates the amount of homoplasy in different characters. The results confirm that available information should be used in phylogenetic estimates, but taxonomic significance of characters in a taxon should be evaluated a posteriori in each group.

Use of experiment is not the traditional approach in lichenology because there are various problems originating from the slow growth of almost all lichens in natural habitats as well as from difficult cultivation under artificial conditions. M.T. Adler et al. use isolated fungus and compare morphology and growth of fungal colonies cultured from spores and thallus with those produced by natural lichen thalli. Mycobionts grown from its symbiotic thallus develop better than those isolated from spores. E. Stocker-Wörgötter and J.A. Elix demonstrate that specific culture conditions, determined compositions of the nutrient media and cell differentiation of the mycobiont in culture influence the induction of two independent specific metabolic pathways and formation of typical lichen substances. However, this fact is found only in the spore-derived cultures, while the thallus fragment cultures form metabolites of one pathway only. So, the findings of the above-mentioned papers are not mutually coincidental. Nevertheless, recent advances in cultural techniques enable further use of experiments that may answer some questions about the nature of symbiosis and individual partners.

Jiøí Liska

Folia Geobotanica vol. 39 issue 3, 2004

Lecidiaceae sensu lato are well represented in this book, which covers a vast array of lichens of different sytematic position, growth form, ecological characters and distribution. Various aspects of lichenology are dealt with in this book: anatomical and ontogenetic studies, chemical, physiological and molecular research, analyses of the structure and mechanisms of lichen photobionts, systematic studies, biogeographical studies. The contributions to this Festschrift show the current lichenological problems and progress, but still a lot is unknown of certain groups of lichens, especially the more inconspicuous ones. Only a limited part of the world has been inventoried more or less completely, and also numerous specimens are in the Botanische Staatssammlung München (where Hertel was curator) are still waiting for investigation.

This book is recommended for all students in lichenology and is a must for all the libraries who want to keep informed on modern lichenological research.

M. M. Nauta

PERSOONIA - Vol. 18, Part 4, 2005