Twenty-five participants from 13 countries have just attended a symposium on complex thalloid liverworts in Edinburgh #Marchantia2015. The meeting also included two teleconferences (from Australia, John Bowman, Monash University, and from the USA, Stuart McDaniel, University of Florida) and one recorded presentation (Péter Szövényi, University of Zurich).

#Marchantia2015 Complex Thalloid symposium at RBGE

#Marchantia2015 Complex Thalloid symposium at RBGE

Seated (left to right): Robbert Gradstein (MNHN Paris), Hanna Kijak (Adam Mickiewicz University), David Long (RBGE), Jeff Duckett (Natural History Museum London), Juan Carlos Villarreal (RBGE), Laura Forrest (RBGE)
Standing (left to right): Kumar Shantanu (University of Delhi), David Bell (University of British Columbia), Masaki Shimamura (Hiroshima University), Liam Dolan (University of Oxford), Neil Bell (RBGE), Halina Pietrykowska (Adam Mickiewicz University), Des Callaghan (bryophytesurveys.co.uk), Liz Kungu (RBGE), Izabela Sierocka (Adam Mickiewicz University), David Chamberlain (RBGE), Catherine Reeb (MNHN Paris), Sam Brockington (University of Cambridge), Aline Horwath (University of Cambridge), Bernardo Pollak (University of Cambridge), Silvia Pressel (Natural History Museum London).

Not shown are Alistair McCormick (University of Edinburgh), Cymon Cox (CCMAR), and Michelle Hollingsworth, Gunnar Ovstebo, Katie Emelianova and YunYu Chen (RBGE).

Following an introduction by the Regius Keeper, Simon Milne, the first day comprised of talks on the Diversity of complex thalloid liverworts (David G. Long), Amphitropical disjunctions in the complex thalloids  (Robbert Gradstein), The beginnings of microtranscriptome evolution in plants (Halina Pietrykowska, P. Piszczałka, S. Alaba, A. Pacak, I. Sierocka, P. Nuc, K. Singh, P. Plewka, A. Sulkowska, A.Jarmolowski, W.M. Karlowski, Z. Szweykowska-Kulinska), On Monocarpus (Monocarpaceae, Marchantiopsida), an isolated salt-pan complex thalloid liverwort (Laura L. Forrest, D.G. Long, D.C. Cargill, M.L. Hart, J. Milne, D.B. Schill, R.D. Seppelt, J.C. Villarreal), Sex chromosome evolution in haploid dioecy (e-talk) (Peter Szövényi, S.F. McDaniel, A. Payton, M. Ricca), Food- and water-conducting systems in complex thalloids with sexual reproduction thrown in (Jeff Duckett, S. Pressel) and Get off my turf! – Contrasting strategies for habitat specialisation by different bryophyte lifeforms (Aline Horwath). There were also two short presentations, one on the Journal of Bryology (Liz Kungu), and the other on NSF Genealogy of Life (GoLife) grant “Building a Comprehensive Evolutionary History of Flagellate Plants” (e-talk) (Stu McDaniel).

RBGE's Complex Thalloid symposium in full flow

RBGE’s Complex Thalloid symposium in full flow

On the second day of the meeting, talks comprised An update on the Marchantia genome (e-talk) (John Bowman, S. K. Floyd,T. Kochi, K.T. Yamato, K. Ishizaki, K. Berry, Jenkins, J. Schmutz), Evolution of sexual systems in complex thalloids (Masaki Shimamura), Development and evolution of the plant soil interface (Liam Dolan), Scratching the surface: The Marchantia Cuticle (Sam Brockington, S. Pressel, J. Duckett), An overview of Malagasy Marchantiidae (Catherine Reeb), Fungal associations in complex thalloids (Silvia Pressel, J.G. Duckett), RNA sequencing as a method of choice for the identification of genes differentially expressed between male and female gametophytes producing sex organs in simple thalloid liverwort Pellia endiviifolia (Izabela Sierocka, S. Alaba, W. Karłowski, Z. Szweykowska-Kulinska), and Divergence times, evolution of morphological complexity and sexual systems in a lineage with a slow molecular rate (Juan Carlos Villarreal, B.J. Crandall-Stotler, M.L. Hart, D.G. Long, L.L. Forrest).

 Thanks to RBGE and the Sibbald Trust, for logistic support and funding for the symposium.