This volume is a collection of 17 papers celebrating the research career of Prof. Roman Türk on the occasion of his 65th birthday and pending retirement from the Universität Salzburg. The volume begins with an insightful biographical chapter which provides an informative background to Türk the person, not just the academic. Living at the foot of the Alps, it is hardly surprising that he was drawn to the mountains and he once informed me that he had climbed most, or was it all, of the nearby peaks. The comprehensive bibliography of published works gives the reader a clear understanding of the extensive research interests of Türk the academic.
The second chapter paints a concise picture of some of the many noteworthy lichenologists who have come from the region of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire or who have worked on the region's lichen flora. The recipient of this volume, through his diverse interests, more than adequately contributes to this picture.
The remaining 15 papers contributing to the volume cover a wide range of topics and geographical regions. Ten of the papers are devoted to systematics or checklists with comprehensive annotations. Three discuss the potential impacts of climate change on lichen distribution patterns and the use of lichens as monitors of these impacts, and one paper examines lichen diversity on calcareous substrata in the Austrian Alps. The geographical cover reflected in the various papers extends from Greenland to Antarctica. As with all such compendia, the detail and quality of the content of these papers varies. However, such volumes provide a useful vehicle for the dissemination of much information that may otherwise not be forthcoming and, hopefully, may stimulate further interest amongst students and researchers alike. What is pleasing to this reader is the amount of ecological information provided in many of the taxonomic or biodiversity papers.
It is regrettable that in the paper by Breuss and Berger on Verrucaria species, a nomen nudum with a description of the taxon in German only has been introduced as Verrucaria finitima. Under Article 36.1 of the ICBN (Vienna Code – McNeill et al. Reference McNeill, Barrie, Burdet, Demoulin, Hawksworth, Marhold, Nicolson, Prado, Silva, Skig, Wiersma and Turland2006) the name must be accompanied by a Latin diagnosis and designation of a Type specimen. It is unfortunate that this has slipped through the referee and Editorial processes. Also, in this paper, four new lectotypes are indicated without discussion or any indication of the possibility of an existing holotype. By contrast, in the paper by Hafellner on Polyblastia, the reasoning behind lectotypification of Henrica ramulosa is clearly and correctly given. Elsewhere in the volume, in the paper by Tibell and Frisch, Calicium pluriseptatum is correctly described.
With greater attention being given to potential impacts of global climate shifts, the lichen flora of polar and alpine regions is assuming greater importance and three papers include a discussion of climate effects in Greenland (Hansen), Saxony (Hauck), and the European Alps generally (Hertel and Schuhwerk). While the paper by Hauck concerns alpine lichens at subalpine altitudes, it is likely that these lower altitude studies may yield more informative results and certainly in a shorter time frame than studies at higher altitudes. However, as stated by Hertel and Schuhwerk in their enumeration of Lecideoid taxa from the European Alps, a first step is the establishment of reliable checklists. This paper, although rather lengthy, could be taken as a model for the presentation of much useful and critical information on the taxonomic relationships, distribution and ecology of lichens from these extreme environments. However, as evidenced by Hansen's paper on inland and coastal lichens of south-west Greenland, there are inherent problems associated with the long-term study of change in composition and distribution of species as field methodologies may change as might, of course, taxonomic interpretations.
Not surprisingly, the volume is largely Eurocentric. This is not intended as a criticism and there is much information in the papers that is of relevance to extra-European localities. What may be alpine in Europe may well be applicable to comparatively low elevations at higher latitudes. Many European based lichenologists have, over many decades, investigated the lichen floras of extra-European locations. Types and other specimens are usually lodged in European herbaria. Some countries have a requirement that Types and representative duplicates of other collections be lodged in a recognized herbarium in the country from which the material has been collected, in order to retain authentic material of the taxa in the country of origin. It is evident from some of the taxonomic papers in the volume that this requirement is not always followed.
The volume is remarkably free of typographical errors. However, in the paper on Alpine Parmelioid taxa by Thell, Westberg and Kärnefelt, which is very useful for collectors trying to enumerate collections of the species of this large group of macrolichens, some text is missing from the discussion of Parmelina. The key to taxa provided is, for the most part, mercifully free of the necessity for a detailed knowledge of chemistry.
The only serious criticism I have of this volume, because of the future nomenclatural implications, relates to inclusion of a nomen nudum in the paper by Breuss and Berger. Collectively, however, the papers provide a very useful compilation of work, particularly on alpine lichens. The contributors, editors, and the recipient of the dedication, can be justifiably pleased with this volume.
