Moss Flora of Central America

克罗斯比和艾伦博士在科斯塔的同事的帮助下 哥斯达黎加和巴拿马，将研究中美洲的苔藓， 为了编写一个说明识别指南， 在这个热带地区估计有1100种苔藓。 的 苔藓植物群将包括所有已知物种的描述， 可靠的钥匙，他们的身份，插图 诊断形态特征及其注释 地理范围和栖息地。 本研究的材料 包括过去及新收集的植物标本 采集自中美洲采样率低的地区， 在其他资金来源的支持下筹集。 计算机 设施将用于生产的各个方面， 结果手册。 尽管单独来看，苔藓很小， 微不足道的植物，他们是重要的，在延缓土壤 侵蚀，为土壤提供种子床和栖息地 无脊椎动物，以及在生态系统处理的其他方面， 材料. 它们也是研究 抗旱性和污染效应。 提供一种 中美洲藓类鉴定的可靠手册 将促进世界热带地区的此类研究。 同样，这样的手册将有助于稳定科学的 这些植物的命名，并提供数据，以评估其 历史生物地理学。

Drs. Crosby and Allen, with help from colleagues in Costa Rica and Panama, will study the mosses of Central America in order to compile an illustrated identification guide to the estimated 1100 species of mosses in this tropical region. The moss flora will include descriptions of all known species, reliable keys for their identification, illustrations of diagnostic morphological features, and notes on their geographical ranges and habitats. The materials for this study comprise herbarium specimens collected in the past as well as new collections from poorly sampled areas in Central America, collected with the support of other funding sources. Computer facilities will be used in all aspects of the production of the resulting manual. Although individually, mosses are small, seemingly insignificant plants, they are important in retarding soil erosion, in providing seed-beds and habitats for soil invertebrates, and in other aspects of ecosystem processing of materials. They also are subjects of study into mechanisms of drought resistance and of pollution effects. Provision of a reliable manual for the identification of Central American mosses will facilitate such studies for tropical regions of the world. As well, such a manual will help stabilize the scientific nomenclature of these plants and provide data for assessing their historical biogeography.