An important issue in conservation biology is the extent to which one group of organisms can function as a surrogate for less well-known groups. We explored the extent to which vascular plant species diversity (both ␣ -diversity, or species richness, and ␤ -diversity, or turnover) Diversidad de Plantas Vasculares como Substituto de la Diversidad de Briofitas y Líquenes Resumen: Un asunto importante en biología de la conservación es la magnitud con la cual un grupo de organismos puede funcionar como substituto de grupos menos conocidos. Exploramos la magnitud a la cual la diversidad de plantas vasculares (tanto diversidad ␣ o riqueza de especies y diversidad ␤ o revovación) y los subgrupos sotobosque, dosel y helechos pueden actuar como substitutos de la diversidad de especies de briofitas y líquenes. Muestreamos 35 sitios en un rango de tipos de bosque en las tierras bajas de la costa Este de

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We report on the establishment of communities of practice at four Australian institutions and evaluate their effectiveness and durability as a means of building staff and institutional capacity for interdisciplinary teaching. A community of practice approach is a potentially valuable methodology for overcoming dynamics of fragmentation, isolation and competition within universities. The communities we established were anchored by a shared focus on the topic of climate change and they worked collaboratively to build relationships of trust and reciprocity between teachers in a wide range of disciplines. The aim of each community was to improve the teaching of climate change through enabling members to integrate diverse disciplinary perspectives, to teach collaboratively, to promote innovation through exchange and to demonstrate leadership within their institutions. The key factors that made our communities effective and durable are: (1) designation of two leadership roles, activator and facilitator, (2) provision for institutional autonomy in domesticating the model to fit local circumstances and (3) a pragmatic emphasis on opportunities for teaching innovation and leadership within existing administrative structures, teaching programs and workloads. We conclude that suitably designed and resourced communities of practice are a viable means of improving interdisciplinary teaching of complex problems by facilitating both staff development and institutional learning.

Summary1. Bryophyte response to landscape fragmentation has not been investigated in replicated studies in temperate forests. Many bryophytes disperse widely but have narrow habitat requirements, suggesting that their responses to fragmentation may differ from other taxa. 2. We studied 16 sites in native eucalypt remnants located within an intensively managed plantation of exotic Pinus radiata . Eight further sites were dominated by exotic pines, and eight more were in large, continuous areas of native eucalypt forest located at the plantation boundary. We investigated how landscape context, remnant size and time since remnant isolation influence the bryophyte assemblage. Rocks, logs, soil, upturned trees and standing dead and live trees were sampled at each site. 3. Eucalypt remnants supported all but six of a total of 58 bryophyte taxa. Radiata pine sites were missing 40% of the species found in native forest, and pine was the only landscape context class not to have unique species. There was little difference in the richness or assemblage composition between the remnants and the unfragmented eucalypt forest. 4. Bryophyte assemblages differed between substrates but were similar across the same substrates even in different landscape context classes (except for rocks). Strip-shaped remnants had more bryophytes in common with continuous forest than patch-shaped remnants, while moss richness increased with remnant size. 5. Synthesis and applications . Native eucalypt remnants surrounded by intensively managed radiata pine plantation appeared to have retained, or regained, much of their bryoflora. Pine plantations were relatively depauperate, although burned eucalypt logs that remained after clearing native forest provided key substrates for many species and were crucial for maintaining bryophyte diversity. Forest managers aiming to retain bryophyte diversity should conserve native remnants of all sizes and retain suitable structural attributes, such as large decayed logs. Our findings support the hypothesis that many bryophytes have the mobility to overcome dispersal problems posed by fragmented landscapes if appropriate habitat or substrate is available.

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We describe the regional species richness, variation in species richness and species turnover of bryophytes and hchens from 36 sites in lowland forests of southeastern Australia. The analyses subdivided tiie two major taxa into their constituent sub-groups: mosses, liverworts, and crustose, fruticose and foliose lichens. They also explored correlations between selected environmental variables and patterns of diversity. On a regional scale, there were 77 species of bryophytes and 69 species of lichens, giving a total of approximately one-third of the total number of vascular plant species in tiie region. Mean species richness was higher for lichens than bryophytes. Also, the two taxa were negatively correlated because lichens favoured dry sites and bryophytes favoured moist ones. Species turnover was greater for bryophytes than lichens, largely due to the distribution of liverwort species. Foliose lichens showed higher levels of turnover than crustose lichens. Multiple regression and canonical correspondence analysis showed that both taxa and all sub-groups responded to the same three variables: vascular plant cover, time since last fire and topographic position. Other variables, including time since logging and intensity of logging, explained little variation in bryophyte or lichen diversity. The data suggest that the strategies for the conservation of bryophyte and lichen biodiversity will be different, to reflect the different patterns of species richness and species turnover.