American Bryological and Lichenological Society

American Bryological and Lichenological Society
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Name	American Bryological and Lichenological Society
Abbreviation	ABLS
Formation	1898
Type	Scientific society
Headquarters	United States
Region served	International
Language	English

American Bryological and Lichenological Society is a learned society dedicated to the study of bryophytes and lichens, promoting research, conservation, and education. Founded in the late 19th century, the organization connects researchers, curators, educators, students, and amateur naturalists across North America and internationally. The society facilitates scientific communication through publications, meetings, field excursions, and awards, and it collaborates with herbaria, universities, governmental agencies, and conservation groups.

History

The society traces roots to early botanical gatherings and correspondences among collectors associated with institutions such as the New York Botanical Garden, Harvard University Herbaria, Smithsonian Institution, U.S. National Herbarium, and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Influential figures linked to the society’s formation include collectors and taxonomists active at the Field Museum of Natural History, University of California, Berkeley, Yale University, Columbia University, University of Michigan, and University of Minnesota. Historical collaborations involved exchanges with European centers such as Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, University of Edinburgh, University of Vienna, University of Copenhagen, and Berlin-Dahlem Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum. Over decades the society worked alongside organizations like the Botanical Society of America, Ecological Society of America, Linnean Society of London, International Association for Plant Taxonomy, and regional groups including the Torrey Botanical Society and Missouri Botanical Garden. The society’s archives and correspondence have intersected with collections and figures associated with the New York Botanical Garden Archives, the Harvard University Herbaria Archives, and collectors heading expeditions to locations such as the Rocky Mountains, Appalachian Mountains, Boreal Forests of Canada, Southeastern Australia, and Andean cloud forests.

Mission and Objectives

The society’s mission emphasizes scientific study, stewardship, and dissemination of bryophyte and lichen knowledge through partnerships with research institutions including Cornell University, University of California, Davis, Duke University, Colorado State University, University of British Columbia, University of Toronto, and McGill University. Objectives align with conservation initiatives undertaken with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Park Service, United States Geological Survey, and international programs such as Convention on Biological Diversity-related projects. Educational outreach engages museums, botanical gardens, and teaching collections at entities like Denver Botanic Gardens, San Francisco Botanical Garden, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Kew Gardens', and university herbaria.

Membership and Organization

Membership spans curators from the New York Botanical Garden, professors from Stanford University, graduate students affiliated with University of Wisconsin–Madison, amateur naturalists from regional societies like the Naturalists' Society of New York and specialty groups connected to the British Bryological Society. Governance typically involves an elected council and officers who have ties to institutions including the Smithsonian Institution, Missouri Botanical Garden, Natural History Museum, London, Australian National Herbarium, and networks of regional contacts in the Caribbean, Central America, South America, Europe, and Asia. The society coordinates with scholarly publishers and societies such as Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley-Blackwell, Cambridge University Press, and affiliates active in initiatives with the National Science Foundation, European Research Council, and national research councils in Canada and Australia.

Publications and Journals

The society publishes periodicals and monographs distributed to libraries and institutions including the Biodiversity Heritage Library, university libraries at Princeton University, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, and botanical research centers including Missouri Botanical Garden Library and Kew Library. Publications cite and are indexed alongside works by authors from Dartmouth College, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Ohio State University, University of Florida, Pennsylvania State University, University of Colorado Boulder, and international collaborators at Universität Zürich, Université de Paris, Seoul National University, and University of Tokyo. The society’s journals are used as primary literature in conservation assessments prepared for agencies such as IUCN and national red list projects.

Meetings, Conferences, and Field Trips

Annual meetings rotate among host institutions including University of Washington, University of Alaska Fairbanks, University of California, Santa Barbara, University of New Mexico, University of Texas at Austin, and museums such as the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and American Museum of Natural History. Field trips have taken participants to protected areas like Yellowstone National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Acadia National Park, and international sites including Vancouver Island, Tasmania, Patagonia, Svalbard, and the Caucasus Mountains. Conferences often feature symposia with collaborators from Society for Conservation Biology, International Union of Forest Research Organizations, Wildlife Conservation Society, and university departments such as University of Pittsburgh and University of Arizona.

Research, Conservation, and Education Initiatives

Research supported by the society spans taxonomy, phylogenetics, ecology, and biogeography with contributors from Smith College, Wesleyan University, Brown University, Mount Holyoke College, University of Hawaii, and international research stations such as the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Conservation projects include surveys for rare taxa that inform management by U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, Canadian Wildlife Service, and regional conservation NGOs like The Nature Conservancy and World Wildlife Fund. Educational initiatives collaborate with outreach programs at National Geographic Society, citizen science platforms connected to iNaturalist, university extension services, and teacher training workshops aligned with standards from organizations such as National Science Teaching Association.

Awards and Recognitions

The society confers awards and honors that recognize taxonomic monographs, lifetime contributions, and student research, often noting recipients associated with institutions such as Yale University, Harvard University, University of California, Berkeley, Duke University, University of Michigan, University of Toronto, University of British Columbia, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, New York Botanical Garden, and Missouri Botanical Garden. Named lectures and medals link past honorees to broader botanical recognition systems like the Royal Horticultural Society and awards administered by the American Philosophical Society.

Category:Botanical societies Category:Bryology Category:Lichenology