Description: Information about geomarine sample collections should be recallable at any time and sample material should be permanently available for scientific examination. This can only be achieved by responsible archiving high quality samples in a collection and by documenting core information in databases of a network of world ocean sediment and rock collections. Science is in permanent progress. New questions are raised and new examination methods for the marine sediment and oceanic crust record are eveloped continuously to improve our understanding of hydrothermal, oceanographic and atmospheric processes. New and refined methods for studying marine sediment records allow to examine the sedimentary environment in more and more detail to monitor even short term changes. For example, studies of the Holocene sedimentary record are essential for an assessment of the distribution of pollutants and their impact on sea floor environments. Sediment core and oceanic crust records in archives are an indispensable part of geomarine research facilities. They are of major significance for the implementation of national and international projects to understand marine environmental changes. Scientific documents with guidelines for data collection, archiving and sampling were prepared on national and international levels under the auspices of PAGES and IMAGES to ensure a global array of high quality marine sedimentary records (Shackleton et al., 1990, Pisias et al., 1993). The core collection in Kiel presently consists of more than 2000 m of sediment samples from all oceans. Standard procedures for systematic collection of this material are used to keep the core material available for all scientists and for many decades. The cores are stored in sealed plastic tubes, which contain water saturated sponges to prevent the core from drying out, shrinking and cracking. Cold-storage rooms are used for splitted and unsplitted core sections to preserve deep ocean temperature conditions (~ 4°C).

Description: A revision is made of the genera Hypnodendron and Braithwaitea. Mniodendron and Sciadocladus are reduced to Hypnodendron, Limbella is excluded from the Hypnodendraceae, and Dendro-Hypnum is considered to be not validly published. Hypnodendron rigidum Mitt. is transferred to Pterobryella. The species of Hypnodendron are grouped into nine sections. Five of these are monotypic, viz. Leiocarpos Dix. and four new ones: Lindbergiodendron (including H. arcuatum), Tristichophyllum (H. diversifolium), Mniodendropsis (H. milnei), and Pseudomniodendron (H. fusco-mucronatum). The circumscription of the family also needs revision, but has been maintained unchanged for the time being in the absence of information regarding assumedly related families.\nA number of morphological and other characters are discussed. Hypnodendron is thought to be of pleurocarpous descent; Meusel\xe2\x80\x99s derivation of the growth-form of Hypnodendron from that of the acrocarpous genera Mnium and Philonotis is rejected. Rejuvenation takes place by means of basal innovations, and in a number of erect species also by distal ones. The umbellate and palmate fronds are assumed to have been derived from a pinnate type. The Hypnodendraceae are distributed in the Indo-Pacific and Australasian regions and in southern South America. Hypnodendron is centred in Melanesia and New Zealand. 26 species are recognized, 9 of which are divided into subspecies or varieties; 5 taxa are reinstated (H. colensoi, H. comatum, H. comosum var. sieberi, H. spininervium ssp. spininervium and ssp. archeri) and 1 is described as new (H. vitiense ssp. australe). Identification keys are provided, and for each taxon are given: synonymy together with pertinent literature and typification, misinterpretations and misidentifications, description, geographical distribution, ecology, and notes on various subjects. Each species is illustrated, and a list is given of specimens examined, mostly accompanied by a distribution map.