One hundred and ten lichenized and three non-lichenized fungi are reported from southeastern Euro... more One hundred and ten lichenized and three non-lichenized fungi are reported from southeastern Europe, mostly from the Balkan Peninsula. Caloplaca phaeothamnos is new to Europe. Caloplaca brachyspora, Chaenotheca cinerea, Gyalecta liguriensis, Peltula placodizans, Pleurosticta koflerae, Polyblastia forana, Protoparmelia oleagina, Protoparmeliopsis achariana, P. vaenskaei and Verrucaria breussii are new to southeastern Europe. New country records are reported for Albania (57 species), Bosnia and Herzegovina (4), Bulgaria (15), Croatia (3), Greece (14), Kosovo (6), Montenegro (1), North Macedonia (5), Romania (1) and Serbia (12). Many of these records are from old-growth and primeval forests. They underline the high potential for nature and biodiversity protection of many localities on the Balkan Peninsula.
Lichens are an iconic example of symbiotic systems whose ecology is shaped by the requirements of... more Lichens are an iconic example of symbiotic systems whose ecology is shaped by the requirements of the symbionts. Previous studies suggest that fungal (mycobionts) as well as photosynthesizing (phycobionts or cyanobionts) partners have a specific range of acceptable symbionts that can be chosen according to specific environmental conditions. This study aimed to investigate the effects of climatic conditions and mycobiont identity on phycobiont distribution within the lichen genera Stereocaulon, Cladonia, and Lepraria. The study area comprised the Canary Islands, Madeira, Sicily, and the Aeolian Islands, spanning a wide range of climatic conditions. These islands are known for their unique and diverse fauna and flora; however, lichen phycobionts have remained unstudied in most of these areas. In total, we genetically analyzed 339 lichen samples. The phycobiont pool differed significantly from that outside the studied area. Asterochloris mediterranea was identified as the most abundant...
1 Abstract Forests are the native Central European vegetation, which have dominated in the landsc... more 1 Abstract Forests are the native Central European vegetation, which have dominated in the landscape for the last c. 10,000 years. Stands with an oak and hornbeam dominance occupied lower elevations before human colonization, beech and silver fir-beech forests middle elevations and spruce stands at higher elevations. Only a few remnants of forests, which can be regarded as primeval or with a minimal impact of forest management, have survived in densely populated Central Europe. Examples of the most preserved primeval forests are Rothwald (Austria), Białowieża (Poland, Belorussia), Stužica/Stuzhytsia (Slovakia, Ukraine) and Boubín (Czech Republic). Although these sites are small and isolated, they are local diversity centers for many organisms, mainly for fungi, lichens and bryophytes, refugia for numerous endangered species and some of them have their last localities there. Epiphytic and epixylic lichens are an ideal model group for studies about forests because they sensitively indicate management, continuity, heterogeneity and age of a woodland. Therefore they could help us to answer many important questions about the conservation of natural forests. This thesis comprises several different points of view on lichens in Central European forests and its aim is to join these heterogeneous fields into one..
Japewia aliphatica is described as a new species. It is characterized by the usually brown, often... more Japewia aliphatica is described as a new species. It is characterized by the usually brown, often areolate, blastidiate to sorediate-blastidiate, rarely fertile thallus containing unknown fatty acid(s). It grows on acidic bark of broad-leaved trees in mainly in montane forests, and is known from Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Norway, Russia (European part of the Caucasus), Slovakia and Ukraine. The new species is well characterized by its morphological, chemical and molecular (nrITS, mtSSU) traits. Systematic placement of Japewia is briefly discussed and its position within Lecanoraceae confirmed.
A sterile sorediate member of the genus Bacidia s.str., B.albogranulosa, is described here as a n... more A sterile sorediate member of the genus Bacidia s.str., B.albogranulosa, is described here as a new species. It is characterised by its very thin, pale grey thallus, white, farinose to granular soredia, the production of atranorin and the absence of ascomata and pycnidia. It grows on slightly acidic to subneutral bark of broad-leaved trees in old-growth forests in the Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine and Russia (European part of the Caucasus). The new species is well characterised by its morphology, secondary chemistry and molecular (nrITS, mtSSU) traits. It is closely related to other atranorin-containing species in the genus, Bacidiadiffracta, B.polychroa and B.suffusa.
River gravel bars are dynamic and heterogeneous habitats standing on transition between aquatic a... more River gravel bars are dynamic and heterogeneous habitats standing on transition between aquatic and terrestrial environment. Periodical flooding, low nutrient content, frost, missing safe sites, drought, and heat on the ground surface significantly influence life in these habitats. Mutualistic symbiosis may be a successful strategy for organisms to survive and to proliferate under harsh conditions. The lichen genus Stereocaulon was selected as a model symbiotic system among the organisms living on river gravel bars. The aim of our work was to determine effect of this dynamic environment on a phycobiont (i.e., green eukaryotic photobiont) community structure. We analysed 147 Stereocaulon specimens collected in the Swiss Alps using Sanger sequencing (fungal ITS rDNA, algal ITS rDNA, algal actin type I gene) and 8 selected thalli and 12 soil samples using Illumina metabarcoding (ITS2 rDNA). We performed phytosociological sampling on each study plot (n=13). Our analyses of communities o...
Uholka primeval forest in the Ukrainian Carpathians-a keynote area for diversity of forest lichen... more Uholka primeval forest in the Ukrainian Carpathians-a keynote area for diversity of forest lichens in Europe.-Herzogia 31: xxx-xxx. One of the largest European primeval forests, Uholka-Shyrokyi Luh in the Ukrainian Carpathians, has received increased attention in recent years. In spring 2015 we explored the lichen biota in the southern part of the reserve. Species richness of epiphytic and epixylic lichens presented in this paper far exceeds all numbers achieved in other Central European old-growth forests. In total, 370 lichenized and lichen-allied fungi and 30 lichenicolous fungi were recorded. We focussed on forest lichens on organic substrata, inorganic substrata were largely ignored. Species composition in the Uholka forest includes many rare taxa and typical old-growth forest species: e.g. Cetrelia spp., Gyalecta spp., Leptogium saturninum, Lobaria pulmonaria, Ricasolia amplissima, Sclerophora farinacea, S. pallida, Thelopsis flaveola and T. rubella. Opegrapha fumosa, Pyrenula chlorospila and P. dermatodes represent oceanic species that are very rare outside Western Europe. Biatora longispora, Calicium montanum, Menegazzia subsimilis, Micarea perparvula, Ochrolechia trochophora, Pyxine sorediata, Ramonia luteola and Thelotrema suecicum are examples of phytogeographically remarkable or generally very rare lichens. Thirty lichenized and ten lichenicolous fungi are new to Ukraine, including Biatora bacidioides and Pertusaria macounii not previously reported from Europe.
Protoblastenia lilacina, Sclerophora pallida and Thelopsis rubella represent other remarkable rec... more Protoblastenia lilacina, Sclerophora pallida and Thelopsis rubella represent other remarkable records. An enigmatic collection of an Immersaria, closely resembling I. athroocarpa and possibly representing a new species, is briefly discussed. The present paper brings the total number of lichenized and lichenicolous fungi known for Macedonia to 675 and 22, respectively.
Natural spruce forests are restricted to the highest mountain ranges in the Czech Republic. Spruc... more Natural spruce forests are restricted to the highest mountain ranges in the Czech Republic. Spruce is also the commonest tree species in managed forests. Owing to a massive decline of spruce forests in Central Europe, caused by recent climatic fluctuations and disturbances, the lichen diversity and species composition was compared between ten representative natural mountain old-growth forests in the Czech Republic and their counterparts in mature managed forests. The old-growth forests are characterized by a higher species richness, abundance, number of Red-listed species, functional, taxonomic and phylogenetic diversities. Plots with the highest species richness are situated in the Šumava Mountains, an area with a relatively low sulphur deposition in the past. Bioindication analysis searching for lichen indicators supported several species (e.g. Xylographa vitiligo, Chaenotheca sphaerocephala) and genera (e.g. Calicium, Xylographa) with a strong preference for oldgrowth forests. Analysis of lichen functional traits revealed a higher abundance of species with a vegetative reproduction in managed forests that may be explained by a higher efficiency in colonization by young successional stages. Lichens with stalked apothecia, pigmented ascospores and large ascospores are more frequent in old-growth forests. Our results are briefly discussed in terms of nature conservation, focusing on national refugees of old-growth forest species, biodiversity hot-spots, practical use of indicator species and representative measures for an evaluation of forest quality.
The northwestern Caucasus is exceptional in Europe because of its 1.3 million hectares of unmanag... more The northwestern Caucasus is exceptional in Europe because of its 1.3 million hectares of unmanaged 'virgin' forest. The Caucasus State Nature Reserve protects some 200,000 hectares, but contiguous areas are exposed to forest loss, fragmentation and degradation. Such an extensive region of virgin forest provides a unique opportunity to document diversity along key ecological gradients for an undisturbed system in Europe. Focusing on lichen epiphytes, we surveyed local diversity hot-spots along a 1200 m altitudinal gradient. Our main results are that: (a) species richness is enormously high in 1-hectare plots (between 233 and 358) representing a new baseline for Europe, (b) species composition differs substantially among plots with turnover increasing for difference in altitude. Cumulative species richness along the gradient was 597. More than a half of detected species had an affinity for, or were restricted to either the lower or the uppermost parts of the altitudinal gradient. However, this was related to differences in forest structure, rather than altitude per se. Species richness in plots increased significantly with the proportion of sparse/open forest. Length of an ecotone line, number of available tree and shrub species and number of dominant tree species also tend to increase species richness. These four variables had higher values at the lower and upper parts of the gradient, than at mid-altitudes, explaining a bimodal relationship of species richness with altitude. We conclude that loss of forest habitat at the lower and upper margins of the altitudinal gradient will cause the most significant decline in epiphytic lichen diversity.
Blastenia is a widely distributed lichen genus in Teloschistaceae. We reconstructed its phylogeny... more Blastenia is a widely distributed lichen genus in Teloschistaceae. We reconstructed its phylogeny in order to test species delimitation and to find evolutionary drivers forming recent Blastenia diversity. The origin of Blastenia is dated to the early Tertiary period, but later diversification events are distinctly younger. We recognized 24 species (plus 2 subspecies) within 6 infrageneric groups. Each species strongly prefers a single type of substrate (17 species occur on organic substrates, 7 on siliceous rock), and most infrageneric groups also show a clear substrate preference. All infrageneric groups tend to have the Mediterranean and Macaronesian distribution, but some epiphytic species have much larger geographic ranges and some evolved after a long-distance dispersal outside the region. Chlorinated and nonchlorinated anthraquinone chemosyndromes co-occur in apothecia of most species, but the chemotype has been secondarily reduced in some lineages. One infrageneric group has a marked reduction in apothecial size, associated with a substrate shift to twigs. Only seven species have vegetative diaspores; they also produce apothecia but have smaller ascospores. Genome sizes (22-35 Mb in Blastenia) are significantly higher in epilithic species. Within-species genetic variation is low in widely distributed species but high in some epilithic species with small geographical ranges.
Effective indicators for biodiversity hotspots and refuges of threatened forest species could hel... more Effective indicators for biodiversity hotspots and refuges of threatened forest species could help with efforts to mitigate the decline of European forest's biodiversity. ʻAncient forest species' (AFS, i.e. a group of forest vascular plant species that rely on forest continuity) were previously noted as possible indicators of biodiversity hotspots. However, different aspects of the forest continuity may be important for different taxa. Using data from two multi-taxa surveys of central European forests, we examined spatial congruence between the richness of AFS and other forest-dwelling groups in stands that differed in various aspects of forest continuity. We provide evidence for a general positive relationship between the richness of AFS and other forest-dwelling taxa (bryophytes, macrofungi, lichens, beetles, moths and some groups of edaphic organisms) in temperate European forests. The ability of AFS to indicate hotspots of forest biodiversity is not seriously affected by forest management even in the case of long-term intensive and specific management practices such as coppicing. Any easily observable characteristics of the forest environment, excepting the richness of AFS, are unlikely to track exactly the complex effects of forest continuity, habitat quality and the delay in the rise and fall of species diversity of forest communities. Some other perennial plant species associated with beech forests are similar to AFS and regularly occupied the refuges of threatened species. The stands with outstanding biodiversity within the area of deciduous temperate forests can be easily revealed via AFS richness and eventually other similar beech-associated species in the case of beech forests. The retention of all small, mutually isolated refuges of endangered species interspersed within large areas of managed forests may be crucial for the mitigation of biodiversity decline in temperate European forests.
This contribution presents new records of lichenized and "lichen-allied" fungi for the Czech Repu... more This contribution presents new records of lichenized and "lichen-allied" fungi for the Czech Republic and a list of all recently published species missing in the last national checklist (Liška & Palice 2010). Lecanora tephraea is supposed to be synonymous with L. cenisia and the lectotype is designated here. Polyblastia brunnensis is synonymized with Thelidium zwackhii. Caloplaca fiumana, lectotypified here, was found to be an older name of the recently described taxon Caloplaca substerilis subsp. orbicularis. Candelariella subdeflexa is replaced by C. blastidiata in the national checklist; Lecanora reagens is excluded from the Czech lichen biota. Twenty nine species are published as new to the Czech Republic:
Lecanora stainislai is characterized by a very thin sorediate thallus, forming a more or less con... more Lecanora stainislai is characterized by a very thin sorediate thallus, forming a more or less continuous layer of soredia and by the production of usnic acid and zeorin. It usually grows on smooth bark of trees in forests and is known from the Czech Republic, Norway, Poland, Russia, Ukraine and western North America (Canada, USA). It is chemically similar to the sorediate L. compallens, which however has an episubstratal thallus in non-sorediate parts and often delimited soralia. They have also different phylogenetic positions within the L. symmicta group. Moreover, based on molecular marker analysis the position of L. expallens is resolved within this group for the first time.
In this contribution, new data concerning bryophytes, fungi, and lichens of the Italian flora are... more In this contribution, new data concerning bryophytes, fungi, and lichens of the Italian flora are presented. It includes new records and confirmations for the bryophyte genera Diplophyllum and Ptychostomum, the fungal genera Arrhenia, Gymnosporangium, and Sporidesmium and the lichen genera Arthonia,
We tested two methods to obtain more complete species inventories in surveys of lichen biodiversi... more We tested two methods to obtain more complete species inventories in surveys of lichen biodiversity. Th e fi rst was to employ eight lichenologists (all experienced, some specialists) acting as individuals in parallel in a competitive survey. Th e second was to organize those lichenologists into two competing teams. We show that overall recorded biodiversity is distinctly higher than the part of lichen biodiversity recorded by each single lichenologist (45-66%) or team (79-83%). Use of these methods in a survey of epiphytic and epixylic lichens resulted in a list containing 112 species in 1 ha, 192 species in 12.5 ha and 212 species for 30 km 2 of lowland fl oodplain old-growth forest in southeastern Czech Republic. Eleven recorded species are new to the country; four are rediscovered after more than 50 years. In comparison, few previous surveys of mixed montane forests in the same region have yielded more than 200 species, even though it is certain that those forests have greater lichen diversity than our lowland forest.
Fritschiana : Veroffentlichungen aus dem Herbarium des Instituts fur Botanik der Karl-Franzens-Universitat Graz (GZU), Jan 16, 2008
A list of 256 taxa of lichens (252 species) and 2 species of lichenicolous fungi from Montenegro ... more A list of 256 taxa of lichens (252 species) and 2 species of lichenicolous fungi from Montenegro is presented, including 58 taxa (57 species) new to Montenegro. The list is based on specimens kept in the lichen collections of the herbaria GZU, H, Podgorica, and in the private herbarium of Klaus Kalb, and on recent field work in various parts of the country. The genera Biatoridium, Carbonea, Cercidospora, Heppia, Hyperphyscia, Hypocenomyce, Leprocaulon, Lethariella, Megalospora, Orphniospora, Psorinia and Vahliella are reported from Montenegro for the first time.
One hundred and ten lichenized and three non-lichenized fungi are reported from southeastern Euro... more One hundred and ten lichenized and three non-lichenized fungi are reported from southeastern Europe, mostly from the Balkan Peninsula. Caloplaca phaeothamnos is new to Europe. Caloplaca brachyspora, Chaenotheca cinerea, Gyalecta liguriensis, Peltula placodizans, Pleurosticta koflerae, Polyblastia forana, Protoparmelia oleagina, Protoparmeliopsis achariana, P. vaenskaei and Verrucaria breussii are new to southeastern Europe. New country records are reported for Albania (57 species), Bosnia and Herzegovina (4), Bulgaria (15), Croatia (3), Greece (14), Kosovo (6), Montenegro (1), North Macedonia (5), Romania (1) and Serbia (12). Many of these records are from old-growth and primeval forests. They underline the high potential for nature and biodiversity protection of many localities on the Balkan Peninsula.
Lichens are an iconic example of symbiotic systems whose ecology is shaped by the requirements of... more Lichens are an iconic example of symbiotic systems whose ecology is shaped by the requirements of the symbionts. Previous studies suggest that fungal (mycobionts) as well as photosynthesizing (phycobionts or cyanobionts) partners have a specific range of acceptable symbionts that can be chosen according to specific environmental conditions. This study aimed to investigate the effects of climatic conditions and mycobiont identity on phycobiont distribution within the lichen genera Stereocaulon, Cladonia, and Lepraria. The study area comprised the Canary Islands, Madeira, Sicily, and the Aeolian Islands, spanning a wide range of climatic conditions. These islands are known for their unique and diverse fauna and flora; however, lichen phycobionts have remained unstudied in most of these areas. In total, we genetically analyzed 339 lichen samples. The phycobiont pool differed significantly from that outside the studied area. Asterochloris mediterranea was identified as the most abundant...
1 Abstract Forests are the native Central European vegetation, which have dominated in the landsc... more 1 Abstract Forests are the native Central European vegetation, which have dominated in the landscape for the last c. 10,000 years. Stands with an oak and hornbeam dominance occupied lower elevations before human colonization, beech and silver fir-beech forests middle elevations and spruce stands at higher elevations. Only a few remnants of forests, which can be regarded as primeval or with a minimal impact of forest management, have survived in densely populated Central Europe. Examples of the most preserved primeval forests are Rothwald (Austria), Białowieża (Poland, Belorussia), Stužica/Stuzhytsia (Slovakia, Ukraine) and Boubín (Czech Republic). Although these sites are small and isolated, they are local diversity centers for many organisms, mainly for fungi, lichens and bryophytes, refugia for numerous endangered species and some of them have their last localities there. Epiphytic and epixylic lichens are an ideal model group for studies about forests because they sensitively indicate management, continuity, heterogeneity and age of a woodland. Therefore they could help us to answer many important questions about the conservation of natural forests. This thesis comprises several different points of view on lichens in Central European forests and its aim is to join these heterogeneous fields into one..
Japewia aliphatica is described as a new species. It is characterized by the usually brown, often... more Japewia aliphatica is described as a new species. It is characterized by the usually brown, often areolate, blastidiate to sorediate-blastidiate, rarely fertile thallus containing unknown fatty acid(s). It grows on acidic bark of broad-leaved trees in mainly in montane forests, and is known from Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Norway, Russia (European part of the Caucasus), Slovakia and Ukraine. The new species is well characterized by its morphological, chemical and molecular (nrITS, mtSSU) traits. Systematic placement of Japewia is briefly discussed and its position within Lecanoraceae confirmed.
A sterile sorediate member of the genus Bacidia s.str., B.albogranulosa, is described here as a n... more A sterile sorediate member of the genus Bacidia s.str., B.albogranulosa, is described here as a new species. It is characterised by its very thin, pale grey thallus, white, farinose to granular soredia, the production of atranorin and the absence of ascomata and pycnidia. It grows on slightly acidic to subneutral bark of broad-leaved trees in old-growth forests in the Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine and Russia (European part of the Caucasus). The new species is well characterised by its morphology, secondary chemistry and molecular (nrITS, mtSSU) traits. It is closely related to other atranorin-containing species in the genus, Bacidiadiffracta, B.polychroa and B.suffusa.
River gravel bars are dynamic and heterogeneous habitats standing on transition between aquatic a... more River gravel bars are dynamic and heterogeneous habitats standing on transition between aquatic and terrestrial environment. Periodical flooding, low nutrient content, frost, missing safe sites, drought, and heat on the ground surface significantly influence life in these habitats. Mutualistic symbiosis may be a successful strategy for organisms to survive and to proliferate under harsh conditions. The lichen genus Stereocaulon was selected as a model symbiotic system among the organisms living on river gravel bars. The aim of our work was to determine effect of this dynamic environment on a phycobiont (i.e., green eukaryotic photobiont) community structure. We analysed 147 Stereocaulon specimens collected in the Swiss Alps using Sanger sequencing (fungal ITS rDNA, algal ITS rDNA, algal actin type I gene) and 8 selected thalli and 12 soil samples using Illumina metabarcoding (ITS2 rDNA). We performed phytosociological sampling on each study plot (n=13). Our analyses of communities o...
Uholka primeval forest in the Ukrainian Carpathians-a keynote area for diversity of forest lichen... more Uholka primeval forest in the Ukrainian Carpathians-a keynote area for diversity of forest lichens in Europe.-Herzogia 31: xxx-xxx. One of the largest European primeval forests, Uholka-Shyrokyi Luh in the Ukrainian Carpathians, has received increased attention in recent years. In spring 2015 we explored the lichen biota in the southern part of the reserve. Species richness of epiphytic and epixylic lichens presented in this paper far exceeds all numbers achieved in other Central European old-growth forests. In total, 370 lichenized and lichen-allied fungi and 30 lichenicolous fungi were recorded. We focussed on forest lichens on organic substrata, inorganic substrata were largely ignored. Species composition in the Uholka forest includes many rare taxa and typical old-growth forest species: e.g. Cetrelia spp., Gyalecta spp., Leptogium saturninum, Lobaria pulmonaria, Ricasolia amplissima, Sclerophora farinacea, S. pallida, Thelopsis flaveola and T. rubella. Opegrapha fumosa, Pyrenula chlorospila and P. dermatodes represent oceanic species that are very rare outside Western Europe. Biatora longispora, Calicium montanum, Menegazzia subsimilis, Micarea perparvula, Ochrolechia trochophora, Pyxine sorediata, Ramonia luteola and Thelotrema suecicum are examples of phytogeographically remarkable or generally very rare lichens. Thirty lichenized and ten lichenicolous fungi are new to Ukraine, including Biatora bacidioides and Pertusaria macounii not previously reported from Europe.
Protoblastenia lilacina, Sclerophora pallida and Thelopsis rubella represent other remarkable rec... more Protoblastenia lilacina, Sclerophora pallida and Thelopsis rubella represent other remarkable records. An enigmatic collection of an Immersaria, closely resembling I. athroocarpa and possibly representing a new species, is briefly discussed. The present paper brings the total number of lichenized and lichenicolous fungi known for Macedonia to 675 and 22, respectively.
Natural spruce forests are restricted to the highest mountain ranges in the Czech Republic. Spruc... more Natural spruce forests are restricted to the highest mountain ranges in the Czech Republic. Spruce is also the commonest tree species in managed forests. Owing to a massive decline of spruce forests in Central Europe, caused by recent climatic fluctuations and disturbances, the lichen diversity and species composition was compared between ten representative natural mountain old-growth forests in the Czech Republic and their counterparts in mature managed forests. The old-growth forests are characterized by a higher species richness, abundance, number of Red-listed species, functional, taxonomic and phylogenetic diversities. Plots with the highest species richness are situated in the Šumava Mountains, an area with a relatively low sulphur deposition in the past. Bioindication analysis searching for lichen indicators supported several species (e.g. Xylographa vitiligo, Chaenotheca sphaerocephala) and genera (e.g. Calicium, Xylographa) with a strong preference for oldgrowth forests. Analysis of lichen functional traits revealed a higher abundance of species with a vegetative reproduction in managed forests that may be explained by a higher efficiency in colonization by young successional stages. Lichens with stalked apothecia, pigmented ascospores and large ascospores are more frequent in old-growth forests. Our results are briefly discussed in terms of nature conservation, focusing on national refugees of old-growth forest species, biodiversity hot-spots, practical use of indicator species and representative measures for an evaluation of forest quality.
The northwestern Caucasus is exceptional in Europe because of its 1.3 million hectares of unmanag... more The northwestern Caucasus is exceptional in Europe because of its 1.3 million hectares of unmanaged 'virgin' forest. The Caucasus State Nature Reserve protects some 200,000 hectares, but contiguous areas are exposed to forest loss, fragmentation and degradation. Such an extensive region of virgin forest provides a unique opportunity to document diversity along key ecological gradients for an undisturbed system in Europe. Focusing on lichen epiphytes, we surveyed local diversity hot-spots along a 1200 m altitudinal gradient. Our main results are that: (a) species richness is enormously high in 1-hectare plots (between 233 and 358) representing a new baseline for Europe, (b) species composition differs substantially among plots with turnover increasing for difference in altitude. Cumulative species richness along the gradient was 597. More than a half of detected species had an affinity for, or were restricted to either the lower or the uppermost parts of the altitudinal gradient. However, this was related to differences in forest structure, rather than altitude per se. Species richness in plots increased significantly with the proportion of sparse/open forest. Length of an ecotone line, number of available tree and shrub species and number of dominant tree species also tend to increase species richness. These four variables had higher values at the lower and upper parts of the gradient, than at mid-altitudes, explaining a bimodal relationship of species richness with altitude. We conclude that loss of forest habitat at the lower and upper margins of the altitudinal gradient will cause the most significant decline in epiphytic lichen diversity.
Blastenia is a widely distributed lichen genus in Teloschistaceae. We reconstructed its phylogeny... more Blastenia is a widely distributed lichen genus in Teloschistaceae. We reconstructed its phylogeny in order to test species delimitation and to find evolutionary drivers forming recent Blastenia diversity. The origin of Blastenia is dated to the early Tertiary period, but later diversification events are distinctly younger. We recognized 24 species (plus 2 subspecies) within 6 infrageneric groups. Each species strongly prefers a single type of substrate (17 species occur on organic substrates, 7 on siliceous rock), and most infrageneric groups also show a clear substrate preference. All infrageneric groups tend to have the Mediterranean and Macaronesian distribution, but some epiphytic species have much larger geographic ranges and some evolved after a long-distance dispersal outside the region. Chlorinated and nonchlorinated anthraquinone chemosyndromes co-occur in apothecia of most species, but the chemotype has been secondarily reduced in some lineages. One infrageneric group has a marked reduction in apothecial size, associated with a substrate shift to twigs. Only seven species have vegetative diaspores; they also produce apothecia but have smaller ascospores. Genome sizes (22-35 Mb in Blastenia) are significantly higher in epilithic species. Within-species genetic variation is low in widely distributed species but high in some epilithic species with small geographical ranges.
Effective indicators for biodiversity hotspots and refuges of threatened forest species could hel... more Effective indicators for biodiversity hotspots and refuges of threatened forest species could help with efforts to mitigate the decline of European forest's biodiversity. ʻAncient forest species' (AFS, i.e. a group of forest vascular plant species that rely on forest continuity) were previously noted as possible indicators of biodiversity hotspots. However, different aspects of the forest continuity may be important for different taxa. Using data from two multi-taxa surveys of central European forests, we examined spatial congruence between the richness of AFS and other forest-dwelling groups in stands that differed in various aspects of forest continuity. We provide evidence for a general positive relationship between the richness of AFS and other forest-dwelling taxa (bryophytes, macrofungi, lichens, beetles, moths and some groups of edaphic organisms) in temperate European forests. The ability of AFS to indicate hotspots of forest biodiversity is not seriously affected by forest management even in the case of long-term intensive and specific management practices such as coppicing. Any easily observable characteristics of the forest environment, excepting the richness of AFS, are unlikely to track exactly the complex effects of forest continuity, habitat quality and the delay in the rise and fall of species diversity of forest communities. Some other perennial plant species associated with beech forests are similar to AFS and regularly occupied the refuges of threatened species. The stands with outstanding biodiversity within the area of deciduous temperate forests can be easily revealed via AFS richness and eventually other similar beech-associated species in the case of beech forests. The retention of all small, mutually isolated refuges of endangered species interspersed within large areas of managed forests may be crucial for the mitigation of biodiversity decline in temperate European forests.
This contribution presents new records of lichenized and "lichen-allied" fungi for the Czech Repu... more This contribution presents new records of lichenized and "lichen-allied" fungi for the Czech Republic and a list of all recently published species missing in the last national checklist (Liška & Palice 2010). Lecanora tephraea is supposed to be synonymous with L. cenisia and the lectotype is designated here. Polyblastia brunnensis is synonymized with Thelidium zwackhii. Caloplaca fiumana, lectotypified here, was found to be an older name of the recently described taxon Caloplaca substerilis subsp. orbicularis. Candelariella subdeflexa is replaced by C. blastidiata in the national checklist; Lecanora reagens is excluded from the Czech lichen biota. Twenty nine species are published as new to the Czech Republic:
Lecanora stainislai is characterized by a very thin sorediate thallus, forming a more or less con... more Lecanora stainislai is characterized by a very thin sorediate thallus, forming a more or less continuous layer of soredia and by the production of usnic acid and zeorin. It usually grows on smooth bark of trees in forests and is known from the Czech Republic, Norway, Poland, Russia, Ukraine and western North America (Canada, USA). It is chemically similar to the sorediate L. compallens, which however has an episubstratal thallus in non-sorediate parts and often delimited soralia. They have also different phylogenetic positions within the L. symmicta group. Moreover, based on molecular marker analysis the position of L. expallens is resolved within this group for the first time.
In this contribution, new data concerning bryophytes, fungi, and lichens of the Italian flora are... more In this contribution, new data concerning bryophytes, fungi, and lichens of the Italian flora are presented. It includes new records and confirmations for the bryophyte genera Diplophyllum and Ptychostomum, the fungal genera Arrhenia, Gymnosporangium, and Sporidesmium and the lichen genera Arthonia,
We tested two methods to obtain more complete species inventories in surveys of lichen biodiversi... more We tested two methods to obtain more complete species inventories in surveys of lichen biodiversity. Th e fi rst was to employ eight lichenologists (all experienced, some specialists) acting as individuals in parallel in a competitive survey. Th e second was to organize those lichenologists into two competing teams. We show that overall recorded biodiversity is distinctly higher than the part of lichen biodiversity recorded by each single lichenologist (45-66%) or team (79-83%). Use of these methods in a survey of epiphytic and epixylic lichens resulted in a list containing 112 species in 1 ha, 192 species in 12.5 ha and 212 species for 30 km 2 of lowland fl oodplain old-growth forest in southeastern Czech Republic. Eleven recorded species are new to the country; four are rediscovered after more than 50 years. In comparison, few previous surveys of mixed montane forests in the same region have yielded more than 200 species, even though it is certain that those forests have greater lichen diversity than our lowland forest.
Fritschiana : Veroffentlichungen aus dem Herbarium des Instituts fur Botanik der Karl-Franzens-Universitat Graz (GZU), Jan 16, 2008
A list of 256 taxa of lichens (252 species) and 2 species of lichenicolous fungi from Montenegro ... more A list of 256 taxa of lichens (252 species) and 2 species of lichenicolous fungi from Montenegro is presented, including 58 taxa (57 species) new to Montenegro. The list is based on specimens kept in the lichen collections of the herbaria GZU, H, Podgorica, and in the private herbarium of Klaus Kalb, and on recent field work in various parts of the country. The genera Biatoridium, Carbonea, Cercidospora, Heppia, Hyperphyscia, Hypocenomyce, Leprocaulon, Lethariella, Megalospora, Orphniospora, Psorinia and Vahliella are reported from Montenegro for the first time.
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