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Microorganisms
Volume 9
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10.3390/microorganisms9030541
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Article

Key Roles of Dipterocarpaceae, Bark Type Diversity and Tree Size in Lowland Rainforests of Northeast Borneo—Using Functional Traits of Lichens to Distinguish Plots of Old Growth and Regenerating Logged Forests

by
Holger Thüs
1,*,
Pat Wolseley
2,
Dan Carpenter
2,
Paul Eggleton
2,
Glen Reynolds
3,
Charles S. Vairappan
4,
Gothamie Weerakoon
2 and
Robert J. Mrowicki
2,5
1
Botany Department, State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart, 70191 Stuttgart, Germany
2
Life Sciences Department, The Natural History Museum London, London SW7 5BD, UK
3
South East Asia Rainforest Partnership, Danum Valley Field Centre, Ladad Datu 91112, Malaysia
4
Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Malaysia
5
Marine Biological Association, Plymouth, Devon PL1 2PB, UK
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Microorganisms 2021, 9(3), 541; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9030541
Submission received: 13 February 2021 / Revised: 28 February 2021 / Accepted: 1 March 2021 / Published: 5 March 2021
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lichen Functional Traits and Ecosystem Functions)
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Abstract

Many lowland rainforests in Southeast Asia are severely altered by selective logging and there is a need for rapid assessment methods to identify characteristic communities of old growth forests and to monitor restoration success in regenerating forests. We have studied the effect of logging on the diversity and composition of lichen communities on trunks of trees in lowland rainforests of northeast Borneo dominated by Dipterocarpaceae. Using data from field observations and vouchers collected from plots in disturbed and undisturbed forests, we compared a taxonomy-based and a taxon-free method. Vouchers were identified to genus or genus group and assigned to functional groups based on sets of functional traits. Both datasets allowed the detection of significant differences in lichen communities between disturbed and undisturbed forest plots. Bark type diversity and the proportion of large trees, particularly those belonging to the family Dipterocarpaceae, were the main drivers of lichen community structure. Our results confirm the usefulness of a functional groups approach for the rapid assessment of tropical lowland rainforests in Southeast Asia. A high proportion of Dipterocarpaceae trees is revealed as an essential element for the restoration of near natural lichen communities in lowland rainforests of Southeast Asia.
Keywords: lichenised fungi; forest assessment; forest degradation; Sabah; SAFE; Danum; Maliau lichenised fungi; forest assessment; forest degradation; Sabah; SAFE; Danum; Maliau

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MDPI and ACS Style

Thüs, H.; Wolseley, P.; Carpenter, D.; Eggleton, P.; Reynolds, G.; Vairappan, C.S.; Weerakoon, G.; Mrowicki, R.J. Key Roles of Dipterocarpaceae, Bark Type Diversity and Tree Size in Lowland Rainforests of Northeast Borneo—Using Functional Traits of Lichens to Distinguish Plots of Old Growth and Regenerating Logged Forests. Microorganisms 2021, 9, 541. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9030541

AMA Style

Thüs H, Wolseley P, Carpenter D, Eggleton P, Reynolds G, Vairappan CS, Weerakoon G, Mrowicki RJ. Key Roles of Dipterocarpaceae, Bark Type Diversity and Tree Size in Lowland Rainforests of Northeast Borneo—Using Functional Traits of Lichens to Distinguish Plots of Old Growth and Regenerating Logged Forests. Microorganisms. 2021; 9(3):541. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9030541

Chicago/Turabian Style

Thüs, Holger, Pat Wolseley, Dan Carpenter, Paul Eggleton, Glen Reynolds, Charles S. Vairappan, Gothamie Weerakoon, and Robert J. Mrowicki. 2021. "Key Roles of Dipterocarpaceae, Bark Type Diversity and Tree Size in Lowland Rainforests of Northeast Borneo—Using Functional Traits of Lichens to Distinguish Plots of Old Growth and Regenerating Logged Forests" Microorganisms 9, no. 3: 541. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9030541

APA Style

Thüs, H., Wolseley, P., Carpenter, D., Eggleton, P., Reynolds, G., Vairappan, C. S., Weerakoon, G., & Mrowicki, R. J. (2021). Key Roles of Dipterocarpaceae, Bark Type Diversity and Tree Size in Lowland Rainforests of Northeast Borneo—Using Functional Traits of Lichens to Distinguish Plots of Old Growth and Regenerating Logged Forests. Microorganisms, 9(3), 541. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9030541

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