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Forests
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The Role of Bryophytes and Lichens in Forest Ecosystem Dynamics
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The Role of Bryophytes and Lichens in Forest Ecosystem Dynamics

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Ecology and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 13 October 2025 | Viewed by 1422

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Miloš Ilić

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Guest Editor
Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Interests: bryophytes; plant ecology; bryophyte diversity and distribution
Dr. Dragana Vukov

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Interests: plant ecology; functional diversity; aquatic plants; bryophytes
Dr. Vedran Šegota

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Ravnice 48, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: bryophytes; forests; botany
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Bryophytes and lichens are among the most diverse groups of land plants, playing an indispensable role in forest ecosystems—these tiny organisms contribute significantly to essential ecological functions such as water retention, nutrient cycling, and soil stabilization, while also providing habitats for various species. Despite their critical importance, they have often been overlooked in ecological research.

This Special Issue aims to explore the diversity, ecological functions, and interactions of bryophytes and lichens within forest ecosystems. We welcome original research, review articles, and case studies focusing on the following topics:

  • The role of bryophytes and lichens in soil and water retention in forests;
  • Their impact on forest biodiversity and ecological stability;
  • The symbiotic relationships between bryophytes, lichens, and trees;
  • The effects of climate change on these communities and their adaptive mechanisms;
  • The application and potential of bryophytes and lichens in ecological restoration.

By gathering these research contributions, we seek to enhance the understanding of the importance of bryophytes and lichens in forest ecosystems and provide new perspectives for future research. We encourage interdisciplinary studies that integrate insights from microbiology, biogeography, environmental science, and conservation biology.

Dr. Miloš Ilić
Dr. Dragana Vukov
Dr. Vedran Šegota
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • bryophytes
  • lichens
  • diversity
  • distribution
  • ecosystem functions
  • climate change
  • ecological interactions
  • habitat restoration

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 3423 KB  
Article
Fire Effects on Lichen Biodiversity in Longleaf Pine Habitat
by Roger Rosentreter, Ann DeBolt and Brecken Robb
Forests 2025, 16(9), 1385; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16091385 - 28 Aug 2025
Viewed by 185
Abstract
Longleaf pine forests are economically important habitats that stabilize and enrich the soil and store carbon over long periods. When mixed with oaks, these forests provide an abundance of lichen habitats. The tree canopy lichens promote greater moisture capture and retention and encourage [...] Read more.
Longleaf pine forests are economically important habitats that stabilize and enrich the soil and store carbon over long periods. When mixed with oaks, these forests provide an abundance of lichen habitats. The tree canopy lichens promote greater moisture capture and retention and encourage canopy insects. Ground lichens limit some vascular plant germination and growth, promoting a more open and healthy pine community. There is a longstanding mutualistic relationship between longleaf pine habitat and lichens. Longleaf pine habitat has a long history of natural summer burning, which promotes a diverse understory and limits tree densities. Lichen diversity exceeds vascular plant diversity in many mature longleaf pine habitats, yet information on the impacts of prescribed fire on lichen species in these habitats is limited. We assessed lichen diversity and abundance before and after a prescribed ground fire in a longleaf pine/wiregrass habitat near Ocala, Florida. Pre-burn, we found greater lichen abundance and diversity on hardwoods, primarily oak species, than on pines. Post-burn, lichen abundance on hardwoods dropped overall by 28%. Lichen abundance on conifers dropped overall by 94%. Ground lichen species were basically eliminated, with a 99.5% loss. Our study provides insights into retaining lichen diversity after a prescribed burn. Hardwood trees, whether alive or standing dead, help retain lichen biodiversity after burning, whereas conifer trees do not support as many species. Landscapes may need to be actively managed by raking pine needle litter away from ground lichen beds, moistening the ground, or removing some lichen material before the burn and returning it to the site post-fire. Based on these results, we suggest retaining some oaks and conducting burns in a mosaic pattern that retains unburned areas. This will allow for lichens to recover between burns, significantly enhancing biodiversity and the ecological health of these longleaf pine communities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Bryophytes and Lichens in Forest Ecosystem Dynamics)
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13 pages, 5279 KB  
Article
Epiphytes as Environmental Bioindicators in Forest Remnants of the Pisaca Reserve: Preserving the Unique Pre-Inca Artificial Wetland of Paltas, Ecuador
by María Ganazhapa-Plasencia, Erika Yangua-Solano, Leslye Ruiz, Rolando Andrade-Hidalgo and Ángel Benítez
Forests 2025, 16(4), 628; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16040628 - 3 Apr 2025
Viewed by 760
Abstract
Epiphytic organisms are characteristic elements of the Andean dry forest, playing a crucial role in ecosystem diversity and functionality, but they are threatened by deforestation-related factors. The diversity of epiphytic lichens and bryophytes was recorded in the Pisaca Reserve, which has an artificial [...] Read more.
Epiphytic organisms are characteristic elements of the Andean dry forest, playing a crucial role in ecosystem diversity and functionality, but they are threatened by deforestation-related factors. The diversity of epiphytic lichens and bryophytes was recorded in the Pisaca Reserve, which has an artificial pond locally known as “Laguna Pisaca”, serving as a critical micro-watershed. This pond provides water services to the city of Catacocha, motivating local communities to protect its biodiversity. In each zone (low, middle and high), 10 plots of 5 × 5 m were established, where the presence and coverage of lichens and bryophytes were sampled in 4 trees per plot (120 trees). Richness and diversity (Shannon–Weaver and Simpson indices) were calculated. Generalized linear models (GLM) were used to analyze the effect of the zone on richness and diversity, and multivariate analysis was used to analyze species composition. A total of 90 species were recorded (65 lichens and 25 bryophytes), distributed in three zones: 74 in the high, 67 in the low and 41 in the middle zone. Species richness and composition showed significant variations in relation to the three zones, influenced by forest structure, small altitudinal changes and forests disturbance. The forests of the Pisaca Reserve harbor a great diversity of lichens and epiphytic bryophytes, which serve as refuges for biodiversity in the Andean dry montane forest of South Ecuador. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Bryophytes and Lichens in Forest Ecosystem Dynamics)
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