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13 pages, 2119 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Diversity Analysis of Macrofungi and Lichenised Fungi in Pyrenean Oak (Quercus pyrenaica Willd.) and Chestnut (Castanea sativa L.) Forests: Implications for the Conservation of Forest Habitats in Castilla y León (Central-Northwest Spain)

by David Rodríguez-de la Cruz, Sonia Perfecto-Arribas and Luis Delgado-Sánchez

Forests 2025, 16(1), 9; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16010009 - 24 Dec 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1118

Abstract

Fungi can be used as bioindicators to assess the biodiversity and conservation status of different habitats because of their high adaptability and sensitivity to changes in water, air, and soil quality. In this study, records of macrofungi and lichenised fungi were extracted from GBIF, surveyed using GIS software, and used to compare the fungal diversity of the Pyrenean oak and chestnut groves of Castilla y León, analysing the possible implications of their presence for the conservation of these forest habitats. In Quercus pyrenaica forests, a greater number of lichen and macrofungi species and records were recorded than in Castanea sativa forests, although the greater area occupied by the former could have influenced this diversity. The higher presence of ectomycorrhizal macrofungal species in chestnut groves, as well as the higher sensitivity to pollution of lichens in Pyrenean oak-dominated environments, showed the relevance of the analysis of these data for a better understanding of the conservation status of forest habitats. However, in order to obtain more accurate results, it would be necessary to carry out specific studies on a smaller scale. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodiversity and Ecology of Organisms Associated with Woody Plants)

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13 pages, 3023 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Chaenothecopsis xishuiensis sp. nov. to Science and Lecanora pseudargentata Newly Reported from China

by Min Li, Yanhu Ju and Zefeng Jia

Diversity 2023, 15(8), 893; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15080893 - 28 Jul 2023

Viewed by 1470

Abstract

In order to provide data for lichenologists studying taxonomy, Chaenothecopsis xishuiensis is supported and proposed as a new species from China based on phenotypic, molecular, and metabolite data. It is characterised by leprose thallus, single, conical to hemispherical apothecia, nonbranching stipe, cylindrical, eight-spored asci, and nonseptate and brown spores, and this lichenised fungus contains atranorin and zeorin in the thallus. In addition, Lecanora pseudargentata is reported for the first time as a new record from China. This species is characterised by red-brown to dark brown apothecial discs, eight-spored asci, nonseptate, hyaline spores, and the presence of atranorin and gangaleoidin. The biological activity of its lichen substances is discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Phylogeny, Taxonomy and Ecosystems of Lichens)

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27 pages, 1398 KiB

Open AccessReview

Functional Traits in Lichen Ecology: A Review of Challenge and Opportunity

by Christopher J. Ellis, Johan Asplund, Renato Benesperi, Cristina Branquinho, Luca Di Nuzzo, Pilar Hurtado, Isabel Martínez, Paula Matos, Juri Nascimbene, Pedro Pinho, María Prieto, Bernardo Rocha, Clara Rodríguez-Arribas, Holger Thüs and Paolo Giordani

Microorganisms 2021, 9(4), 766; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9040766 - 6 Apr 2021

Cited by 57 | Viewed by 12075

Abstract

Community ecology has experienced a major transition, from a focus on patterns in taxonomic composition, to revealing the processes underlying community assembly through the analysis of species functional traits. The power of the functional trait approach is its generality, predictive capacity such as with respect to environmental change, and, through linkage of response and effect traits, the synthesis of community assembly with ecosystem function and services. Lichens are a potentially rich source of information about how traits govern community structure and function, thereby creating opportunity to better integrate lichens into ‘mainstream’ ecological studies, while lichen ecology and conservation can also benefit from using the trait approach as an investigative tool. This paper brings together a range of author perspectives to review the use of traits in lichenology, particularly with respect to European ecosystems from the Mediterranean to the Arctic-Alpine. It emphasizes the types of traits that lichenologists have used in their studies, both response and effect, the bundling of traits towards the evolution of life-history strategies, and the critical importance of scale (both spatial and temporal) in functional trait ecology. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lichen Functional Traits and Ecosystem Functions)

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20 pages, 1297 KiB

Open AccessArticle

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, Pat Wolseley, Dan Carpenter, Paul Eggleton, Glen Reynolds, Charles S. Vairappan, Gothamie Weerakoon and Robert J. Mrowicki

Microorganisms 2021, 9(3), 541; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9030541 - 5 Mar 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3682

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. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lichen Functional Traits and Ecosystem Functions)

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