Piret Lõhmus

Contribution to the Lithuanian flora of lichens and allied fungi. IV.

Abstract Four species of lichens and two species of lichenicolous fungi were reported as new to Lithuania: Chaenotheca sphaerocephala, Endophragmiella franconica, Merismatium decolorans, Ochrolechia androgyna, Pertusaria ophthalmiza, Stereocaulon taeniarum. Endophragmiella franconica was reported on a new host - Cladonia coniocraea. The teleomorph of Abrothallus suecicus was recorded for the first time in the country. Three species, Chaenotheca sphaerocephala, Endophragmiella franconica and Stereocaulon taeniarum, were recorded for the first time in the Baltic states. Microcalicium arenarium, previously known in Lithuania only from literature data, was confirmed with certainty for the first time. A revision of the Candelaria concolor complex revealed that only C. pacifica is known in Lithuania. Santrauka Straipsnyje pateikti duomenys apie keturių rūšių kerpes ir dviejų rūšių lichenofilinius grybus, kurių iki šiol Lietuvoje nebuvo aptikta. Dvi kerpių rūšys - Chaenotheca sphaerocephala ir Stereocaulon taeniarum bei lichenofilinis grybas Endophragmiella franconica aptikti pirmą kartą Baltijos šalyse. Merismatium decolorans, Ochrolechia androgyna ir Pertusaria ophthalmiza aptikti pirmą kartą Lietuvoje, pirmą kartą šalyje rasta ir Abrothallus suecicus teleomorfa. Lichenofilinis grybas Endophragmiella franconica pirmą kartą aptiktas ant naujo šeimininko - Cladonia coniocraea. Rastas iki šiol Lietuvoje tik iš istorinių literatūros šaltinių žinomas Microcalicium arenarium. Atlikus kerpių Candelaria concolor komplekso reviziją nustatyta, kad Lietuvoje kol kas žinoma tik viena komplekso rūšis - Candelariella pacifica.

The importance of representative inventories for lichen conservation assessments: the case of Cladonia norvegica and C. parasitica

Conservation assessments of lichens have usually been based on scattered and methodologically diverse data. We illustrate the contribution of standardized inventories to conventional data sources by assessing the status of two conspicuous epixylic Cladonia species of conservation concern in Estonia. A time-limited inventory of all lichen species was carried out in 92 stands (2 ha each) in a balanced design of forests and clear-cuts. Cladonia parasitica (previously considered Regionally Extinct) was present in 13 stands with a total of 33 individual records, almost exclusively in dry boreal old-growth forests and clear-cuts. Thirty-six records of C. norvegica (previously six records) were made in 17 stands, most frequently in mature meso-eutrophic forests. On average, 1·5 hours of inventory were needed to discover C. parasitica in a stand, and 2 hours for C. norvegica . The scarcity of old records was probably due to the low local abundance of the species, their habitats being unpopular among lichenologists and expenditure of too short an inventory time in the field. Using habitat and frequency data, we estimate that the national population sizes of the species clearly exceed those set as IUCN criteria for species at risk. The key issue is the expected trend in substratum abundance, which suggests C. parasitica to be Near Threatened. We recommend stratified random sampling as an efficient method to collect quantitative information for lichen flora assessments.

Long-Term Impacts of Forest Ditching on Non-Aquatic Biodiversity: Conservation Perspectives for a Novel Ecosystem

Artificial drainage (ditching) is widely used to increase timber yield in northern forests. When the drainage systems are maintained, their environmental impacts are likely to accumulate over time and along accompanying management, notably after logging when new forest develops on decayed peat. Our study provides the first comprehensive documentation of long-term ditching impacts on terrestrial and arboreal biodiversity by comparing natural alder swamps and second-generation drained forests that have evolved from such swamps in Estonia. We explored species composition of four potentially drainage-sensitive taxonomic groups (vascular plants, bryophytes, lichens, and snails), abundance of species of conservation concern, and their relationships with stand structure in two-ha plots representing four management types (ranging from old growth to clearcut). We found that drainage affected plot-scale species richness only weakly but it profoundly changed assemblage composition. Bryophytes and lichens were the taxonomic groups that were most sensitive both to drainage and timber-harvesting; in closed stands they responded to changed microhabitat structure, notably impoverished tree diversity and dead-wood supply. As a result, natural old-growth plots were the most species-rich and hosted several specific species of conservation concern. Because the most influential structural changes are slow, drainage impacts may be long hidden. The results also indicated that even very old drained stands do not provide quality habitats for old-growth species of drier forest types. However, drained forests hosted many threatened species that were less site type specific, including early-successional vascular plants and snails on clearcuts and retention cuts, and bryophytes and lichens of successional and old forests. We conclude that three types of specific science-based management tools are needed to mitigate ditching effects on forest biodiversity: (i) silvicultural techniques to maintain stand structural complexity; (ii) context-dependent spatial analysis and planning of drained landscapes; and (iii) lists of focal species to monitor and guide ditching practices.

Lichens, Lichenicolous and Allied Fungi Found in Asveja Regional Park (Lithuania)

Abstract Motiejūnaitė J., Berglund T., Czarnota P., Himelbrant D., Högnabba F., Konoreva L. A., Korchikov E. S., Kubiak D., Kukwa M., Kuznetsova E., Leppik E., Lõhmus P., Prigodina Lukošienė I., Pykälä J., Stončius D., Stepanchikova I., Suija A., Thell A., Tsurykau A., Westberg M., 2012: Lichens, lichenicolous and allied fungi found in Asveja Regional Park (Lithuania) [Kerpės, lichenofiliniai ir kerpėms artimi saprotrofiniai grybai Asvejos regioniniame parke]. - Bot. Lith., 18(2): 85-100. The paper reports the results of lichenological investigations in Asveja Regional Park (eastern Lithuania). A large part of the study was performed during the joint 18th Symposium of the Baltic Mycologists and Lichenologists (BMLS) and Nordic Lichen Society (Nordisk Lichenologisk Förening, NLF) meeting on 19-23 September 2011. A list of 259 species is presented. Of these, 30 species are new to Lithuania. Arthonia helvola, Bacidina sulphurella, Candelariella lutella, Catillaria croatica, Cladonia conista, Gyalecta derivata, Lecanoraquercicola, Leptosphaeria ramalinae, Strigula jamesii, Trichonectria rubefaciens, Verrucaria banatica, V. boblensis, V. christiansenii, V. illinoisensis, V. inornata, V. nigrofusca, V. trabicola, Zwackhiomyces diederichii were recorded for the first time in the Baltic countries. New lichens to Lithuania are as follows: Bacidiaincompta, Caloplaca crenulatella, C. pyracea, Catinaria atropurpurea, Lecanora populicola, L. semipallida, Mycobilimbia epixanthoides, Ramalina dilacerata, Verrucaria inaspecta, and new lichenicolous fungi are: Cladosporium licheniphilum, Stigmidium microspilum, Xenonectriella leptalea. Eighteen species included in the Lithuanian Red Data Book were recorded, which is the highest number known for any studied area in Lithuania.

Substrate Specificity Corresponds to Distinct Phylogenetic Lineages: The Case of Chaenotheca brunneola

Abstract: Suija, A., Suu, A. & Lõhmus, P. 2016. Substrate specificity corresponds to distinct phylogenetic lineages: the case of Chaenotheca brunneola. — Herzogia 29: 355–363. We compared eight Chaenotheca specimens recently found to grow on fruit bodies of Trichaptum abietinum and T. fuscoviolaceum in Estonia with externally similar wood-dwelling Chaenotheca brunneola as well with another Trichaptum-inhabiting species, C. balsamconensis. We analysed their rDNA ITS sequences by means of phylogenetic analyses and five morpho-anatomical and pigmentation characters by cluster analysis. The obtained ten rDNA ITS sequences, including those from Chaenotheca balsamconensis, formed a supported clade distinct from C. brunneola as well as from the rest of 18 analysed Chaenotheca species. The Trichaptum clade included two lineages, of which one corresponded to Chaenotheca balsamconensis. According to cluster analysis, seven out of eight Chaenotheca specimens from Trichaptum formed a separate cluster. The morphological character that most differentiated woodinhabiting from Trichaptum-inhabiting specimens was the length of the stalks being somewhat shorter in the latter. Therefore, the Chaenotheca species externally similar to C. brunneola but growing on Trichaptum basidiomata form separate evolutionary lineage representing a case of convergent evolution and cryptic speciation.

Rapid legacy-dependent succession of lichen assemblages after forest fires: Insights from two boreal regions

Co-ordinating Editor: Rune Halvorsen Abstract Questions: (i) What is the impact of legacy structures on lichen assemblage development up to two decades postfire? (ii) How does that impact vary among ecological groups? (iii) Are charcoalinhabiting lichen assemblages regionally distinct? Location: Hemiboreal pine forests, Estonia, and middleboreal pine forests, eastern Finland. Methods: We performed standard lichen surveys (4 hr effort per 2 ha plot; on all substrates 0–2 m from the forest floor) and measured forest structure in 18 burned sites (nine in Finland and nine in Estonia). The sites included both old (15–21 years) and recent (9 years) fires, and half of the latter had been harvested for timber. We analysed lichen assemblages (full assemblages and different ecological groups) in relation to site factors (GLM for species richness; multivariate techniques for assemblage composition). Results: Lichen assemblages on burned sites (altogether 187 species recorded) were regionally distinct and, additionally, significantly affected by the large variation in legacy and regeneration abundance among sites. Species richness was negatively related to abundance of fallen trees 9 years after fire but the relationship was positive 15–21 years postfire; this pattern indicated a change from the initial damage effect to a substrateproviding effect of the fire. Microlichens and vegetatively dispersing lichens appeared more sensitive to disturbance (including harvesting), whereas macrolichens were more responsive to substrate provision. The main structural influences on lichens inhabiting charred substrates (67 species recorded in total) were similar to the factors affecting the composition of full lichen assemblages. Conclusions: Within 10 years postfire, initial disturbancerelated damage to forest lichen assemblages was replaced by the dominance of substrateproviding factors (legacies, regeneration). These damage and recovery phases differ among lichen groups, but are consistent between hemiand middleboreal regions. The availability of postfire legacies, including charred surfaces, is of critical importance for the management of burned areas in modern landscapes.