Richard Troy McMullin

Chaenotheca balsamconensis, a new calicioid lichen on Trichaptum abietinum from North America that is benefiting from widespread conifer fatalities

Abstract Chaenotheca balsamconensis is described as new to science based on collections from the Great Lakes and Appalachians of eastern North America (Maine, New Brunswick, North Carolina, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Québec), and one population from western North America (British Columbia). It is distinguished from other species of Chaenotheca by its restriction to Trichaptum abietinum as a substrate, almost exclusively immersed thallus, smooth ascospores, and the presence of a KOH+ red pigment in the stalk. Large-scale conifer fatalities in eastern North America have increased the available habitat for T. abietinum, which has likely caused a boom in the population of C. balsamconensis.

Lichen Conservation in Heavily Managed Boreal Forests

Lichens are an important component of the boreal forest, where they are long lived, tend to accumulate in older stands, and are a major food source for the threatened woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou). To be fully sustainable, silvicultural practices in the boreal forest must include the conservation of ecological integrity. Dominant forest management practices, however, have short-term negative effects on lichen diversity, particularly the application of herbicides. To better understand the long-term effects of forest management, we examined lichen regeneration in 35 mixed black spruce (Picea mariana) and jack pine (Pinus banksiana) forest stands across northern Ontario to determine recovery following logging and postharvest silvicultural practices. Our forest stands were 25-40 years old and had undergone 3 common sivilcultural treatments that included harvested and planted; harvested, planted, and treated with N-[phosphonomethyl] glycine (glyphosate); and harvested, planted, and treated with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). Forest stands with herbicide treatments had lower lichen biomass and higher beta and gamma diversity than planted stands that were not treated chemically or control stands. In northwestern Ontario, planted stands that were not treated chemically had significantly greater (p < 0.05) alpha diversity than stands treated with herbicides or control stands. Our results show that common silvicultural practices do not emulate natural disturbances caused by wildfires in the boreal forest for the lichen community. We suggest a reduction in the amount of chemical application be considered in areas where lichen biomass is likely to be high and where the recovery of woodland caribou is an objective.

Lichen communities along a pollution gradient 40 years after decommissioning of a Cu-Ni smelter

Pollution control initiatives in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, resulted in the decommissioning of the Coniston Smelter in 1972. The last assessment of the effects from the smelter on the surrounding lichen biota was in 1990, which showed an overall improvement in richness following these initiatives, but still few species were present close to the smelter. We examined five sites along this gradient to determine if this pattern is still present on the landscape. Sixty-four macrolichen species in 15 genera were found. Lichen richness and Shannon diversity increased at all sites, but the increase was no longer linear with distance from the smelter. There was no significant difference between lichen richness and diversity at sites at increasing distances from the smelter. We show that past air pollution from the Coniston Smelter is no longer restricting lichen growth and development in the Greater Sudbury area as it was historically. Lichen populations are, therefore, now shaped by other environmental variables.

A Lichen Checklist for Prince Edward Island, Canada

Abstract. The lichens and allied fungi of Prince Edward Island have been poorly studied compared to those of other Canadian provinces. To address this knowledge gap, we made collections between 1993 and 2010 in a range of ecosystems and localities across the island. We also compiled and reviewed other collections from public and personal herbaria, as well as published reports. Based on all known records, we present the first lichen checklist for Prince Edward Island; it includes 256 species in 86 genera. Additions to the list are to be expected as there are unexplored areas and habitats on the island.

Lichens and allied fungi of Salmonier Nature Park, Newfoundland1

Abstract We conducted the first comprehensive floristic study of the lichens and allied fungi of Salmonier Nature Park on the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland, Canada. By comparing our results to those from other provincial parks in Newfoundland, we show that Salmonier Nature Park has a regionally rich lichen biota that includes several uncommon species. We carry out an assessment of landscape-level drivers including geographic location and land cover diversity to determine whether lichen richness corresponds to patterns at the landscape extent. Within Salmonier, one species (Erioderma pedicellatum) is listed as “special concern” by the federal Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada and “critically endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Two species are new to the island of Newfoundland: Phaeophyscia ciliata and Stereocaulon subcoralloides. Six species are new to the province of Newfoundland and Labrador: Ephebe hispidula, Muellerella lichenicola, Mycoblastus sanguinarioides, Placynthium flabellosum, Usnea flammea, and Xanthoparmelia angustiphylla. Our results provide baseline knowledge that allows changes in the lichen community to be monitored, the discovery of new species in the park to be acknowledged, regional distributions and frequencies to be better understood, and accurate comparisons to be made with other parks.

Relationships between air pollution, population density, and lichen biodiversity in the Niagara Escarpment World Biosphere Reserve

The fragmented ecosystems along the Niagara Escarpment World Biosphere Reserve provide important habitats for biota including lichens. Nonetheless, the Reserve is disturbed by dense human populations and associated air pollution. Here we investigated patterns of lichen diversity within urban and rural sites at three different locations (Niagara, Hamilton, and Owen Sound) along the Niagara Escarpment in Ontario, Canada. Our results indicate that both lichen species richness and community composition are negatively correlated with increasing human population density and air pollution. However, our quantitative analysis of community composition using canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) indicates that human population density and air pollution is more independent than might be assumed. The CCA analysis suggests that the strongest environmental gradient (CCA1) associated with lichen community composition includes regional pollution load and climatic variables; the second gradient (CCA2) is associated with local pollution load and human population density factors. These results increase the knowledge of lichen biodiversity for the Niagara Escarpment and urban and rural fragmented ecosystems as well as along gradients of human population density and air pollution; they suggest a differential influence of regional and local pollution loads and population density factors. This study provides baseline knowledge for further research and conservation initiatives along the Niagara Escarpment World Biosphere Reserve.

Cladonia norvegica Tønsberg & Holien (Cladoniaceae), a New Lichen Record for Ontario

Abstract. Cladonia norvegica is reported for Ontario, Canada, and distinctions between it and two similar species, C. coniocraea and C. ochrochlora, are described.

An Ecological Restoration Approach to Biological Inventories: A Case Study in the Collection of a Vegetation Biolayer That Will Inform Restoration Planning

The vegetation biolayer is an essential part of creating a restoration model for post disturbance environments. Despite the documentation of valued ecosystem components such as vegetation during the environmental assessment process in Canada, closure plans for large industrial projects can still lack the details required of a vegetation biolayer on which to build the restoration model. During restoration planning, a re-evaluation of the pre-disturbance vegetation community is then needed in order to properly characterize the attributes of the reference ecosystem. These critical attributes of the vegetation biolayer can include species richness of both the vascular and cryptogam communities, community composition, stand structure, and the documentation of rare and exotic species. This article describes a framework for creating a vegetation biolayer that can meet the needs of both the restoration model and contribute to the vegetation component of an environmental assessment. These steps are: 1) Synthesize existing knowledge; 2) Evaluate existing data and determine goals; 3) Field data collection and identifications; and 4) Analysis and descriptions of community composition. The implementation of this framework is demonstrated through a case study from the Detour Lake mine, where we prepared a vegetation biolayer in 2013 that is augmented with external data. The lack of a well-defined reference state is a limitation of many restoration projects. This study informs restoration practice by developing a clear framework that practitioners of restoration ecology can use when collecting vegetation biolayer data to characterize the reference state and inform the restoration model.

Increasing Accessibility to Lichen Monitoring in Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site, Nova Scotia, Canada

Abstract. Lichens, the proverbial “canaries in the coal mine”, are useful bioindicators due to their sensitivity to environmental changes. In 2006, a protocol was developed at Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site in Nova Scotia, Canada that used lichens to monitor ecological integrity and air quality within the park; assessments are ongoing every five years. There are currently no identification tools for park staff to conduct the monitoring process that specifically target the species being assessed. Here we present tools for the identification of the 50 lichen species used in the monitoring program at Kejimkujik. A taxonomic key, photographs of each species and an illustrated glossary are presented. While these tools are intended for individuals unfamiliar with lichens, some basic training to use the key is required. Park staff can use these aids to continue the monitoring protocol at Kejimkujik independently. With some modifications the same tools could serve as a template for other monitoring initiatives in the region.