Ecological, Social and Commercial Role of Lichens in India with ...

Acdemia Arena 2010, Supplement 0201
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Leptogium javanicum appeared to be rare members of the community as they were encountered
only once during the field survey. The macrohabitats, in middle altitude (2500-2800m) with
Quercus forest was richest in species and genera followed by higher altitude (2900-3200m) of
Rhododendron forest, higher altitude grasslands (3200-3700m) and the lower elevation (1500m)
Quercus forest. Negi and Gadgil (1999b) suggested that taxonomic rank such as genera may be
used as surrogates for species because it is cost and time effective method for periodic monitoring
of the biodiversity.
Negi (2000a) analyzed spatial patterns of diversity, conservation problems and their
prospects; worked on the community ecology on lichens and mosses of Nanda Devi Biosphere
Reserve, Uttarakhand.
Negi and Gadgil (2002) carried out biodiversity survey in 13, 10m X 50 sq. meter plots
located between 1400-3700m above mean sea level in a range of habitats in temperate mixed oak
and coniferous forest through sub alpine to alpine grass lands in Chamoli district of Uttaranchal
(now called Uttarakhand) state in the Garhwal Himalaya. Cross taxon congruence in biodiversity
(α-diversity and β-diversity) across macrohabitats, mosses, liverworts, woody plants (shrubs and
trees) and ants was investigated, so as to examine the extent to which those groups of organisms
can function as surrogates for each other. Although woody plants provided a major substrate for
macrolichens and mosses, there was no species specific association between them. Woody plant
species richness was highly positively correlated with mosses (r²=0.63, P