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

Acdemia Arena 2010, Supplement 0201
http://www.sciencepub.net
lower branches, trunk and fallen twigs of trees or sometimes scrapers are also used. Upreti et al.
(2005) listed 38 species of lichens belonging to 23 genera from the commercial samples of lichens
collected from seven states of India.
The lichens grow at a rate ranging from 1.0mm or less per year in case of crustose forms up
to a few centimeters a year for most rapidly growing leafy (foliose) or shrubby (fruticose or
pendant) lichens. The larger lichens in the last two categories grow on an average about 5.0mm per
year in length or rapidly are more conspicuous and exploited for collection. In the recent year there
has been a great concern about the loss of lichen diversity in India (Upreti, 1996) and there is a
need to know the patterns and processes that regulate species occurrence and behavior in natural
forests. An account of the lichens associated with fallen twigs will provide an idea about the lichen
species which play important role in the formation of lichen material utilized for their commercial
use.
Quercus trees in temperate Himalayas form major vegetation and are the excellent host for
colonization of a large number of lichen taxa together with epiphytic ferns and orchids. Out of the
five species of Quercus, Q. semecarpifolia bears the maximum member of lichens species on its
trunk, branches and twigs (Upreti and Chatterjee, 1999).
This paper is based on sampling designed to provide estimates of twig lichen of three
Quercus species in temperate Himalayas, and to determine the contribution of twigs of Oak tree
which are colonized by lichen and collected for commercial exploitation. The estimated lichen
species individuals on more than 100 sampled twigs of three common Quercus species of different
diameter classes have been provided in table 1, 2, and 3. The diameter classes of the sampled twigs
have been categorized on the basis of availability of fallen twigs.
Materials and Methods
Study Area: Chopta is situated 35 km from Ukhimath block in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand,
in Akashkamini valley between 1,500 m -3,500 m at 79 0 -79 0 30’E and 30 0 30’ – 30 0 42’ N. The
mountain landscape has steep to moderate slopes, spreads over an area of 500 Km 2 . The Maximum
monthly temperature varies from 19 0 C to 37 0 C from the higher altitude grasslands to the lower
elevation, during May to October, while the minimum temperate drops as low as – 15 0 C in the
alpine grasslands during December to February.
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