Message - 7th IAL Symposium

Lichen: from genome to ecosystem in a changing world
5I-P
5I: Global Change and lichen biology
(5I-P1) Submission ID: IAL0086-00001
LICHENS IN HYPERTROPHICATED ENVIRONMENT - FOREST AFFECTED BY
GREAT CORMORANT COLONY
Motiejunaite J. 1 , Adamonyte G. 1 , Dagys M. 2 , Matuleviciute D. 1 , Taraskevicius R. 3
1 Institute of Botany, Nature Research Centre, Vilnius, Lithuania
2 Institute of Ecology, Nature Research Centre, Vilnius, Lithuania
3 Institute of Geology and Geography, Nature Research Centre, Vilnius, Lithuania
Piscivorous birds are an important agent, transferring nutrients from aquatic ecosystems to the terrestrial
habitats by depositing food scraps, egg shells, feathers, dead bodies of birds and large amounts of nutrientrich
excrements, thus dramatically influencing soil nutrient balance and changing plant cover. The continental
subspecies of the great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis) is an alien bird that spreads in the coastal
forests of the Baltic region. The largest and oldest cormorant colony in Lithuania was studied for its influence on
various components of pine forest ecosystem, lichens among them. Epiphytic and epixylic lichens were investigated
on all available substrate groups in forest parts under varying degree of bird colony influence.Cormorant
colony activities dramatically changed lichen communities transforming them into species-poor nitrophilic assemblages
with prevailing two highly nitrotolerant lichens, that often formed monospecific communities on bark
(Phaeophyscia orbicularis) or vertical wood surfaces (Xanthoria candelaria) in the centre of the colony, not used
for nesting by now. Total lichen desert and depauperated communities of lichens typical to pines coincided with
the most active nesting zone and its outer (expansion) edge respectively. Outside the colony, acidophilic and
neutrophilic lichen communities prevailed. Distribution of lichen community types in the studied area coincided
with numbers and abundance of eutrophic and alien vascular plant species in lower forest vegetation layers.
Changes in lichen species numbers, composition, abundance and substrate colonization correlated with significant
alterations of substrate chemistry. Content of nitrogen in pine bark in the colony centre up to 1.5 times
exceeded bark N outside the colony, content of phosphorus - up to five times, bark pH in the colony centre
reached 7.5-8, while outside the colony it was 3.5-6. Lichen desert in the part of the colony with highest concentration
of nests was apparently related to extremely high pH levels of bark during the nesting period and to colony
development dynamics: too short time span between die-away of acidophilic and establishment of nitrophilous
species. The research was funded by the Research Council of Lithuania, grant No. LEK-23/2010.
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