Message - 7th IAL Symposium

The 7 th International Association for Lichenology Symposium 2012
(5I-P5) Submission ID: IAL0247-00002
HOW MUCH DOES LICHEN DIVERSITY INDICATE GLOBAL CHANGE?
ASSESSING THE USE IN BEECH FORESTS
Llop E. 1
1 Plant Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
Mediterranean forests undergo the consequences of global change. The effects are much relied to
climate drivers (global warming and changes in rain regimes) and human activities (e.g., changes in land use,
forest management). Despite changes on Mediterranean communities have been documented from a long term,
current alterations happen faster and more severe. Some communities are dramatically affected, challenging
their ability to overcome. Beech forests can be included within forests communities menaced by global change
within Mediterranean areas, which represents their southern boundary range. They thrive under specific climatic
conditions, characterized by higher rain regime. The convergence of a diminution of precipitation and a rise in
temperature would restrict suitable areas for Fagus sylvatica; thus limiting the development of well established
forests. In addition, agricultural activities are also limiting and, sometimes, reducing their former area. Changes
on forest communities affect all the levels, being more noticeable on the most sensitive components, namely
lichens. Lichen diversity is being used to assess environmental quality on forests. Several components of lichen
diversity, mainly referring to biotype, eutrophication, humidity requirements, pH of the substrate, have been
included to study beech forest quality from the North-eastern Iberian Peninsula. Lichen diversity and functional
groups will be analysed and related with environmental parameters, including climate and land use change. A
first group of lichen species is distinguished, composed by crustose biotype, mainly with Trentepohlia as photobiont,
mesotrophic, and hygrophytic to mesohygrophytic and neutrophilous. This group of species is found in all
the analysed forest and will represent the climax community on Fagus sylvatica trees. Changes in the conditions
of forests, such openings or proximity to agricultural areas, determine the irruption of a second group of species
characterized by foliose biotype, trebouxioid algae as a photobiont, eutrophic, mesohygrophytic to xerophytic
and basophilous. The future predictions on climate change, reducing the area suitable for Fagus sylvatica in the
area, will lead to the replacement of beech forests to pine or oak forests, promoting a shift on lichen community
with an increase of the second group of species.
181
5I-P