A new hotspot for Blue Felt Lichen (Pectenia plumbea) in Atlantic Canada
- Author:
- Wiersma Y.F., Hennifent R., Hodge J., Gillingham D., Francis B., Skeard F. & McMullin R.T.
- Year:
- 2025
- Journal:
- Northeastern Naturalist
- Pages:
- 32(1): 103–113
- Url:
- https://doi.org/10.1656/045.032.0108
Pectenia plumbea (Blue Felt Lichen) is a cyanolichen considered rare and at-risk
in eastern North America. Most of the North American distribution is in the Canadian
Atlantic provinces. More than 60% of the previously documented individual thalli were
from the province of Nova Scotia. Here, we document a new location for this species on the
island of Newfoundland and test whether number of thalli per tree is related to tree size and
extent of coverage on the bole, and whether size of largest thallus on each tree is related
to thalli abundance. Unique to other Newfoundland localities with P. plumbea, this site is
inland in the central region of the province. We found over 1000 thalli on 102 trees. Unlike
previous occurrences throughout Atlantic Canada, most of the individuals are on Populus
tremuloides (Trembling Aspen). We found statistically significant relationships between
tree diameter and number of thalli, and the length of the bole covered by P. plumbea and
the number of thalli per tree. Trees with more thalli also had larger thalli, which suggests
ideal growing conditions that could be further examined to delineate critical habitat for this
species-at-risk. Finally, we document threats and identify future research needs to better
understand this species’ habitat requirements.
- Id:
- 38063
- Submitter:
- zpalice
- Post_time:
- Monday, 14 April 2025 13:48

