The southern mountain caribou-a subpopulation of caribou found in British Columbia-is listed on Schedule 1 of the Federal Species at Risk Act as Threatened. Woodland caribou are diet specialists, relying on Cladonia subgenus Cladina lichen as a primary food source during winter months. Lichens are burned along with trees and other vegetation during stand-replacing wildfire events, a natural disturbance in caribou ranges. In an attempt to accelerate the return of post-fire forests to productive caribou … Read more... 

Two new species of the lichen genus Oxneriaria are discovered in Pakistan, namely Oxneriaria iqbalii and O. kohistaniensis. Oxneriaria iqbalii is characterized by its non-radiating peripheral areoles, indistinct prothallus, 0.3–0.8 mm apothecial disc, bigger ascospores (20–26×10–14 µm) and conidia (15–30×c. 0.5 µm), whereas Oxneriaria kohistaniensis can be characterized by peripherally non-elongated areoles, indistinct prothallus, simple paraphyses, smaller ascospores (15–20×9–12 … Read more... 

Coastal areas around the globe are threatened with sea-level rise (SLR). Many of these areas support coastal forests, and determining the threat is complicated by wind patterns and sea floor and shoreline variability, beyond simple elevational concerns. Lichens can be used as indicators of SLR at site specific locations. Developing vegetative indicators of SLR could assist land managers, municipalities, and homeowners in evaluating the risk of building homes, roads, and other structures in some … Read more... 

Forest vegetation is key for bufering microclimatic factors and regulating atmospheric deposition. Epiphytic lichens are sensitive to these factors and can indicate the overall health status of the ecosystem. Specifcally, the analysis of morphoanatomical variations allows us to understand the degree of tolerance or sensitivity of these organisms exposed to agricultural crops and how vegetation might bufer this response. We analyzed variations in vegetative and reproductive characters and injuries … Read more... 

The dominant chemical form of nitrogen pollution in the atmosphere in the U.S. is shifting from oxidized nitrogen, primarily from combustion of fossil fuels, to reduced nitrogen from agricultural animal waste and fertilizer applications. Does it matter to lichens? In this synthesis, we characterize U.S. air concentrations of the most ubiquitous gaseous forms of reduced and oxidized nitrogen, NO2 and NH3, respectively, and their direct effects on lichens. In the U.S., the 3-year average (2017–2019) … Read more...