The Discovery and Protection of Montane Lichens

Rebecca Yahr - r.yahr@rbge.ac.uk

Late snow lie Alpine heath Base-rich substrates Pinewoods Aspen and birch woods

Lichens

How many lichens are there? Cairngorms Scotland World Lichens >900 >1500 ~ 35,000 Vasc Plants >800 >1100 ~400,000

Parmelia omphalodes habit Parmelia cross section

x100

Lichens of Aspen 95 aspen stands

95 aspen stands ca. 300 species, 5 restricted to aspen ≥ 25 species IUCN threat category

wet dry

Lecanora populicola Arthonia patelllulata

Candellariella superdistans Peltigera collina

Forestry Commission Plantings to compare effect of climate (east-west Scotland) versus clone on epiphyte community structure

Aspen Clones

• Clear effect of east vs west in lichen community

Use Forestry Commission Plantings to compare effect of climate (east-west Scotland) versus clone on epiphyte community structure

Aspen Clones

• Clear effect of east vs west in lichen community • Effect of aspen clone is also strong

Use Forestry Commission Plantings to compare effect of climate (east-west Scotland) versus clone on epiphyte community structure

Aspen Clones

Lichen community variation Percent explained: E vs W: 38% Aspen genotype: 35%

• Clear effect of east vs west in lichen community • Effect of aspen clone is also strong • Population augmentation should include clones in the

short term • Long-term resilience will be built from sexually-derived

diversity in clones

Use Forestry Commission Plantings to compare effect of climate (east-west Scotland) versus clone on epiphyte community structure

Aspen Clones

Montane Species >700 taxa from the Scottish mountains ca. 120 vascular plants (Ratcliffe, 1991) 275 of these considered to be montane specialists (Fryday, 1997)

Thamnolia vermicularis Alectoria nigricans

Flavocetraria nivalis

Montane Species >700 taxa from the Scottish mountains ca. 120 vascular plants (Ratcliffe, 1991) 275 of these considered to be montane specialists (Fryday, 1997)

Alectoria ochroleuca © Jason Hollinger, Canada

Alectoria ochroleuca © Einar Timdal, Norway

Montane Species >700 taxa from the Scottish mountains ca. 120 vascular plants (Ratcliffe, 1991) 275 of these considered to be montane specialists (Fryday, 1997)

Alectoria ochroleuca © Jason Hollinger, Canada Alectoria ochroleuca , Cairngorms, Creagan Dubh

Alectoria ochroleuca

Lichen Heath

C. J. Ellis and R. Yahr. 2011. An interdisciplinary review of climate change trends and uncertainties: lichen biodiversity, arctic–alpine ecosystems and habitat loss. Climate Change,

Ecology and Systematics, ed. Trevor R. Hodkinson, et al. Published by Cambridge University Press.

Lichen Heath

Lichen Heath Survey 2008, resurvey 2023 (15 yr)

1. BBh

DC

BBhr

ByM

MBh

CrG

CrL

CCh

Erosion on Meall a’Bhuachaille, 2005

Snowbeds

Rhizocarpon geographicum group

Snowbeds

Lecanora leptacina

Miriquidica subplumbea

Snowbed surveys

Sporostatia testudinea Bellemerea alpina

Photo by Leif & Anita Stridvall

Snowbed surveys

Ben Macdui

Cairngorm

Beinn a’Bhuird

Beinn Mheadoin

Threats

Pinewoods 432 species on bark, lignum and associated soil & debris

218 species from bark and lignum of pine

17 species in UK confined to native pinewoods

Pinewoods 432 species on bark, lignum and associated soil & debris

218 species from bark and lignum of pine

17 species in UK confined to native pinewoods

Management concerns Regeneration Deadwood Mosaic of time-since-disturbance Disturbance/fire Grazing

Burned Cladonia on pine stump

Pinewoods

12 stumps (Street and Street 1998) 8 stumps (30 sites; >700 checked; Yahr 2006) 30 stumps, 2 logs! (Taylor, pers comm 2016)

Cladonia botrytes – Stump Lichen