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Location of the 13 major lichen collection sites in the Arboretum. Sites are georeferenced and described in Table 1. Natural areas are mature native woodlands.
Source publication
Southern Ontario is the most densely populated region in Canada and urbanization is extensive. As a result, a large number of natural areas have been set aside in the cities, such as parks and conservation areas. The value of these areas for conserving lichen biodiversity has not been investigated in Ontario. Therefore, between 2008 and 2014, we sy...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... at the University of Guelph is located at the east end of the main University of Guelph campus in the city of Guelph, which is in the southern part of Wellington County in southern Ontario (Figure 1). It is located at 43° 33' N latitude and 80° 13' W longitude, has a maximum elevation of 320 m, and an area of approximately 165 hectares (University of Guelph 2014). ...
Context 2
... drumlin with a modest slope is located in the east end of the Arboretum (University of Guelph 2004). Water bodies include a small stream (Arboretum Stream), two treed wetlands (in the Nature Reserve and Wild Goose Woods), and three ponds that are larger than 1,000 m 2 (near Wild Goose Woods, in Victoria Woods, and north of College Street) (Figure 1). It is inhabited by a variety of species -the current species numbers are: 204 birds, 11 fish, 241 fungi, 1069 insects, 44 mammals, 247 plants and trees, 21 reptiles and amphibians (University of Guelph 2014). ...
Context 3
... lichen species are also habitat specific. In the Arboretum, 28 species occurred exclusively in the unmanaged native woodlands, of which 22 species were found only in the Nature Reserve, the largest of the three woodlands ( Figure 1). Most of the species found in the Nature Reserve that were not found elsewhere in the park occurred in the old-growth forest bordering the wetland. ...
Citations
... The species that are generally in the centre of the CCA plot (e.g. Candelaria concolor, Parmelia sulcata, Phaeophyscia rubropulchra, Physcia adscendens, P. stellaris) are examples of species that are regionally widespread, including in urban areas, and are thus considered to be pollution tolerant McMullin et al. 2014). Their loading in the centre of the plot is consistent with high air pollution and human population density correlation coefficients for both axes 1 and 2. The lichen species clustering in the bottom left of the CCA plot (e.g. ...
... For example, New York City's Jamaica Bay ecosystem (a 9,000-acre National Wildlife Refuge) is recognized as a critical habitat for local and migrating animals, with over 313 bird species recorded, including the endangered piping plover (7). Biodiversity in cities is supported through parks and green spaces, even providing refuges for key species of plants as well as other animals such as bats and insects (8)(9)(10)(11). Cities have been incorporating more green infrastructure, such as green roofs and bioswales, into their plans, and there is evidence that these interventions can support biodiversity better than conventional infrastructure (2,12). ...
... Beginning in the late 20th century lichens started recolonizing cities and increasing in diversity and abundance from Tokyo to Paris, and Cincinnati to London (Rose and Hawksworth 1981, Seaward and Letrouit-Galinou 1991, Washburn and Culley 2006, Ohmura et al. 2012. A more complex relationship between lichen diversity and urban areas is emerging as studies show that air quality is the major driver of lichen community composition, while human population density is not (Munzi et al. 2007, McMullin et al. 2016, and some urban areas can harbor surpris-ingly high lichen diversity (McMullin et al. 2014). As air quality continues to improve in many cities, the trend in increasing urban lichen diversity may continue. ...
New York City is the largest urban area in the USA. The growth of this vast and densely populated region has drastically reshaped the landscape and biodiversity over the past 400 years. Lichens are one component of biodiversity that respond to urbanization in unique ways, many of which are still not well understood. The aims of this study were to review the historical literature on lichen diversity in New York City, discuss the changes in diversity through time, and compile an annotated checklist of lichen species currently in New York City. Since the first publication on lichen diversity in New York City was published almost 200 years ago by John Torrey, six publications have reported the lichen species occurring in the vicinity of New York City, or some subset of the city. There appears to be a general trend in decreasing diversity from the earliest publication to 1968, when the fewest species are reported. Since 1968 there has been an increase in the number of species reported. Targeted surveys of sites studied in 1968 showed that the species in those areas have indeed increased. The annotated checklist is comprised of 103 taxa in 55 genera that have been reported from New York City since 1968. The majority of species are crustose (57 species), and only one cyanolichen has been reported. Future studies on how the lichen diversity continues to change as air quality and climate change, and how horticulture throughout the city influences the lichen diversity, hold great promise for furthering the knowledge of how organisms respond to complex, heterogenous urban environments.
... and Cochlicopa morseana Doherty; Grimm 1995Grimm , 1996 (Jones 2004), no detailed lichen surveys have been conducted in Carden. Fourteen lichen species have previously been reported from Carden (Brownell and Riley 2000;Jones 2004), but consid-Natural Areas Journal 39:212-225 R E S E A R C H A R T I C L E erably more species are expected to be present based on lichen studies on nearby properties (Brodo et al. 2013;McMullin andLendemer 2013, 2016;McMullin et al. 2014). Understanding what species are present in Carden is an important part of sound conservation management. ...
... Most cyanolichens located are rare or uncommon in Ontario, except Leptogium cyanescens, Placynthium nigrum, and all species in the genus Peltigera (Wong and Brodo 1992;Brodo et al. 2013;McMullin andLendemer 2013, 2016). Four species were not found during any of the other four detailed lichen surveys in southwestern Ontario: Scytinium subtile (S3; Figure 3B), Synalissa ramulosa (SNR; Figure 3D), Thermutis velutina (S1; Figure 3E), and Thyrea confusa (S1S2; Figure 3F) (Brodo et al. 2013;McMullin andLendemer 2013, 2016;McMullin et al. 2014). Cyanolichens lichens that appear to require alvar or alvar-like environments include Heppia adglutinata (SNR; Figure 2F), Lathagrium fuscovirens (S4; Figure 2E), Placynthium nigrum (S5; Figure 3C), Scytinium lichenoides (S4; Figure 3A), Synalissa ramulosa, Thermutis velutina, and Thyrea confusa (Brodo et al. 2001;Lendemer and Harris 2008). ...
Alvars are globally rare ecosystems occurring mostly in the Great Lakes region of North America and the Baltic region of northern Europe. They are defined by calcareous rock (dolostone, limestone, or marble) plains with exposed pavement, thin soil with grasslands, or forested areas that are usually stunted. One of the largest alvars in the Great Lakes region is the Carden Alvar Natural Area (Carden), which is in southern Ontario ~100 km NNE of Toronto and ~25 km E of Orillia. In recent decades, recognition of the rare and uncommon species inhabiting Carden has led to the protection of 3035 of its ~12,873 ha (24%). To continue to better understand Carden’s wildlife, the first detailed survey of the lichens and allied fungi was completed in 2015 and is presented herein. The study was conducted on protected lands and revealed 199 species in 99 genera. Twenty-five species are provincially listed as S1 (critically imperiled), S2 (imperiled), or S3 (vulnerable) by the Ontario Natural Heritage Information Centre, several species represent major range extensions in the province, and a high number (17) of species with cyanobacteria as their primary photobiont were discovered. Results from this study can assist land managers in Carden to identify areas of high conservation value, develop sound conservation strategies, and justify the purchase or donation of additional property for conservation purposes.
... Such areas have received little study in the past, compared to regions with large areas of intact natural habitats. Nonetheless, there is increasing recognition that urbanized and industrialized areas can not only host unexpected levels of lichen biodiversity, but also potentially serve as integral refuges and migration corridors as lichens respond to changing climates and environmental conditions (Allen & Howe 2016;Kowarik et al. 2016;McMullin et al. 2014Prather et al. 2018). ...
A checklist of the lichens and allied fungi from Mercer County, New Jersey, is presented. It was derived from inventories of 14 tracts of preserved and undeveloped land, which yielded 905 collections and 174 taxa. These include 37 new records for New Jersey, two of which, Catinaria neuschildii and Strangospora pinicola, have been rarely reported from North America. It also includes Agonimia flabelliformis, which is newly reported for North America from localities throughout the Appalachian and Ozark Mountains. Catillaria patteeana is described as new to science as well. These inventories demonstrate that substantial lichen diversity remains undiscovered even in densely populated regions of the Mid-Atlantic characterized by highly fragmented and disturbed natural landscapes with relatively small areas of unaltered, contiguous core-natural habitat.
... In the USA the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970 and the establishment of pollution-curbing legislation, such as the Clean Air Act that same year, has resulted in large-scale improvements in air quality (Smith et al. 2011). Recent studies have found that urban lichen communities have begun to rebound across North America, with surprisingly high lichen species diversity discovered in several urban areas (Washburn and Culley 2006, McMullin et al. 2014, Allen and Howe 2016. ...
The decline and near extirpation of lichens from urban areas was documented worldwide over the past 2 centuries, with the lowest diversity observed in many cities during the 1960s and 1970s. One major contributing factor to this observed decline was high levels of unregulated air pollution, which has a strong negative impact on lichen growth and survival. Since then lichens have begun recolonizing cities, in many cases at a rapid rate. New York City followed these same trends in urban lichen diversity changes. To better understand the current state of New York City lichen diversity, we have been conducting surveys at green spaces throughout the city. During one of these surveys we found a single thallus of Usnea on one very large, old red oak (Quercus rubra L.) at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx. The individual was too poorly developed to identify by its morphology and chemistry, so we took a DNA barcoding approach. Molecular data confidently assigned the thallus as Usnea mutabilis Stirton. Finding this thallus was highly notable, as it is the first report of an Usnea from New York City since 1824. The thallus is about 1.5 cm long, which suggests that it established within the last 30 yr. This finding highlights the continued improvement of urban environments for lichen recolonization, and the importance of cemeteries in providing stable green spaces for urban biodiversity.
... Few wetlands left in the region are associated with old-growth forests, which may be the cause for its paucity. However, the region around Guelph has been poorly studied by lichenologists (McMullin et al. 2014) and calicioids in particular are often overlooked and understudied, which might be why this species has gone undetected. Guelph is within the transition between two forest zones, Carolinian and the Great Lakes-St. ...
We describe and illustrate a new species of calicioid lichen from southern Ontario, Chaenotheca selvae. We place it in Chaenotheca because of its lichenized thallus with a Stichococcus photobiont, a brown mazaedium, and ascospores that are brown, spherical, and single-celled (3.0-3.6 m in diam.). It differs from other species of Chaenotheca by its photobiont, non-ornamented ascospores, straight stalks, and producing orange-brown pruina on the mazaedium, excipulum, and upper portion of the stalk when mature. Using a detrended correspondence analysis we identified 25 taxa, including the sp. nov., analyzing 22 morphological characters. Our results provide evidence of chemical and morphometric variation among species of Chaenotheca. We also provide a key for the identification of the 25 Chaenotheca species in North America. Résumé : Les auteurs décrivent et illustrent une nouvelle espèce de lichen calicioïde du sud de l'Ontario, Chaenotheca selvae. Ils le placent chez les Chaenotheca à cause de son thalle lichénisé avec le photobionte Stichococcus, un mazédium brun et des ascospores brunes, globuleuses et unicellulaires (3,0 à 3,6 m de diam.). Il diffère des autres espèces de Chaenotheca par son photobionte, ses ascospores non ornementées, ses pédoncules droits, et la production de pruine brun-orangé sur le mazédium, le parathécium et la partie supérieure du pédoncule à maturité. Ils ont identifié 25 taxons à l'aide d'une analyse de correspondance redressée, y compris la nouvelle espèce, analysant 22 caractères morphologiques. Leurs résultats démontrent qu'il existe une variation chimique et morphométrique parmi les espèces de Chaenotheca. Les auteurs fournissent aussi une clé d'identification des 25 espèces de Chaenotheca en Amérique du Nord. [Traduit par la Rédaction]
... We did spend the equivalent of 4 days surveying, twice that of McCarthy, Driscoll, and Clayden (2015). Lichen richness was shown to positively correspond with survey effort by McMullin et al. (2014) in the Arboretum in Guelph, Ontario, where they continued to find additional species in the park after 46 collecting trips. Thus, it is reasonable to predict higher alpha diversity in the Newfoundland provincial parks than reported by McCarthy, Driscoll, and Clayden (2015). ...
We conducted the first comprehensive floristic study of the lichens and allied fungi of Salmonier Nature
Park on the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland, Canada. By comparing our results to those from other provincial parks in Newfoundland, we show that Salmonier Nature Park has a regionally rich lichen biota that includes several uncommon species. We carry out an assessment of landscape-level drivers including geographic location and land cover diversity to determine whether lichen richness corresponds to patterns at the landscape extent. Within Salmonier, one species (Erioderma pedicellatum) is listed as ‘‘special concern’’ by the federal Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada and ‘‘critically endangered’’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Two species are new to the island of Newfoundland: Phaeophyscia ciliata and Stereocaulon subcoralloides. Six species are new to the province of Newfoundland and Labrador: Ephebe hispidula, Muellerella lichenicola, Mycoblastus sanguinarioides, Placynthium flabellosum, Usnea flammea, and Xanthoparmelia angustiphylla. Our results provide baseline knowledge that allows changes in the lichen community to be monitored, the discovery of new species in the park to be acknowledged, regional distributions and frequencies to be better understood, and accurate comparisons to be made with other parks.
... The natural protected forest need to be main-tained due to their associated species, retain their features and aesthetic value (Hilbert & Wiensczyk 2007). Furthermore, unlike to managed forests, the natural ones present a high quality of microhabitat and macrohabitat characteristics (Suija et al. 2007, Kubiak 2013, McMullin et al. 2014. ...
The importance of this study consists in the knowledge of the ecological attributes characteristic to mixed forestry habitats and how they affect the structure of the lichen species abundances. The field activities were performed within five forest habitat types from Moldavia Province, characterised mainly by oak mixed forests, riparian mixed forests and mixed beech forests. The habitat variables, tree variables and the lichen species abundances were analysed to get informations on the structural disimilarities, on the one hand, and relationships on the other hand. Within this study no significant disimilarities were found out from abundance lichen species point of view. The lichen species abundances are a result of interactions between components of their microhabitat and macrohabitat. The correlation analysis pointed out the preferences of lichen species to their host trees, especially Quercus and Fraxinus, altitude and tree level variables as are aspect and mosses coverage. The regression analysis has highlighted that the changes in lichen species abundances are caused by macrohabitat level predictors such as host trees represented by Fraxinus. This study demonstrates that, structure of lichen species is influenced by attributes of mixed forest habitats; therefore maintaining the diversity of tree species and ensuring the continuous occurrence of forestry land is necessary for lichen and their habitat conservation.
... The species that are generally in the centre of the CCA plot (e.g. Candelaria concolor, Parmelia sulcata, Phaeophyscia rubropulchra, Physcia adscendens, P. stellaris) are examples of species that are regionally widespread, including in urban areas, and are thus considered to be pollution tolerant McMullin et al. 2014). Their loading in the centre of the plot is consistent with high air pollution and human population density correlation coefficients for both axes 1 and 2. The lichen species clustering in the bottom left of the CCA plot (e.g. ...
The fragmented ecosystems along the Niagara Escarpment World Biosphere Reserve provide important habitats for biota including lichens. Nonetheless, the Reserve is disturbed by dense human populations and associated air pollution. Here we investigated patterns of lichen diversity within urban and rural sites at three different locations (Niagara, Hamilton, and Owen Sound) along the Niagara Escarpment in Ontario, Canada. Our results indicate that both lichen species richness and community composition are negatively correlated with increasing human population density and air pollution. However, our quantitative analysis of community composition using canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) indicates that human population density and air pollution is more independent than might be assumed. The CCA analysis suggests that the strongest environmental gradient (CCA1) associated with lichen community composition includes regional pollution load and climatic variables; the second gradient (CCA2) is associated with local pollution load and human population density factors. These results increase the knowledge of lichen biodiversity for the Niagara Escarpment and urban and rural fragmented ecosystems as well as along gradients of human population density and air pollution; they suggest a differential influence of regional and local pollution loads and population density factors. This study provides baseline knowledge for further research and conservation initiatives along the Niagara Escarpment World Biosphere Reserve.
