Publisher : Biodiversity and Conservation - Springer
Place of publication :
Publication year : 2019
Thematic : Conservation
Language : English
Note
Natural spruce forests are restricted to the highest mountain ranges in the Czech Republic. Spruce is also the commonest tree species in managed forests. Owing to a massive decline of spruce forests in Central Europe, caused by recent climatic fluctuations and disturbances, the lichen diversity and species composition was compared between ten representative natural mountain old-growth forests in the Czech Republic and their counterparts in mature managed forests. The old-growth forests are characterized by a higher species richness, abundance, number of Red-listed species, functional, taxonomic and phylogenetic diversities. Plots with the highest species richness are situated in the Å umava Mountains, an area with a relatively low sulphur deposition in the past. Bioindication analysis searching for lichen indicators supported several species (e.g. Xylographa vitiligo, Chaenotheca sphaerocephala) and genera (e.g. Calicium, Xylographa) with a strong preference for old-growth forests. Analysis of lichen functional traits revealed a higher abundance of species with a vegetative reproduction in managed forests that may be explained by a higher efficiency in colonization by young successional stages. Lichens with stalked apothecia, pigmented ascospores and large ascospores are more frequent in old-growth forests. Our results are briefly discussed in terms of nature conservation, focusing on national refugees of old-growth forest species, biodiversity hot-spots, practical use of indicator species and representative measures for an evaluation of forest quality.
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Keywords : Seed dispersal
Encoded by : Pauline Carmel Joy Eje
