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Nimis PL, Pittao E, Caramia M, Pitacco P, Martellos S, Muggia L. The ecology of lichenicolous lichens: a case-study in Italy. MycoKeys 2024; 105:253-266. [PMID: 38855319 PMCID: PMC11161687 DOI: 10.3897/mycokeys.105.121001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024] Open
Abstract
This paper, with Italy as a case-study, provides a general overview on the ecology of lichenicolous lichens, i.e. those which start their life-cycle on the thallus of other lichens. It aims at testing whether some ecological factors do exert a positive selective pressure on the lichenicolous lifestyle. The incidence of some biological traits (photobionts, growth-forms and reproductive strategies) in lichenicolous and non-lichenicolous lichens was compared, on a set of 3005 infrageneric taxa potentially occurring in Italy, 189 of which are lichenicolous. Lichenicolous lichens have a much higher incidence of coccoid (non-trentepohlioid) green algae, crustose growth-forms and sexual reproduction. A matrix of the 2762 species with phycobionts and some main ecological descriptors was subjected to ordination. Lichenicolous lichens occupy a well-defined portion of the ecological space, tending to grow on rocks in dry, well-lit habitats where a germinating spore is likely to have a short life-span, at all altitudes. This corroborates the hypothesis that at least some of them are not true "parasites", as they are often called, but gather the photobionts - which have already adapted to local ecological conditions - from their hosts, eventually developing an independent thallus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pier Luigi Nimis
- University of Trieste, Department of Life Sciences, via Giorgieri 10, 34127 Trieste, ItalyUniversity of TriesteTriesteItaly
| | - Elena Pittao
- University of Trieste, Department of Life Sciences, via Giorgieri 10, 34127 Trieste, ItalyUniversity of TriesteTriesteItaly
| | - Monica Caramia
- University of Trieste, Department of Life Sciences, via Giorgieri 10, 34127 Trieste, ItalyUniversity of TriesteTriesteItaly
| | - Piero Pitacco
- University of Trieste, Department of Life Sciences, via Giorgieri 10, 34127 Trieste, ItalyUniversity of TriesteTriesteItaly
| | - Stefano Martellos
- University of Trieste, Department of Life Sciences, via Giorgieri 10, 34127 Trieste, ItalyUniversity of TriesteTriesteItaly
| | - Lucia Muggia
- University of Trieste, Department of Life Sciences, via Giorgieri 10, 34127 Trieste, ItalyUniversity of TriesteTriesteItaly
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Boch S, Saiz H, Allan E, Schall P, Prati D, Schulze ED, Hessenmöller D, Sparrius LB, Fischer M. Direct and Indirect Effects of Management Intensity and Environmental Factors on the Functional Diversity of Lichens in Central European Forests. Microorganisms 2021; 9:463. [PMID: 33672221 PMCID: PMC7926786 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9020463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Revised: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Using 642 forest plots from three regions in Germany, we analyzed the direct and indirect effects of forest management intensity and of environmental variables on lichen functional diversity (FDis). Environmental stand variables were affected by management intensity and acted as an environmental filter: summing direct and indirect effects resulted in a negative total effect of conifer cover on FDis, and a positive total effect of deadwood cover and standing tree biomass. Management intensity had a direct positive effect on FDis, which was compensated by an indirect negative effect via reduced standing tree biomass and lichen species richness, resulting in a negative total effect on FDis and the FDis of adaptation-related traits (FDisAd). This indicates environmental filtering of management and stronger niche partitioning at a lower intensity. In contrast, management intensity had a positive total effect on the FDis of reproduction-, dispersal- and establishment-related traits (FDisRe), mainly because of the direct negative effect of species richness, indicating functional over-redundancy, i.e., most species cluster into a few over-represented functional entities. Our findings have important implications for forest management: high lichen functional diversity can be conserved by promoting old, site-typical deciduous forests with a high richness of woody species and large deadwood quantity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steffen Boch
- WSL Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, Zürcherstrasse 111, CH-8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Hugo Saiz
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, CH-3013 Bern, Switzerland; (H.S.); (E.A.); (D.P.); (M.F.)
| | - Eric Allan
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, CH-3013 Bern, Switzerland; (H.S.); (E.A.); (D.P.); (M.F.)
| | - Peter Schall
- Department of Silviculture and Forest Ecology of the Temperate Zones, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077 Göttingen, Germany;
| | - Daniel Prati
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, CH-3013 Bern, Switzerland; (H.S.); (E.A.); (D.P.); (M.F.)
| | - Ernst-Detlef Schulze
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Straße 10, 07745 Jena, Germany; (E.-D.S.); (D.H.)
| | - Dominik Hessenmöller
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Straße 10, 07745 Jena, Germany; (E.-D.S.); (D.H.)
- Forstamt Schmalkalden, Thueringen Forst, Schlossberg 11, 98574 Schmalkalden, Germany
| | | | - Markus Fischer
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, CH-3013 Bern, Switzerland; (H.S.); (E.A.); (D.P.); (M.F.)
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Gheza G, Di Nuzzo L, Vallese C, Barcella M, Benesperi R, Giordani P, Nascimbene J, Assini S. Morphological and Chemical Traits of Cladonia Respond to Multiple Environmental Factors in Acidic Dry Grasslands. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9020453. [PMID: 33671558 PMCID: PMC7926809 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9020453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Revised: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Terricolous lichen communities in lowlands occur especially in open dry habitats. Such communities are often dominated by species of the genus Cladonia, which are very variable in morphology, reproduction strategies, and secondary metabolites. In this work, we investigated traits-environment relationships considering vegetation dynamics, substrate pH, disturbance, and climate. A total of 122 plots were surveyed in 41 acidic dry grasslands in the western Po Plain (Northern Italy). Relationships between Cladonia traits and environmental variables were investigated by means of a model-based Fourth Corner Analysis. Thallus morphology and metabolites responded to vegetation dynamics, substrate pH, disturbance, and climate, whereas reproduction strategies responded only to vegetation dynamics. Traits' correlations with vegetation dynamics elucidate their colonization patterns in open dry habitats or suggest biotic interactions with bryophytes and vascular plants. In addition, correlations between metabolites and environmental factors support interpretations of their ecological roles. Our results also stress the importance of studying traits' relationships with climatic factors as an alert towards lichen reactions to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Gheza
- BIOME Lab, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum–University of Bologna, Via Irnerio 42, 40126 Bologna, Italy; (G.G.); (C.V.)
| | - Luca Di Nuzzo
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via La Pira 4, 50121 Florence, Italy; (L.D.N.); (R.B.)
| | - Chiara Vallese
- BIOME Lab, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum–University of Bologna, Via Irnerio 42, 40126 Bologna, Italy; (G.G.); (C.V.)
| | - Matteo Barcella
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Via S. Epifanio 14, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (M.B.); (S.A.)
| | - Renato Benesperi
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via La Pira 4, 50121 Florence, Italy; (L.D.N.); (R.B.)
| | - Paolo Giordani
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Genova, Viale Cembrano 4, 16148 Genova, Italy;
| | - Juri Nascimbene
- BIOME Lab, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum–University of Bologna, Via Irnerio 42, 40126 Bologna, Italy; (G.G.); (C.V.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Silvia Assini
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Via S. Epifanio 14, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (M.B.); (S.A.)
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