Ramalina europaea Gasparyan, Sipman & Lücking and R. labiosorediata Gasparyan, Sipman & Lücking, two species of the R. pollinaria group, are described here as new to science. Ramalina europaea, widely distributed in Europe, can be distinguished by small, punctiform, often terminal soralia starting out on small, spine-like branchlets, whereas R. labiosorediata from North America differs from R. pollinaria s. str. and R. europaea in the almost exclusively terminal soralia formed on the tips of normal lobes, originating from the underside and becoming irregularly labriform. Morphological characters, chemistry, ecology and geographical distribution are discussed and a key to the species of the Ramalina pollinaria group is provided. The topology of a maximum likelihood tree based on ITS shows the presence of three well-supported clades, corresponding to the morphological differences of the three species. The status of several historical names variously placed in synonymy with or described as infraspecific entities of R. pollinaria is reassessed and a new neotype and an epitype are designated for Lichen pollinarius, a neotype for L. squarrosus, making it a synonym of R. farinacea, and lectotypes for R. pollinaria var. elatior, making it a synonym of R. pollinaria s. str., and for var. humilis, a taxon of yet unknown affinity.
A total of 230 taxa of lichenized fungi are reported from epiphytic habitats in Armenia based on field studies from 2011 to 2015 and evaluation of the available literature. For each species, notes on taxonomy, chemistry, ecology, and local, regional and world distribution are presented, as well as presence in the protected areas of the country. An identification key for all species is added. Of the total, 219 are specialized epiphytes, rarely found on other substrates, while 11 species occur only incidentally on bark and more usually on rock. The epiphytic lichenized fungi of Armenia belong to 13 orders, 34 families and 88 genera. The most species-rich higher taxa are Lecanorales (Parmeliaceae, Physciaceae, Teloschistaceae), Arthoniales, Peltigerales and Pertusariales. Lecanora, Usnea and Phaeophyscia are the most species-rich genera. The following 28 taxa are new records for Armenia: Arthonia atra, Bacidia biatorina, Bacidina adastra, Biatora longispora, Bryoria fuscescens, Bryostigma muscigenum, Buellia erubescens, Candelariella efflorescens, Flavoparmelia soredians, Hypocenomyce scalaris, Lecidella cf. pulveracea, Lepraria jackii, Lepraria leuckertiana, Leptogium cyanescens, Ochrolechia pallescens, Pertusaria slesvicensis, Phaeophyscia endophoenicea, Phlyctis agelaea, Phlyctis argena, Placynthiella icmalea, Pyrrhospora quernea, Ramalina panizzei, Rinodina griseosoralifera, Rinodina polysporoides, Strigula stigmatella, Varicellaria hemisphaerica. Four genera are for the first time reported for the country, Hypocenomyce, Phlyctis, Pyrrhospora and Strigula. 188 species (82% of the epiphytic lichen mycobiota) were found in the Specially Protected Nature Areas of Armenia. The conservation status of 74 species has been evaluated following the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species categories and criteria. Among them we assessed 9 taxa as Critically Endangered, 5 taxa as Endangered, 2 taxa as Vulnerable, 4 taxa as Data Deficient and 54 taxa as Least Concern. Epiphytic lichens reported from Armenia showed predominantly holarctic distributional patterns. 187 species were found in the temperate deciduous and mixed forests, which dominate in Northern and Central Armenia, and 56 species in the open arid woodlands of Southern Armenia.
Epiphytic lichens are increasingly included in forest biodiversity monitoring schemes, but most of the standardized guidelines consider only lichens colonizing a small part of tree trunks (1·0–1·5 m) and overlook other important microhabitats, such as fallen branches and stumps. In this paper, we present results of a small-scale pilot study to evaluate the possible advantage of including four distinct microhabitats in standardized procedures for assessing epiphytic lichen diversity. Trunk bases, trunks between 100 and 150 cm above the ground, stumps, and fallen branches were each sampled with a different standardized sampling method along a forest age gradient in temperate deciduous forests of the Caucasian region. Plot-level species richness was contrasted between the standardized sampling procedures of different substrata and a non-probabilistic floristic sampling. The interactions between sampling procedure and stand age were analysed using linear mixed models, and non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) and multi-response permutation procedures (MRPP) were used for comparing species composition. Overall, 97 species were recorded, their richness increasing with increasing stand age. Results were consistent across the gradient of stand age and demonstrated that the adoption of standardized sampling procedures which include stumps and fallen branches in addition to tree trunks would increase the capability of maximizing species capture. This approach would allow researchers to evaluate lichen patterns by simultaneously considering the response of different communities sensitive to different stand-related factors. Despite the likelihood that a non-probabilistic floristic survey would give a more exhaustive picture of the plot-level lichen diversity, standardized sampling procedures that include tree trunks, fallen branches and stumps are likely to represent a reasonable trade-off between exhaustiveness and cost-effectiveness.
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