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Lichens are known to be more sensitive indicators of ecosystem functioning and disturbances than any other cryptogams and vascular plant communities. Himalayan habitats, despite their stressed climates, harbor some of the unique biodiversity of the region, vital for overall ecosystem functioning and stability. Lichens, due to their desiccation tolerance, are able to survive in high altitude habitats and evolved into diverse categories and functional groups. Present study examines the terricolous lichen community in Chopta-Tungnath temperatealpine grassland of Garhwal Himalaya, in order to identify potential elements (species/growth form) as indicator of anthropogenic disturbances. Terricolous lichens were sampled from twelve sites distributed in three stratified macrohabitats, along increasing altitudinal gradient. A total of twenty soil lichen species belonging to ten genera, six families and four morphological groups (i.e. leprose, foliose, dimorphic and fruticose) were identified.Terricolous lichen diversity was negatively correlated (r = 0.70; p<0.05) with altitude. Among the four growth forms, fruticose growth form was indicator of grazing disturbance, distinguishing low grazed high altitude (3400-4001 m asl) areas with highly grazed low altitude (2700-3000 m asl) to mid altitude (3000-3400 m asl) areas.Terricolous lichen diversity in the study area was found constrained by vascular plants at lower altitudes, humanrelated impacts (tourism and livestock grazing induced trampling) at mid-altitudes and habitat characteristics (low soil cover) at higher altitudes.

Context: Lichens are source of natural bioactive compounds which are traditionally used to cure a variety of ailments. Objective: The objective of this study is to assess free radical scavenging, prolyl endopeptidase inhibitory (PEPI), and antimicrobial potential of a high altitude lichen species Cetrelia olivetorum (Nyl.) W. L. Culb. & C. F. Culb (Parmeliaceae). Materials and methods: Lichen C. olivetorum has been cultured in vitro, and optimized culture conditions were implemented in bioreactor to obtain high quantity of biomass for the study of radical scavenging, PEPI, and antimicrobial activities. Radical scavenging activity of methanol extract of Cetrelia olivetorum (MECO) was tested at 100 mg/mL, PEPI activity at 25 and 50 mg/mL, and antimicrobial activity at 5, 25, 50, and 100 mg/mL conc. All the biological activities of natural thallus extract and its derived culture extract were evaluated spectrophotometrically. Results: Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 3% glucose and 100 ppb indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) supported biomass growth at flask level and yielded 5.095 g biomass in bioreactor. MECO of both the cultured and the natural lichen exhibited half inhibiting concentration (IC 50 ) for radical scavenging activities in the range of 50-60 mg/mL, whereas the IC 50 value of standard antioxidants was found to be in the range of 12-29 mg/mL. The IC 50 value of lichen extract for PEPI activity was 144-288 mg/mL, whereas the IC 50 value of standard prolyl endopeptidase inhibitor, Z-pro-prolinal, was 57.73 mg/mL. As far as the antimicrobial activity of MECO is concerned, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of lichen extracts against tested microorganisms was obtained in the range of 50-104 mg/mL and found to be more effective than commercially available standard erythromycin. Discussion: Murashige and Skoog medium containing IBA was found to be suitable for maximum biomass production of C. olivetorum under bioreactor conditions. The cultured lichen biomass extract also showed antioxidant, PEPI, and antimicrobial potential. Conclusion: The present study indicates therapeutic potential of Himalayan lichen C. olivetorum against neurodegenerative diseases owing to its radical scavenging, PEPI, and antimicrobial activities. Further, the result encourages its commercial exploitation through mass culture for production of its bioactive components and their use in pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries.

The use of bioindicator communities (lichen) to assess the environmental status of an area is a well-proved strategy to monitor any habitat without any logistic and instrumental facilities. In the present study, 13 bioindicator communities of lichen have been used to assess the environmental status of holy pilgrimage (Badrinath), western Himalaya, India. Three sites (i.e. Badrinath, Mana & pilgrimage route from Bhimpul to Vasudhara) have been comparatively assessed. The results of the study reveals that Badrinath site is less polluted and experiences low degree of anthropogenic disturbances compared to Mana, and pilgrimage route (Bhimpul to Vasudhara). Human settlements, construction of civil works, vehicular emission, and trampling and trekking by tourists are the major threats on these habitats, which ultimately decrease the quality of vegetation and adjacent environment. Controlled vehicular use, promotion of modern way of cooking and managed trekking in these pilgrimage routes could be helpful to combat the decreasing vegetation and environmental quality therein.

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Ophioparma ventosa (L.) Norman, belonging to family Ophioparmaceae, a rare lichen species has been recorded for the first time from north east alpine Himalaya, India after the gap of more than hundred years, when it was first recorded by Leighton from Sikkim in the year 1879. This saxicolous species is found growing together with other saxicolous lichens and mosses. This species was recorded previously from alpine regions of Eastern Nepal. IntroductionDuring a field trip to the Sela pass (27°30′ 12.03″ N and 92°06′15.98″ E) region of West Kameng district, Arunachal Pradesh, the authors discovered a population of Ophioparma ventosa (L.) NORMAN, at an altitude of 4176 m from above sea level. The species was found growing on exposed rock surface in open steep alpine meadows with bushy Berberis and Rhododendron species. The other lichen taxa growing with the species are Acarospora spp., Rhizocarpon geographicum (L.) DC., Thamnolia vermicularis (Sw.) Ach. ex Schaer., Umbilicaria indica Frey and mosses (Fig. 1 A).The genus Haematomma A. MASSAL was proposed originally to house two species H. vulgare A. MASSAL & H. ventosum (L.) MASSAL (MASSALONGO 1852). Haematomma, currently as collective genus consisting of species with some morphological similarities which ought to be segregated (ROGERS & BARTLETT 1986). According to the ROGERS & HAFELLNER (1988) the H. puniceum group of Haematomma is closely related to H. ochroleucum group and retained in this genus while the ventosum group (because of its distinctive ascus structure) is segregated into its own genus Ophioparma Norman placed in a new family Ophioparmaceae R.W. ROGERS & HAFELLNER.The genus Ophioparma contains 9 species worldwide and is characterized by crustose, rimose areolate thallus with coccoid green algal photobiont, dark blood red sessile apothecia, ascus with I + blue tholus without an ocular chamber and axial plug, 8 spored asci and hyaline, simple to multiseptate ascospores. Generally grows on well-lit, hard siliceous rocks, wood and bark. Its common distribution is in circumpolar and high montane or alpine extending southwards to central Mexico and Japan, and then temperate South America (MAY, 1997(MAY, , 1998 (MAY 1997(MAY , 1998 The lichen genera Haematomma, Ophioparma and Loxospora A. MASSAL are morphologically similar in apothecial disc, colour and condition of thallus . Haematomma differs from Ophioparma in having both an axial mass and a distinct ocular chamber in ascus, absence of haemoventosin a red pigment in hymenium (K-), thin proper exciple, thick thalline margin and the thin paraphyses, individually covered with a gelatinous layer, highly branched and anastomosed. The species of Haematomma rarely grows on rock and are characterized by atranorin, sphaerophorin, or placodialic acid as major chemical constituents (MAY 1998).Loxospora differs with Ophioparma by having a wide axial mass in ascus, absence of haemoventosin in hymenium (K+ yellow) and paraphyses are more frequently anastomosed, but not stuck together with hymenial gelatin and...