Epiphytic lichens of the sacred natural site “Bosco di Sant’Antonio” (Majella National Park – Abruzzo)

Abstract

Sacred Natural Sites are relevant for biodiversity conservation, as in the case of forest sites that, across centuries, developed old growth structures and are now crucial for the conservation of epiphytic lichens and other specialized forest organisms. In this study, we investigated the epiphytic lichen flora of a small forest patch included in the Majella National Park (Abruzzo), whose old growth features and naturalness reflect its long lasting spiritual role that perfectly fits with the concept of Sacred Natural Site. Results revealed that the “Bosco di Sant’Antonio” hosts a rich and interesting epiphytic lichen flora, thus indicating the potential of this Sacred Natural Site for lichen conservation. Fifty-six species were found including two species newly recorded in Abruzzo, two red-listed species, and the sensitive species Lobariapulmonaria. This study corroborates the hypothesis that sacred forest sites are relevant for the conservation of specialized epiphytic lichens. In particular, in the Italian forest landscape where old-growth stands are practically absent, sacred forest sites may provide unique old-growth structures and buffer anthropogenic disturbance.

The lichens of the Majella National Park (Central Italy): an annotated checklist

“…This indicates that the forests of the Majella National Park effectively contribute to the conservation of endangered epiphytic species of the Italian lichen biota. The best conserved part of the “Bosco di S. Antonio” forest is an emblematic example of this situation, hosting species sensitive to human disturbance as Lobaria pulmonaria or rare calicioid lichens ( Nascimbene et al 2019 ).…”

“…The following abbreviations were used for the sources of occurrence data: C09 ( Cucchi et al 2009 ), C73 ( Cesati 1873 ), C86 ( Coassini Lokar et al 1986 ), GG (personal herbarium and field observations by Gabriele Gheza), J74 ( Jatta 1874 ), J11 ( Jatta 1909–1911 ), JN (personal herbarium and field observations by Juri Nascimbene and collaborators), N19 ( Nascimbene et al 2019 ), NAP (Herbarium of the University of Naples), NT99 ( Nimis and Tretiach 1999 ), R20 ( Ravera et al 2020 ), RV96 ( Recchia and Villa 1996 ), T15 ( Tretiach 2015 ), TSB (Herbarium of the University of Trieste).…”

“…Besides pure floristic explorations (e.g. Nascimbene et al 2019), the research project also included ecological investigations, mainly focused on high elevation areas, for example, a lichen survey on the four GLORIA summits (Di Cecco et al 2019) and along an elevational transect across the whole main ridge of the massif (Di Nuzzo et al 2021).…”