Retaining unlogged patches in Mediterranean oak forests may preserve threatened forest macrolichens

Fačkovcová, Zuzana; Guttová, Anna; Benesperi, Renato; Bellini, Erika; Toppi, Luigi Sanità di; Paoli, Luca

doi:10.3832/ifor2917-012

Cited by 9 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 27 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Lobaria pulmonaria is an indicator of valuable forest habitats (Nascimbene et al 2010(Nascimbene et al , 2013c and important sites for the conservation of cryptogamic species belonging to understudied groups (e.g., bryophytes -Scheidegger & Werth 2009, Brunialti et al 2015. In our case, to mitigate further potential damages due to logging, several Lobaria-trees and patches (islands) with uneven-aged trees were preserved in the investigated stand (Fačkovcová et al 2019), without a negative impact on the activity of woodcutters. Despite the fact that thalli on retained-isolated trees showed a lower vitality compared to the unlogged stand, they could still act as a source of propagules.…”

Section: Practical Suggestions For the Conservation Of Threatened Macmentioning

confidence: 60%

“…This interruption offered the opportunity to investigate in the field the damage occurred to forest macrolichens, with a focus on the model species. Thanks to the cooperation with local authorities and woodcutters, the subsequent logging activity was addressed to an uneven-aged coppice system, allowing the preservation of several trees with L. pulmonaria (hereafter Lobaria-trees) and also some patches (islands) with groups of uneven-aged trees (Fačkovcová et al 2019). In order to assess the impact of logging, the logged stand was compared with an adjacent unlogged area by means of sampling transects (Fig.…”

Section: Study Site and Experimental Constraintsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Impact of forest management on threatened epiphytic macrolichens: evidence from a Mediterranean mixed oak forest (Italy)

Paoli¹,

Benesperi²,

Fačkovcová³

et al. 2019

iForest

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Biogeosciences and Forestry Biogeosciences and Forestry Impact of forest management on threatened epiphytic macrolichens: evidence from a Mediterranean mixed oak forest (Italy) Luca Paoli (1) , Renato Benesperi (2) , Zuzana Fačkovcová (3) , Juri Nascimbene (4) , Sonia Ravera (5) , Marco Marchetti (5) , Barbara Anselmi (6) , Marco Landi (7) , Sara Landi (8) , Elisabetta Bianchi (2) , Luca Di Nuzzo (2) , Anna Lackovičová (3) , Andrea Vannini (9) , Stefano Loppi (9) , Anna Guttová (3) Forest management practices may heavily affect epiphytic cryptogams. This study was conceived in March 2016, as soon as we were informed about an authorized logging for timber within a Mediterranean mixed oak forest in Tuscany (central Italy), which threatened a large population of the forest macrolichen Lobaria pulmonaria (L.) Hoffm., composed of hundreds of fertile thalli. Lobaria pulmonaria is often used as an ecological indicator of high quality habitats hosting rare lichens, and in general, cryptogams worthy of conservation. The species has suffered a general decline throughout Europe as a consequence of air pollution and intensive forest management, and currently it is red-listed in several countries, where it is considered also as a "flag species". We estimated that 40% of the lichen biomass (8.5-12.3 kg ha-1) has been lost due to logging operations (in the core area, up to 1.8 kg every 100 m 2), in particular large and fertile thalli. One year after the conclusion of logging operations, the analysis of chlorophyll fluorescence emission (indicator of the photosynthetic performance of the lichen photobionts), revealed a significant reduction of the vitality of the thalli on retained-isolated trees. The article provides issues for conservation in Mediterranean oak forests and outlines the outmost importance of ensuring the safeguard of forest ecosystems hosting fertile populations of this model species, especially in the case of unprotected forests.

show abstract

Section: Practical Suggestions For the Conservation Of Threatened Macmentioning

confidence: 60%

Section: Study Site and Experimental Constraintsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of forest management on threatened epiphytic macrolichens: evidence from a Mediterranean mixed oak forest (Italy)

Paoli¹,

Benesperi²,

Fačkovcová³

et al. 2019

iForest

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Epiphytes in rainforests, i.e. lichens, bryophytes and ferns, are capable of storing as much as 80% of rainwater in the initial phase of precipitation (Veneklaas et al 1990;Fačkovcova et al 2019). However, our results indicate that, after 21 runs of the experiment, lichen thalli did not achieve the maximum potential water storage capacity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variability of water storage capacity in three lichen species

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

As poikilohydric organisms, lichens are capable of storing significant amounts of atmospheric water. Epiphytes that intercept rainfall change the amount and chemical composition of throughfall water, affecting water balance and microclimate of forest ecosystems. The aim of the study was to investigate the differences in the process of changes/increase in the amount of water in three lichen species: Evernia prunastrii, Hypogymnia tubulosa and Platismatia glauca. In the experiment, conducted under laboratory conditions, samples of thalli were wetted with constant doses of water and weighed in order to determine the amount of water storage capacity from simulated rainfall. The studied lichen species differed in terms of process dynamics and values of water storage capacity, probably due to the morphological structure of thalli. Average water retention was the highest in Platismatia glauca (33.58 %), lower in Evernia prunastrii (19.77 %) and the lowest in Hypogymnia tubulosa (15.38 %). Analyzed taxa with larger water storage capacity are also known to be more sensitive to air pollution.

show abstract

“…Both study sites were located along a narrow valley with comparable orientation (North), soil type, tree age (average around 40 years, with scattered older trees) and composition, moisture, and distance from the closest stream. The density of the stems in the unlogged area was about 1100 ha −1 , decreasing to 165 ha −1 in the logged stand, with a consequent increase of sun irradiance all around retained-isolated trees (from 130-1100 to 900-1550 μmol m −2 s −1 PAR at noon) [49]. The logged stand (about 4.4 ha) was part of a local hotspot of L. pulmonaria, which had a patchy distribution and colonized more than 1000 trees.…”

Section: Study Sitesmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…It was estimated that 40% of L. pulmonaria biomass (8.5-12.3 kg ha −1 ) was lost (in the mostly colonized area, up to 1.8 kg 100 m −2 ), including large and fertile thalli [48]. More than one year later, the analysis of chlorophyll a fluorescence emission revealed a significant reduction of the vitality of the thalli left on retained-isolated trees [49]. Here, the potential effects of logging on L. pulmonaria in this oak forest have been simulated by means of micro-transplants (thallus fragments <1 cm).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vitality and Growth of the Threatened Lichen Lobaria pulmonaria (L.) Hoffm. in Response to Logging and Implications for Its Conservation in Mediterranean Oak Forests

Bianchi

Benesperi

Brunialti

et al. 2020

Forests

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Forest logging can be detrimental for non-vascular epiphytes, determining the loss of key components for ecosystem functioning. Legal logging in a Mediterranean mixed oak forest (Tuscany, Central Italy) in 2016 heavily impacted sensitive non-vascular epiphytes, including a large population of the threatened forest lichen Lobaria pulmonaria (L.) Hoffm. This event offered the background for this experiment, where the potential effects of logging in oak forests are simulated by means of L. pulmonaria micro-transplants (thallus fragments <1 cm). Our working hypothesis is that forest logging could negatively influence the growth of the thalli exposed in logged stands compared to those exposed in unlogged stands. One hundred meristematic lobes and 100 non-meristematic fragments are exposed for one year on 20 Turkey oak trees (Quercus cerris), half in a logged and half in an unlogged stand. Chlorophyll (Chl) a fluorescence emission and total chlorophyll content are used as a proxy for the overall vitality of the transplants, while their growth is considered an indicator of long-term effects. Generally, vitality and growth of the transplants in the logged stand are lower than in the unlogged stand. Both vitality and growth vary between the meristematic and non-meristematic fragments, the former performing much better. Hence, irrespective of forest management, meristematic fragments show higher growth rates (0.16–0.18 cm2 year−1) than non-meristematic ones (0.02–0.06 cm2 year−1). Considering that a conservation-oriented management for this species should be tailored at the habitat-level and, especially, at the tree-level, our results suggest that for appropriate conservation strategies, it is necessary to consider the life cycle of the lichen, since the probability of survival of the species may vary, with meristematic fragments having more chance to survive after logging.

show abstract

Retaining unlogged patches in Mediterranean oak forests may preserve threatened forest macrolichens

Cited by 9 publications

References 27 publications

Impact of forest management on threatened epiphytic macrolichens: evidence from a Mediterranean mixed oak forest (Italy)

Impact of forest management on threatened epiphytic macrolichens: evidence from a Mediterranean mixed oak forest (Italy)

Variability of water storage capacity in three lichen species

Vitality and Growth of the Threatened Lichen Lobaria pulmonaria (L.) Hoffm. in Response to Logging and Implications for Its Conservation in Mediterranean Oak Forests

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About