Similarly to other Mediterranean regions, Italy is expected to experience dramatic climatic changes in the coming decades. Do to their poikilohydric nature, lichens are among the most sensitive ...organisms to climate change and species requiring temperate-humid conditions may rapidly decline in Italy, such in the case of the epiphytic Lobaria species that are confined to humid forests. Our study, based on ecological niche modelling of occurrence data of three Lobaria species, revealed that in the next decades climate change will impact their distribution range across Italy, predicting a steep gradient of increasing range loss across time slices. Lobaria species are therefore facing a high extinction risk associated with reduction of their range. The current patterns indicate that only L. pulmonaria still has a continuous distribution across Italy, with potential contact between Apennine and Alpine populations. This situation is consistent with the wider climatic niche of this species, still offering a major opportunity for its successful long-term conservation. Results (a) support the inclusion of the three Lobaria species in European conservation policies, such as the Habitat Directive, and (b) warn against an over-estimation of the indicator power of single flagship species to establish conservation priorities for lichens, indicating that even lichens with peculiar and similar climatic envelopes may fail to co-occur within a given forest stand. A multiple indicator approach could provide more useful tools for a community-based conservation strategy for epiphytes.
•Lichens are among the most sensitive organisms to climate change.•Climate change will impact the distribution range of Lobaria species across Italy.•Lobaria species are facing extinction risk due to range reduction.•Lobaria species should be included in European conservation policies.•A multiple indicator approach could support conservation priorities for lichens.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Drivers for biodiversity loss are largely regulated by policies in non-environmental sectors. The limited mainstreaming of biodiversity into respective policies remains yet to be analysed. During the ...process of updating the German National Biodiversity Strategy, we conducted 33 interviews and a stakeholder workshop to analyse barriers and levers for biodiversity integration in five policy sectors: agriculture, forests, marine & coastal areas, business & industries, rural & urban development. Based on Biodiversity Policy Integration literature, we distinguish four leverage points for transformation related to inclusive, integrated, accountable and adaptive governance. We found that biodiversity inclusive narratives and innovative approaches exist but are overshadowed by conflicting vested interests. Dominant sector policies are incoherent and continue to provide harmful subsidies. Institutional structures fail to reflexively respond to ambitious agendas and are locked into sector specific accountability hierarchies. Thus, transformative national planning needs to overcome institutional lock-ins and empower agents to develop innovative solutions.
•BPI analyses reveal levers for overcoming barriers to effective implementation.•Inclusion of different views and existing practices creates ownership and legitimacy.•Integrated policies must prioritise biodiversity while phasing out harmful subsidies.•Accountability requires collaboration and responsibility across sectors and levels.•Adaptiveness requires reflexive institutions that can react to evaluation processes.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
LIAS gtm, a new platform of the LIAS lichen information system, is presented. It allows for the visualization of phenotypic traits via geographic heatmapping of relative trait frequencies (RTFs) ...based on data derived from GBIF (occurrence data) and from LIAS light (taxon description data). The data are combined and referred to defined geographic areas of interest. Exemplarily, LIAS gtm provides distribution patterns of a selection of single, dual or multiple traits. The data are visualized for two lichen record hotspots, Scandinavia and Australia. Detailed technical information is provided on the platform web site itself.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
In this contribution, new data concerning algae, bryophytes, fungi and lichens of the Italian flora are presented. It includes new records and confirmations for the algal genera Chara and Nitella , ...the bryophyte genera Brachythecium , Didymodon , Fissidens , Physcomitrium , and Riccia , the fungal genera Biatoropsis , Cantharellus , Coprinellus , Dacrymyces , Inosperma , Nigropuncta , Urocystis , and Xanthoriicola , and the lichen genera Arthonia , Bellemerea , Circinaria , Lecania , Lecanora , Lecidella , Mycobilimbia , Naetrocymbe , Parmelia , Peltigera , Porpidia , Scytinium , and Usnea .
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Over the past 12 years, the lichen trait database LIAS light as a component of the LIAS information system, has grown to a considerable pool of descriptive data based on 71 different qualitative, ...quantitative, and text characters, for nearly 10.000 lichen taxa, being phylogenetically arranged according to the MycoNet classification. It includes information on morphological, ecological and chemical traits. Multilinguality or internationalization options have become a central challenge of the project. At present, 18 language versions of the database and web interface exist. LIAS light data are accessible in DELTA format and to be used locally and web browser-based, via NaviKey applet.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Elevated temperatures and diminished precipitation amounts accompanying climate warming in arid ecosystems are expected to have adverse effects on the photosynthesis of lichen species sensitive to ...elevated temperature and/or water limitation. This premise was tested by artificially elevating temperatures (increase 2.1-3.8°C) and reducing the amounts of fog and dew precipitation (decrease 30.1-31.9%), in an approximation of future climate warming scenarios, using transparent hexagonal open-top warming chambers placed around natural populations of four lichen species (Xanthoparmelia austroafricana, X. hyporhytida , Xanthoparmelia. sp., Xanthomaculina hottentotta) at a dry inland site and two lichen species (Teloschistes capensis and Ramalina sp.) at a humid coastal site in the arid South African Succulent Karoo Biome. Effective photosynthetic quantum yields (∆F/F′ m ) were measured hourly throughout the day at monthly intervals in pre-hydrated lichens present in the open-top warming chambers and in controls which comprised demarcated plots of equivalent open-top warming chamber dimensions constructed from 5-cmdiameter mesh steel fencing. The cumulative effects of the elevated temperatures and diminished precipitation amounts in the open-top warming chambers resulted in significant decreases in lichen ∆F/F′ m . The decreases were more pronounced in lichens from the dry inland site (decline 34.1—46.1%) than in those from the humid coastal site (decline 11.3-13.7%), most frequent and prominent in lichens at both sites during the dry summer season, and generally of greatest magnitude at or after the solar noon in all seasons. Based on these results, we conclude that climate warming interacting with reduced precipitation will negatively affect carbon balances in endemic lichens by increasing desiccation damage and reducing photosynthetic activity time, leading to increased incidences of mortality.
The lichen vegetation forming biological soil crusts is described for the first time for a semi-desert area of the Republic of South Africa (Knersvlakte, Namaqualand). Thirty-five terricolous lichen ...taxa were recorded. Fifty-two percent of the lichens are endemic to Namaqualand according to current knowledge. Squamulose and crustose lichens were the most common (over 60% of taxa) and most contained green algal photobionts. Three main communities were distinguished: 1) a widespread community composed by Collema coccophorum, Psora aff. crenata, Placidium tenellum and P. squamulosum; 2) a rare community characterized by foliose lichens belonging to Xanthoparmelia, Neofuscelia and Paraparmelia; and 3) a rare, crustose community formed by Caloplaca sp. (“C. sp. 1”), Toninia sp. (“T. sp. 1”), T. ruginosa and Buellia sp. (“B. sp. 2”). The lichen taxa and vegetation of the study area are unique and are threatened by land management practices and changing climate.
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BFBNIB, NMLJ, NUK, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Abstract
Predicted elevated temperatures and a shift from a winter to summer rainfall pattern associated with global warming could result in the exposure of hydrated lichens during summer to more ...numerous temperature extremes that exceed their thermal thresholds. This hypothesis was tested by measuring lethal temperature thresholds under laboratory and natural conditions for four epilithic lichen species (
X
anthoparmelia austro‐africana
,
X
. hyporhytida
,
X
anthoparmelia
sp.,
X
anthomaculina hottentotta
) occurring on quartz gravel substrates at a hot arid inland site two epigeous lichen species (
T
eloschistes capensis, Ramalina
sp.) occurring on gypsum‐rich topsoil at a warm humid coastal site. Extrapolated lethal temperatures for photosynthetic quantum yield under laboratory conditions were up to 4°C higher for lichens from a dry inland site than those from a humid coastal site. Lethal temperatures extrapolated for photosynthetic quantum yield at a saturating photosynthetic photon flux density of ≥11,000 μmol photons m
−2
s
−1
under natural conditions were up to 6°C higher for lichens from the dry inland site than the more humid coastal site. It is concluded that only under atypical conditions of lichen exposure in a hydrated state to temperature extremes at high midday solar irradiances during summer could lethal photosynthetic thresholds in sensitive lichen species be potentially exceeded, but whether the increased frequency of such conditions with climate warming would lead to increased likelihood of lichen mortality is debatable.
Résumé
Les températures élevées et l'évolution d'un schéma de chutes de pluies d'hiver vers des pluies d'été, prédites par le réchauffement climatique mondial, pourraient entraîner l'exposition des lichens hydratés durant l'été à des températures extrêmes plus fréquentes, qui dépasseraient leurs seuils thermiques. Cette hypothèse fut testée en mesurant les seuils létaux de température en laboratoire et dans des conditions naturelles pour quatre espèces de lichens épilithiques (
X
anthoparmelia austro‐africana
,
X
. hyporhytida
,
X
anthoparmelia
sp.,
X
anthomaculina hottentotta
) qui vivent sur des graviers de quartz d'un site intérieur chaud et aride, et pour deux espèces de lichens épigées (
T
eloschistes capensis
,
R
amalina
sp.) qui vivent sur la couche supérieure d'un sol riche en gypse d'un site côtier chaud et humide. L'extrapolation des températures létales pour le rendement quantique photosynthétique en laboratoire allait jusqu'à 4°C de plus pour les lichens du site intérieur aride que pour ceux d'un site côtier humide. L'extrapolation des températures létales pour le rendement photosynthétique quantique, pour une densité saturée de flux de photons photosynthétiques de ≥11,000 µmol photons m
−2
s
−1
, dans des conditions naturelles, allait jusqu'à 6°C de plus pour les lichens du site intérieur aride que pour le site côtier plus humide. Nous concluons que, dans des conditions atypiques, en cas d'exposition de lichens hydratés à des températures extrêmes, sous une forte radiation solaire de mi‐journée en été, des seuils photosynthétiques létaux pourraient être dépassés chez des espèces de lichens sensibles, mais il n'est pas certain que la fréquence croissante de telles conditions de réchauffement climatique pourrait entraîner une probabilité plus élevée de mortalité des lichens.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
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