Phytosociology of snowbed and exposed ridge vegetation of Svalbard

Arctic vegetation still lacks a uniform system to classify its plant communities, the current arrangement of the phytosociological data being difficult to interpret. However, using modern methods, it has proved possible to organize the current data to create a suitable system based on numerical algorithms (detrended correspondence analysis and cluster analysis) and traditional methods for 135 phytosociological relevés from snowbed and exposed ridge habitats of Svalbard; 125 relevés were selected from twentieth and early twenty-first century publications, and ten relevés were collected by our group in 2012 from the Kaffiøyra Plain (Oscar II Land, NW Spitsbergen). Our analysis has shown there to be four associations and one community. Two associations and one community are distinguished within the Luzulion arcticae Gjærev. 1950: (1) the Pedicularietum hirsutae ass. nov., (2) the Deschampsietum alpinae (Nordh. 1943) Węgrzyn and Wietrzyk 2015 stat. nov., and (3) the Minuartia biflora community. Two syntaxa were assigned to the Luzulion arcuatae Elvebakk ex Węgrzyn and Wietrzyk 2015: (4) the Anthelietum juratzkanae Kobayashi ex Węgrzyn and Wietrzyk 2015 with a confirmed status and (5) the Gymnomitrietum coralloidis Hadač ex Węgrzyn and Wietrzyk 2015 stat. nov. was described by means of a new approach

From barren substrate to mature tundra : lichen colonization in the forelands of Svalbard glaciers

This paper contributes to studies on the lichen biota of Arctic regions. The research was carried out in the forelands of eight glaciers and in the mature tundra surrounding them. Study areas were located in two parts of Svalbard: in the Kongsfjord (forelands of Austre Brøggerbreen, Vestre Brøggerbreen, Austre Lovénbreen, Midtre Lovénbreen, and Vestre Lovénbreen) and in the Isfjord (forelands of Rieperbreen, Svenbreen, and Ferdinandbreen). In each foreland and in the mature tundra surrounding it, a series of 1-m2 plots was established, within which a percentage cover for each species was determined. In total, 133 lichens and one lichenicolous fungus were recorded. Nineteen species were recorded for the first time in Svalbard: Agonimia allobata, Atla wheldonii, Bacidia herbarum, Catolechia wahlenbergii, Epigloea soleiformis, Lecanora behringii, Lepraria subalbicans, Leptogium arcticum, Pertusaria pseudocorallina, Placidiopsis custnani, Protothelenella corrosa, Pyrenidium actinellum, Spilonema revertens, Stereocaulon saxatile, Thelocarpon sphaerosporum, Toninia coelestina, Verrucaria elaeina, Verrucaria murina, and Verrucaria xyloxena. The lichen richness was the lowest in the Ferdinandbreen foreland (24 species) and the highest in the Rieperbreen foreland (82 species). Significant differences in species composition were found among the forelands studied, except for Austre and Vestre Brøggerbreen whose lichen composition was similar. The differences in lichen composition between mature tundra in the vicinity of the following forelands were identified: Vestre Brøggerbreen and Svenbreen, Austre Brøggerbreen and Svenbreen, and Austre Brøggerbreen and Ferdinandbreen. The most dominant group of lichens in both forelands and mature tundra were chlorolichens, not cyanolichens

Tardigrada in Svalbard lichens : diversity, densities and habitat heterogeneity

Tardigrades in lichens have been poorly studied with few papers published on their ecology and diversity so far. The aims of our study are to determine the (1) influence of habitat heterogeneity on the densities and species diversity of tardigrade communities in lichens as well as the (2) effect of nutrient enrichment by seabirds on tardigrade densities in lichens. Forty-five lichen samples were collected from Spitsbergen, Nordaustlandet, Prins Karls Forland, Danskøya, Fuglesongen, Phippsøya and Parrøya in the Svalbard archipelago. In 26 samples, 23 taxa of Tardigrada (17 identified to species level) were found. Twelve samples consisted of more than one lichen species per sample (with up to five species). Tardigrade densities and taxa diversity were not correlated with the number of lichen species in a single sample. Moreover, the densities of tardigrades was not significantly higher in lichens collected from areas enriched with nutrients by seabirds in comparison to those not enriched. The incorporation of previously published data on the tardigrades of Spitsbergen into the analysis showed that tardigrade densities was significantly higher in moss than it was in lichen samples. We propose that one of the most important factors influencing tardigrade densities is the cortex layer, which is a barrier for food sources, such as live photosynthetic algal cells in lichens. Finally, the new records of Tardigrada and the first and new records of lichens in Svalbard archipelago are presented

Contribution to knowledge of the mycobiota of "Bory Tucholskie" National Park (Northwestern Poland) : macromycetes of Central European lichen Scots pine forests of the Cladonio-Pinetum Juraszek 1927 type

This paper presents the results of mycological observations of the Cladonio- Pinetum community in the “Bory Tucholskie” National Park in 2018. Active protection treatments have been performed to protect disappearing communities. This study was conducted using the permanent circular plot method, with each plot having an area of approximately 100 m2. Observations were also carried out using the route method outside the plots. Consequently, 71 fungal taxa were found. Among the identified species of macromycetes are Boletopsis grisea, which is on the list of protected fungi, and seven species (Boletopsis grisea, Cortinarius armeniacus, Dacrymyces capitatus, Deconica montana, Entoloma rhodocalix, Tricholoma equestre, and Tricholoma colossus) that are on the red list of macrofungi in Poland

The lichenicolous fungi of the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica : species diversity and identification guide

This paper contributes 96 species to the biota of lichenicolous fungi in the South Shetland Islands archipelago. New to science are the following genera: Antarctosphaeria Alstrup & Olech, gen. nov., Dahawkswia Alstrup & Olech, gen. nov., Lichenohostes Alstrup & Olech, gen. nov., Llanorella Alstrup & Olech, gen. nov., Phaeosporodendron Alstrup & Olech, gen. nov., and Prostratomyces Alstrup & Olech, gen. nov. Additionally, 31 species are described as new to science. These are: Antarctosphaeria bireagens Alstrup & Olech, sp. nov., A. lichenicola Alstrup & Olech, sp. nov., Arthonia dufayelensis Alstrup & Olech, sp. nov., A. livingstonensis Alstrup & Olech, sp. nov., A. massalongiae Alstrup & Olech, sp. nov., A. pertusariicola Alstrup & Olech, sp. nov., A. rakusae Alstrup & Olech, sp. nov., Carbonea austroshetlandica Alstrup & Olech, sp. nov., Cercidospora pertusariicola Alstrup & Olech, sp. nov., Dactylospora antarctica Alstrup & Olech, sp. nov., D. haematommatis Alstrup & Olech, sp. nov., Dahawkswia lichenicola Alstrup & Olech, sp. nov., Dendrophoma acarosporae Alstrup & Olech, sp. nov., Didymellopsis antarctica Alstrup & Olech, sp. nov., Lichenohostes citrinospora Alstrup & Olech, sp. nov., Lichenostigma corymbosae Alstrup & Olech, sp. nov., Llanorella ramalinae Alstrup & Olech, sp. nov., Metasphaeria verrucosa Alstrup & Olech, sp. nov., Micarea lichenicola Alstrup & Olech, sp. nov., Phaeospora antarctica Alstrup & Olech, sp. nov., P. convolutae Alstrup & Olech, sp. nov., Phaeosporodendron badiae Alstrup & Olech, sp. nov., Phoma acarosporae Alstrup & Olech, sp. nov., Prostratomyces leprariae Alstrup & Olech, sp. nov., P. ochrolechiae Alstrup & Olech, sp. nov., P. rhizocarpicolae Alstrup & Olech, sp. nov., Rhagadostoma antarctica Alstrup & Olech, sp. nov., Sphaerellothecium placopsiicola Alstrup & Olech, sp. nov., Stigmidium placopsiicola Alstrup & Olech, sp. nov., Taeniolella frigidae Alstrup & Olech, sp. nov., and Tetramelas caloplacae Alstrup & Olech, sp. nov. Furthermore, a literature survey was undertaken, which resulted in the preparation of an identification guide for the lichenicolous species occurring in the South Shetlands Islands

Organic carbon accumulation in the glacier forelands with regard to variability of environmental conditions in different ecogenesis stages of High Arctic ecosystems

Recently deglaciated surfaces of glacier forelands are subjected to a variety of biotic and abiotic factors that lead to continuous soil formation. Until now, no attempt has been taken to analyse multiple factors that might affect soil development in the Arctic forelands. The main aim of this research was to determine the factors that influence soil development in the eight forelands of Svalbard. Moreover, the effects of both habitat type (glacier foreland and mature tundra) and geographical location on environmental variables treated as potential factors influencing soil formation were tested. In 2017, at each location a series of 1 $m^{2}$ plots was established; all 168 plots were investigated in terms of soil properties, spatial data, biological soil crusts (BSCs) properties, percent cover of BSCs and vascular plants. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis using forward variable selection showed that soil development was significantly associated with six of fifteen analysed factors, i.e. BSC cover, carbon and nitrogen content in BSCs, soil pH, Topographic Wetness Index and foreland location. Two-way analysis of variance followed by Tukey’s test revealed significant differences in studied environmental variables between habitat types and studied locations, showing that foreland soils still retain particular initial characters to differentiate them from tundra soil

New records of driftwood lichens in the Kaffiøyra Plain (NW Spitsbergen, Svalbard)

This paper refers to lichen biota growing on driftwood in the Kaffiøyra Plain (NW Spitsbergen, Svalbard). The presented list of 25 lichenized fungi includes both the eurytopic, accidental, typical, and stenotopic species. Taxa that belong to the last two groups can be considered as lignicolous. This study confirms the existence of a specific group of lichen species, for which the driftwood is a main substrate in the Arctic. Additionally, five lichen species new for the whole Svalbard were recorded, namely: Candelariella coralliza, Elixia flexella, Lecanora saligna, Lecidea plebeja, and Xylographa sibirica

Effect of light stress on maximum photochemical efficiency of photosystem II and chloroplast structure in cryptogams Cladonia mitis and Pleurozium schreberi

Lichens and bryophytes are cosmopolitan organisms found in diverse environments with varying sunlight availability. However, excessive light can be a stress factor for both lichens and bryophytes, as it can damage their photosynthetic apparatus, particularly the chlorophyll a and b pigments located in the chloroplasts. The measurement of photosynthetic activity and the use of fluorescence microscopy allows the assessment of the influence of light as a stress factor on the preservation state of the thallus. The main goal of our research was to determine the changes that occur in the photosynthetic activity and structure of chloroplasts of selected species lichen Cladonia mitis (Sandst.) and moss Pleurozium schreberi (Willd. Ex Brid.) under the influence of different light intensity in laboratory conditions: FL - 100% light, RL - 30% maximum light, and NL - natural sunlight. The results of the two-factor analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests showed a variation in the activities of the selected species over time depending on the amount of light energy supplied. It was also demonstrated that soaking lichens increased their photosynthetic activity, whereas in bryophytes, it had the opposite effect, decreasing it. The microscopic results showed that Cladonia mitis showed the lowest level of chloroplast fluorescence in the strongest and reduced light, which coincides with its low level of photosynthetic activity. The mosses exhibited strong fluorescence activity of the chloroplasts, suggesting its significantly higher resistance to light radiation