Eva Nilson 07.05.1941–27.07.2017 in memoriam

Estonian lichenologist and ecologist, Ph.D. (dissertation “Biogeochemical ecology of epiphytic lichens in the conditions of pollution” defended in 1989).

50 fascicles of Folia Cryptogamica Estonica – a journey from single pages to an established journal

382 papers published on 2575 pages;284 authors representing 35 countries, incl. 66 Estonian authors; 237 taxonomic novelties proposed, incl. 136 newly described taxa and 101 new combinations.

Excluded species of lichenized and lichenicolous fungi

Since the publishing of the Second checklist of Estonian lichenized and allied fungi (Randlane & Saag, 1999), and its updates, fifteen species have been excluded as misidentifications (Randlane et al., 2008).

Effects of road traffic on bark pH and epiphytic lichens in Tallinn

The relationships between traffic-related air pollution, bark pH and epiphytic lichen mycota on Pinus sylvestris and Tilia cordata were studied. Traffic is considered the main source of air pollution in Tallinn and, therefore, greatly influences lichen composition and species richness, their diversity increasing on Pinus sylvestris near roadways but decreasing on Tilia cordata. Traffic also affected bark pH of Pinus sylvestris, but not of Tilia cordata: the bark of Pinus sylvestris is normally acid (mean pH in control plot 3.0) and is modified to subneutral (up to 5.7) near roadways. The influence of alkaline dust pollution, connected with traffic, is clearly observed on epiphytic lichen composition of P. sylvestris in Tallinn. Besides dust, nitrogen oxides are important pollutants too, but the effects of acidic air pollution are less evident now compared to the previous studies.

Lichens and their substrate preferences on the Pakri Peninsula (Northwest Estonia)

A checklist of lichenized and lichenicolous fungi of the Pakri Peninsula is presented and an overview of substrate preferences of recorded taxa is compiled. The list includes 243 species, eight of them appear new to Estonia: Catillaria atomarioides, Lecanora persimilis, Micarea lithinella, Opegrapha calcarea, Staurothele rupifraga, Thelidium olivaceum, T. papulare and Verrucaria hochstetteri. Verrucaria maculiformis, which was considered extinct in Estonia, is re-found, and Staurothele caesia, which has earlier been recorded as dubious for Estonia, is verified hereby. The greatest diversity of species is recorded among epilithic taxa, altogether with 121 species of which 63 species occurred on calcareous stones, 60 on granite, 18 on concrete and 12 on sandstone.

The Estonian eFlora

The Estonian eFlora is an example of the new e-learning tools prepared by the KeyToNature consortium. It is an interactive digital identification key for more than 1000 plant species recorded from Estonia. The tool is freely available on the internet - in Estonian and English - and has two interfaces (dichotomous and multi-entry), which allow the identification of species using different approaches. Another tool developed by KeyToNature, the OpenKeyEditor, allows users not only to edit the text of the existing master key, but also to produce mini-keys restricted to smaller subsets of taxa (e.g. the plants of a park, or a scool garden), and to add user-generated content to them. The reaction to these tools from public media and educational circles has been very positive

Keys to plants and lichens on smartphones: Estonian examples

The EU project KeyToNature aims to contribute to a better knowledge of biodiversity by a practical activity, the identification of species. The project is introducing new tools, including digital keys for mobile media. In Estonia two applications have been prepared for smartphones: a ‘Key to trees and shrubs of Estonia’ (for iPhone, iPodTouch and iPad) and a ‘Key to Estonian epiphytic macrolichens’ (using the Android operating system). A third tool, the ‘Key for plants of the island Naissaar’ is an example of application of the Open Key Editor for creating new keys for mobile devices, starting from a larger master key

New assessment of Least Concern lichens in the Red List of Estonia: are common species still common?

The threat status of 161 lichenized species that were considered common in Estonia was assessed in 2021. For most of these species, it was the second Red List assessment using the IUCN system (the first such evaluation was performed in 2008). The main data sources for species occurrence were the records reported in 100 study sites located throughout the country during 2020, and the PlutoF biodiversity database. 125 species remained, according to the new assessment, in the category Least Concern (LC) and their populations are not under threat in Estonia at present. Two species were placed in the category Not Applicable (NA) because of systematic revisions while 33 species were assigned to the categories Endangered (EN), Vulnerable (VU) or Near Threatened (NT); one further species received the status Data Deficient (DD). Thus, the threat status has changed for 22% of the studied species that had generally been considered common in Estonia. The reasons for this change are variable but there is clear evidence that 26 species have become more threatened during last 12 years

New Estonian records and amendments: Lichenized and lichenicolous fungi

Two species of lichenized fungi, Rhizocarpon ferax and Umbilicaria hirsuta, and one species of lichenicolous fungi, Opegrapha physciaria, are reported as new for Estonia. Another very rare species, Parmelia submontana, is additionally recorded. Cited specimens are kept in the lichenological herbarium of the Natural History Museum, University of Tartu (TU) or in the lichen herbarium of the Euroacademy (ICEB).

A recent update in red-listing of Estonian lichens: threat status of 168 species was assessed for the first time

The threat status of 168 lichenized species growing mostly on rocks or ground were assessed in 2022 for the first time in Estonia. The IUCN Red List system (categories and criteria) were used for that purpose. Most of the assessed taxa were microlichens (163), while five macrolichen species were also evaluated. Among the assessed species, 91 were assigned to the threat categories (Critically Endangered – CR, Endangered – EN and Vulnerable – VU), 17 species were assigned to the category Near Threatened (NT), and 41 species were assigned to the category Least Concerned (LC). Category Data Deficient (DD) was assigned for 17 species and the category Regionally Extinct (RE) for two species. Among the threat categories, 35 species were assigned to the category EN, 34 species to VU, and 22 species to CR. In general, most of the evaluated species (81%, 137 species) were growing on different types of rock, 16% (28 species) of species were growing on soil, mosses or plant debris, and three taxa were growing on other substrata. Most of the threatened epigeic and epilithic microlichens were recorded on alvar grasslands growing on ground, limestone pebbles and flatrock or erratic boulders. Er- ratic boulders in various forest types and calcareous cliffs in clint forest were also important habitats for threatened species. Moreover, different rock substrates of anthropogenic origin (walls, buildings and abandoned limestone quarries) performed as significant habitat type for epilithic species. Bush encroachment of open habitats, especially in semi-natural grasslands, serves as the main threat for epigeic and epilithic lichens