Lunglav Lobaria pulmonaria på stark tillbakagång i Skåne.

Arne Thell och hans tyska kollega Ulf Schiefelbein har undersommaren 2016 undersökt gamla förekomster av lunglav iSkåne med tyvärr tämligen nedslående resultat. Här rapporterarde vad de kommit fram till

The lichen biota of the Drawieński National Park (NW Poland, Western Pomerania)

The whole known lichen biota of the Drawieński National Park is presented. In total 290 species (262 lichenized, 25 lichenicolous and 3 lichen-related, saprotrophic fungi) are listed. Trichonectria anisospora and Milospium lacoizquetae are reported as new to Poland. Lecanora stenotropa and Phaeophyscia pusilloides are reported for the first time from Polish lowlands. The most lichenologically interesting and richest habitat complexes are the river valleys with their beech slope forests, their alluvial forests and their fast running rivers. Further habitats of high nature conservation value are roadside trees and pine forests, which inhabit a rich lichen biota as well.

Unraveling the Photoprotective Response of Lichenized and Free-Living Green Algae (Trebouxiophyceae, Chlorophyta) to Photochilling Stress

Lichens and free-living terrestrial algae are widespread across many habitats and develop successfully in ecosystems where a cold winter limits survival. With the goal of comparing photoprotective responses in free-living and lichenized algae, the physiological responses to chilling and photochilling conditions were studied in three lichens and their isolated algal photobionts together as well as in a fourth free-living algal species. We specifically addressed the following questions: (i) Are there general patterns of acclimation in green algae under chilling and photochilling stresses? (ii) Do free-living algae exhibit a similar pattern of responses as their lichenized counterparts? (iii) Are these responses influenced by the selection pressure of environmental conditions or by the phylogenetic position of each species? To answer these questions, photosynthetic fluorescence measurements as well as pigment and low molecular weight carbohydrate pool analyses were performed under controlled laboratory conditions. In general, photochemical efficiency in all free-living algae decreased with increasing duration of the stress, while the majority of lichens maintained an unchanged photochemical activity. Nevertheless, these patterns cannot be generalized because the alga Trebouxia arboricola and the lichen Ramalina pollinaria (associated with Trebouxia photobionts) both showed a similar decrease in photochemical efficiency. In contrast, in the couple Elliptochloris bilobata-Baeomyces rufus, only the algal partner exhibited a broad physiological performance under stress. This study also highlights the importance of the xanthophyll cycle in response to the studied lichens and algae to photochilling stress, while the accumulation of sugars was not related to cold acclimation, except in the alga E. bilobata. The differences in response patterns detected among species can be mainly explained by their geographic origin, although the phylogenetic position should also be considered, especially in some species.FM received a fellowship for PhD students (2012-2015) from the Government of the Basque Country as well as a mobility grant which allowed the collaboration between University of Basque Country (UPV/EHU) and University of Rostock. LG thanks the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft for financial support (DFG GU 1278/1-1). The work was also supported by the project BFU 2010-15021 and CTM2014-53902-C2-2-P from the MINECO and the European Regional Development Fund ERDF (FEDER), and by the Basque Government (UPV/EHU-GV IT-624-13 and UPV/EHU-GV IT-1018-16)

The lichens of Moshchny Islannd (Lavansaari) - one of the remote islands in the Gulf of Finland.

Peer reviewe

Additions to the lichen biota of Berezovye Islands, Leningrad Region, Russia

66 species of lichens, 9 lichenicolous fungi and 4 non-lichenized saprobic fungi are reported as new to the Berezovye Islands (Leningrad Region, Russia). The updated lichen biota of the archipelago comprises 356 species. Caloplaca maritima, Lecanora compallens, Verrucaria boblensis and Xanthoriicola physciae are reported for the first time for Russia, Lecanora aitema – for European Russia, Lecanora semipallida and Lichenodiplis lecanorae – for North-Western European Russia. Absconditella sphagnorum, Chaenothecopsis vainioana, Lempholemma polyanthes and Opegrapha niveoatra are new to the Leningrad Region, Arthonia byssacea and Lecanora subrugosa – to the Western Leningrad Region.

The lichens of Bolshoy Tuters Island (Tytärsaari), Leningrad Region, Russia

The updated checklist of Tuters Island (Leningrad Region, Russia) is presented. Of 331 species of recognized biota, 314 species of lichens, 16 lichenicolous fungi and one non-lichenized saprobic fungus are reported from Tuters Island. Of them, 202 species are new to the study area. Aspicilia epiglypta, Fuscidea praeruptorum, Micarea byssacea and Sarcogyne hypophaeoides are reported for the first time for Russia, Roselliniella stereocaulorum – for European Russia, Aspicilia polychroma, Carbonea vorticosa, Cercidospora stereocaulorum, Cladonia ciliata f. flavicans, C. rangiformis, Parmelia ernstiae, Plectocarpon cf. encausticum and Roselliniella cladoniae – for North-Western European Russia; Bachmanniomyces uncialicola, Bacidina sulphurella, Micarea botryoides, Miriquidica griseoatra and Stereocaulon nanodes are new to the Leningrad Region.Peer reviewe

A robust vegetation-based elevation transfer function for reconstructing Arctic polygon mire palaeo-microtopography

The reconstruction of past environments by means of macrofossil and pollen analysis is commonly based on the modern ecological preferences of the taxa that may have produced these fossils. Here we present a modelling approach, in which we use modern vegetation–surface height relationships to quantify past surface heights in an Arctic ice-wedge polygon mire. Vegetation composition and ground surface height (GSH) were assessed in a polygon mire near Kytalyk (Northeastern Siberia). Cluster analysis revealed five plant communities, which are clearly separated with respect to ground surface height, frost surface height and coverages of open water and vegetation. Based on the composition of modern vegetation we constructed two sets of potential fossil types (plant macrofossils and pollen), an extensive one and a more restricted one to reflect different conditions of preservation and recognisability. We applied Canonical Correspondence Analysis to model the relationships between potential fossil types and measured GSH. Both models show a strong relationship between modelled and measured GSH values and a high accuracy in prediction. Finally, we used the models to predict GSH values for Holocene peat samples and found a fair correspondence with expert-based multi-proxy reconstruction of wetness conditions, even though only a minor part of the encountered fossils were represented in the GSH models, illustrating the robustness of the approach. Our approach can be used to reconstruct palaeoenvironmental conditions in a more objective way and can serve as a template for further palaeoecological studies

Successional development of the phototrophic community in biological soil crusts, along with soil formation on Holocene deposits at the Baltic Sea coast

Harsh environmental conditions form habitats colonized by specialized primary microbial colonizers, e.g., biological soil crusts (biocrusts). These cryptogamic communities are well studied in drylands but much less in temperate coastal dunes, where they play a crucial role in ecological functions. Following two dune chronosequences, this study highlights the successional development of the biocrust’s community composition on the Baltic Sea coast. A vegetation survey, followed by morphological species determination, was conducted. Sediment/soil cores of the different dune types were analyzed to uncover the potential impacts of the biocrust community on initial soil formation processes, with special emphasis on biogeochemical phosphorous (P) transformations. Biocrust succession was characterized by a dune type-specific community composition, shifting from thinner algae-dominated biocrusts in dynamic dunes to more stable moss-dominated biocrusts in mature dunes. The change in the biocrust community structure was accompanied by an increase in Chl a, water, and organic matter content. In total, 25 algal and cyanobacterial species, 16 mosses, and 26 lichens across all sampling sites were determined. The pedological characterization of these cores elucidated initial processes of soil genesis, such as decalcification, acidification, and the accumulation of organic matter with dune and biocrust development. Furthermore, the chemistry of iron (Fe)-containing compounds such as the Fedithionite/Fetotal ratios confirmed mineral weathering and the beginning of soil profile development. The biocrusts accumulated P over time, while the P content in the underlying sediment did not change. That implies that biocrusts take up P from the geological parent material in the dunes, thereby accumulating available P in the ecosystem, which gets transferred into subsoil horizons through leaching or redeposition. The relative proportion of the bioavailable P pool (56% to 74% of Pt) increased with dune succession. That happened at the expense of more stable bound P, which was transformed into labile P. Thus, the level of plant available P along the dune chronosequences increased due to the microbial activity of the biocrust organisms. It can be concluded that biocrusts of temperate coastal dunes play a crucial role in maintaining their habitat by accumulating nutrients and organic matter, supporting soil development and subsequent vegetation

New records of lichens and allied fungi from the Leningrad Region, Russia. XI

Twelve lichen species and two lichenicolous fungi, of them seven that belong to Micarea prasina group, are reported for the first time for St. Petersburg or the whole Leningrad Region. The lichenicolous fungus Intralichen baccisporus is new to Russia, and the lichen Micarea nowakii – for European Russia. A comparative table of characteristics for seven species of Micarea prasina group is presented

New records of lichens and allied fungi from the Leningrad Region, Russia. IV

Fourteen species of lichen-forming, fifteen lichenicolous and one non-lichenized calicioid fungus are reported from the Leningrad Region. Tremella coppinsii, Verrucaria cambrini, V. fusconigrescens and V. nigroumbrina are reported for the first time for Russia; Cheiromycina petri is new to the European Russia; Chaenothecopsis haematopus, Hymenelia epulotica, Muellerella hospitans and Tremella cladoniae are new to the North-Western European Russia; Briancoppinsia cytospora, Cercidospora epipolytropa, Cornutispora lichenicola, Epicladonia simplex, Lichenoconium xanthoriae, Lichenosticta alcicornaria, Phaeopyxis punctum and Syzygospora physciacearum are new to the Leningrad Region. The most noteworthy records are briefly discussed