Abstract
The forest management practices used in central Europe in the last several centuries have led to loss of lichen diversity that may be largely attributed to a loss of substrate variability and quantity. In an attempt to obtain information enabling us to mitigate this process, we surveyed affinity of lichen species to the substrates they currently occupy in six forest areas in the Czech Republic, located between 200 and 1000 m a.s.l. Tree bases and stems represented the most important substrate for lichen species, and especially so for threatened (i.e. red-listed) species. Lichen species richness per individual tree generally increased with stem diameter, especially for beech. Stems and tree bases of large-diameter beeches provide habitats that have enabled the survival of a crucial component of the red-listed lichen species in central Europe, far outweighing other tree species. The deciduous tree species that are commonly considered as favourable for lichen diversity (e.g. maples, ash, elms) were inhabited by only a few other lichen species additional to those associated with beech. This may be due to the low frequency of these tree species in most managed forests, and also some forest reserves, at the present time. Similarly, low incidence of dead wood in managed forests has likely limited its contribution to the lichen diversity, despite the high potential for lichen diversity associated with such substrates. It is thus apparent that bark of large-diameter live beech trees comprises a keystone habitat element in the provision of lichen diversity in central European forests.
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Acknowledgments
For identification and revision of some lichen taxa we thank P. Clerc (Usnea), H. Mayrhofer (Rinodina), B. Aguirre-Hudson, A. Aptroot, A. Guttová, T. Tønsberg and M. Westberg. Technical support was provided by K. Baltaziuk, L. Čížek, V. Iarema, P. Kukla, A. Petrbok, T. Svoboda and A. Tenčík. We are grateful to the respective forest administrations for cooperation in our research, Editor F. Brearley and anonymous referees for their helpful suggestions to the manuscript and Joseph Hope for revising the English. This study was supported by Ministry of Environment (Grant VaV SP/2d1/146/08).
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Communicated by Francis Brearley.
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Hofmeister, J., Hošek, J., Malíček, J. et al. Large beech (Fagus sylvatica) trees as ‘lifeboats’ for lichen diversity in central European forests. Biodivers Conserv 25, 1073–1090 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-016-1106-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-016-1106-x