Research Article |
Corresponding author: Juri Nascimbene ( junasc@libero.it ) Academic editor: Sonia Ravera
© 2019 Juri Nascimbene, Valter Di Cecco, Luciano Di Martino, Fabrizio Frascaroli, Paolo Giordani, Chiara Lelli, Chiara Vallese, Piero Zannini, Alessandro Chiarucci.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Nascimbene J, Di Cecco V, Di Martino L, Frascaroli F, Giordani P, Lelli C, Vallese C, Zannini P, Chiarucci A (2019) Epiphytic lichens of the sacred natural site “Bosco di Sant’Antonio” (Majella National Park – Abruzzo). Italian Botanist 7: 149-156. https://doi.org/10.3897/italianbotanist.7.34639
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Sacred Natural Sites are relevant for biodiversity conservation, as in the case of forest sites that, across centuries, developed old growth structures and are now crucial for the conservation of epiphytic lichens and other specialized forest organisms. In this study, we investigated the epiphytic lichen flora of a small forest patch included in the Majella National Park (Abruzzo), whose old growth features and naturalness reflect its long lasting spiritual role that perfectly fits with the concept of Sacred Natural Site. Results revealed that the “Bosco di Sant’Antonio” hosts a rich and interesting epiphytic lichen flora, thus indicating the potential of this Sacred Natural Site for lichen conservation. Fifty-six species were found including two species newly recorded in Abruzzo, two red-listed species, and the sensitive species Lobaria pulmonaria. This study corroborates the hypothesis that sacred forest sites are relevant for the conservation of specialized epiphytic lichens. In particular, in the Italian forest landscape where old-growth stands are practically absent, sacred forest sites may provide unique old-growth structures and buffer anthropogenic disturbance.
conservation, forest lichens, lichen red-list, Lobaria pulmonaria, old-growth stands
Sacred Natural Sites are relevant for biodiversity conservation (
Epiphytic lichens are a species-rich component of the forest biota playing several ecological roles, thus contributing to forest functioning and underpinning relevant ecosystem services (
In this study, we investigated the epiphytic lichen flora of a small forest patch included in the Majella National Park, whose old-growth features (i.e., occurrence of old trees) and naturalness reflect its age-old spiritual role that perfectly fits with the concept of Sacred Natural Site.
The study area, “Bosco di Sant’Antonio”, is located in the “Altipiani Maggiori” of the Abruzzo Administrative Region (41°56.745'N, 14°1.648'E), with an elevation that varies between 1290 and 1360 m a.s.l. This forest, covering a surface of 450 ha, was the first Natural Reserve established in Abruzzo, back in 1985. Since 1991, it has been included in the Majella National Park. Furthermore, the forest has become part of the Natura 2000 network, being included in the SCI IT7110204 “Majella sud-ovest”.
Based on information retrieved from the meteorological station of Pescocostanzo (1395 m a.s.l.), the climate of the forest is temperate-cold with moderate continentality. The annual precipitation exceeds 900 mm, with maximum in November-December and minimum in July-August. The mean annual temperature is 8.1°C, with a maximum mean in August (18.1°C) and a minimum mean in January (0.1°C).
The forest is dominated by beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), mixed with Acer campestre L., Acer pseudoplatanus L., Prunus avium (L.) L., Quercus cerris L., Ilex aquifolium L., and Pyrus communis subsp. pyraster (L.) Ehrh. (
In summer 2018, we carried out a floristic survey aiming at maximizing species capture. In particular, two skilled lichenologists and four collaborators were engaged in six hours of field work. This floristic survey was focused exclusively on epiphytic lichens and the four main tree substrates (Acer campestre, A. pseudoplatanus, Fagus sylvatica and, Quercus cerris) were explored in detail. For each species, at least one specimen was collected for identification and stored in the personal herbarium of JN.
The species’ ecological traits were evaluated using the ecological indicator factors retrieved from
Species biological traits (growth forms, reproductive strategies, and photobiont) were also retrieved from
Nomenclature follows
Fifty-six species were found (Table
Checklist of the epiphytic lichens recorded in the “Bosco di Sant’Antonio”. Species’ biological traits (growth forms and reproductive strategies) were retrieved from
Species | Red List | New to Abruzzo | Growth form | Reproductive strategy | Photobiont | Tree species |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alyxoria varia (Pers.) Ertz & Tehler | Cr | S | Tr | AC; FS | ||
Anaptychia ciliaris (L.) A. Massal. | Frut | S | Ch | AC; AP; FS | ||
Arthonia atra (Pers.) A. Schneid. | Cr | S | Tr | FS | ||
Arthonia mediella Nyl. | + | Cr | S | Tr | AC; FS | |
Arthonia radiata (Pers.) Ach. | Cr | S | Tr | FS | ||
Athallia pyracea (Ach.) Arup, Frödén & Søchting | Cr | S | Ch | FS | ||
Bacidia rubella (Hoffm.) A. Massal. | Cr | S | Ch | AC; FS | ||
Calicium salicinum Pers. | Cr | S | Ch | FS | ||
Caloplaca cerina (Hedw.) Th. Fr. s.lat. | Cr | S | Ch | FS | ||
Candelariella faginea Nimis, Poelt & Puntillo | Cr | S | Ch | FS | ||
Cladonia chlorophaea (Sommerf.) Spreng. | Frut | A.s | Ch | FS | ||
Collema flaccidum (Ach.) Ach. | Fol.b | A.i | Cy | AC; FS | ||
Collema furfuraceum Du Rietz | Fol.b | A.i | Cy | AC; AP; FS | ||
Collema subflaccidum Degel. | Fol.b | A.i | Cy | AC; FS | ||
Collema subnigrescens Degel. | Fol.b | S | Cy | AC; FS | ||
Diplotomma alboatrum (Hoffm.) Flot. | Cr | S | Ch | AC | ||
Evernia prunastri (L.) Ach. | Frut | A.s | Ch | AC; FS | ||
Gyalecta ulmi (Sw.) Zahlbr. | NT | + | Cr | S | Tr | AC; AP |
Lecanora allophana f. allophana | Cr | S | Ch | AC | ||
Lecanora chlarotera subsp. chlarotera | Cr | S | Ch | FS | ||
Lecanora horiza (Ach.) Linds. | Cr | S | Ch | FS | ||
Lecanora subcarpinea Szatala | Cr | S | Ch | FS | ||
Lecidella elaeochroma var. elaeochroma f. elaeochroma | Cr | S | Ch | FS | ||
Lepra albescens (Huds.) Hafellner | Cr | A.s | Ch | FS; QC | ||
Leptogium saturninum (Dicks.) Nyl. | Fol.b | A.i | Cy | FS | ||
Lobaria pulmonaria (L.) Hoffm. | Fol.b | A.s | Ch | FS; QC | ||
Melanelixia glabra (Schaer.) O. Blanco, A. Crespo, Divakar, Essl., D. Hawksw. & Lumbsch | Fol.b | S | Ch | AC; FS | ||
Melanelixia glabratula (Lamy) Sandler & Arup | Fol.b | A.i | Ch | AC; FS | ||
Melanelixia subargentifera (Nyl.) O. Blanco, A. Crespo, Divakar, Essl., D. Hawksw. & Lumbsch | Fol.b | A.s | Ch | AC; FS | ||
Melanohalea elegantula (Zahlbr.) O. Blanco, A. Crespo, Divakar, Essl., D. Hawksw. & Lumbsch | Fol.b | A.i | Ch | AC; FS | ||
Myriolecis hagenii (Ach.) Sliwa, Zhao Xin & Lumbsch | Cr | S | Ch | AC; FS | ||
Nephroma resupinatum (L.) Ach. | Fol.b | A.i | Cy | FS | ||
Ochrolechia pallescens (L.) A. Massal. | Cr | S | Ch | FS; QC | ||
Parmelia sulcata Taylor | Fol.b | A.s | Ch | AC; AP; FS; QC | ||
Parmelina tiliacea (Hoffm.) Hale | Fol.b | A.i | Ch | AC; AP; FS; QC | ||
Peltigera collina (Ach.) Schrad. | Fol.b | A.s | Cy | FS | ||
Peltigera horizontalis (Huds.) Baumg. | Fol.b | S | Cy | FS | ||
Peltigera praetextata (Sommerf.) Zopf | Fol.b | A.i | Cy | FS | ||
Pertusaria coronata (Ach.) Th. Fr. | Cr | A.i | Ch | FS | ||
Phaeophyscia orbicularis (Neck.) Moberg | Fol.n | A.s | Ch | AP; FS | ||
Phlyctis argena (Spreng.) Flot. | Cr | A.s | Ch | AC; AP; FS; QC | ||
Physcia adscendens H. Olivier | Fol.n | A.s | Ch | AC; AP; FS | ||
Physcia aipolia (Humb.) Fürnr. | Fol.n | S | Ch | AC; FS | ||
Physconia detersa (Nyl.) Poelt | Fol.n | A.s | Ch | FS | ||
Physconia distorta (With.) J.R. Laundon | Fol.n | S | Ch | AC; AP; FS | ||
Physconia enteroxantha (Nyl.) Poelt | Fol.n | A.s | Ch | AC; FS | ||
Physconia perisidiosa (Erichsen) Moberg | Fol.n | A.s | Ch | AC; FS | ||
Physconia venusta (Ach.) Poelt | Fol.n | S | Ch | FS; QC | ||
Placynthiella icmalea (Ach.) Coppins & P. James | Cr | A.i | Ch | FS | ||
Pleurosticta acetabulum (Neck.) Elix & Lumbsch | Fol.b | S | Ch | AC; AP; FS; QC | ||
Ramalina fastigiata (Pers.) Ach. | Frut | S | Ch | FS | ||
Ramalina fraxinea (L.) Ach. | Frut | S | Ch | FS; QC | ||
Rinodina sophodes (Ach.) A. Massal. | Cr | S | Ch | FS | ||
Sclerophora pallida (Pers.) Y.J. Yao & Spooner | VU | Cr | S | Tr | AC; FS | |
Scytinium lichenoides (L.) Otálora, P.M. Jørg. & Wedin | Sq | S | Cy | FS | ||
Xanthoria parietina (L.) Th. Fr. | Fol.b | S | Ch | AC; AP; FS |
The checklist mainly includes crustose and large-lobed foliose lichens with chlorococcoid green algae as photobiont and sexually reproducing by ascospores. However, we found a high percentage of cyanolichens (17.9%) and vegetatively reproducing species (42.8%), representing about 28% and 20%, respectively of the species occurring at the Regional level.
The analysis of the ecological indicator values (Table
Ecological requirements of the species represented by 4 indicator factors ranging on a five-level ordinal scale. Values in the table are percentages of species referred to the total for each of the five-levels of the ordinal scale (each species may have a range of values for each indicator factor).
Class | Substrate pH | Light | Moisture | Eutrophication |
1 | 16.1 | 0.0 | 8.9 | 50.0 |
2 | 80.4 | 10.7 | 57.1 | 75.0 |
3 | 87.5 | 66.1 | 78.6 | 62.5 |
4 | 23.2 | 82.1 | 32.1 | 21.4 |
5 | 7.1 | 46.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 |
Results reveal that the “Bosco di Sant’Antonio” hosts a rich and interesting epiphytic lichen flora, thus indicating the potential of this sacred natural site for lichen conservation. Actually, our field observations in several forest sites of the Majella National Park support the view that this small forest patch may represent a refuge for several lichen species that are virtually missing in the surrounding forest landscape. While for small-sized species (e.g. Sclerophora pallida) there could be a bias related to intrinsic species detectability, for large-sized species this observation could be reliable, as in the case of the large foliose lichen Lobaria pulmonaria whose population in the “Bosco di Sant’Antonio” seems to be unique to the Majella National Park. This species has suffered a general decline throughout Europe as a consequence of air pollution and intensive forest management and is currently red-listed in several European countries (
The conservation importance of this site is further corroborated by 1) the high percentage of cyanolichens, and 2) vegetatively reproducing species that compose its lichen flora. Cyanolichens are a group of functionally relevant species (i.e., they are involved in atmospheric nitrogen fixation) sensitive to climate change and local anthropogenic disturbance that are dramatically declining across Europe, including Italy (
The ecology of the species, as indicated by the values of the ecological indicators, reflects the main substrate and habitat features, with a high incidence of sub-acidophytic-neutrophytic species growing on beech bark in mesic-shaded and humid conditions. Interestingly, only a few species moderately tolerate eutrophication, probably reflecting a sporadic grazing activity. Our field observations in some forest patches nearby the sacred site revealed an intensive grazing activity that resulted in the establishment of a nitrogen-tolerant lichen flora, while most of the species inventoried in the “Bosco di Sant’Antonio” were almost absent. This situation further supports its important conservation status, likely related to its spiritual value.
This study corroborates the hypothesis that sacred forest sites may be relevant for epiphytic lichen conservation. In particular, in the Italian forest landscape where old-growth stands are scarce, such sites may provide unique old-growth structures and buffer anthropogenic disturbance. This would fit with the concept of ‘shadow network’ (
This floristic survey was financed by the Project “Indagine sulla biodiversita’ lichenica nel territorio del Parco Nazionale della Majella” (scientific collaboration between UNIBO-BiGeA and the administration of the Majella National Park) and by the project “Biodiversity and ecosystem services in Sacred Natural Sites (BIOESSaNS)” (PRIN 2015 2015P8524C, project coordinator Prof. A. Chiarucci; https://site.unibo.it/bioessans/it).
JN and AC conceived the idea; JN, VDC, LDM, PG, CL, CV performed the field work and species identification; FF, PZ, AC contributed expertise in the field of Sacred Natural Sites; JN prepared the first draft of the ms and all the authors contributed to the final version.