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Lichens as Bioindicators of Global Change Drivers
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Lichens as Bioindicators of Global Change Drivers

A special issue of Journal of Fungi (ISSN 2309-608X). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental and Ecological Interactions of Fungi".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2023) | Viewed by 10752

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Pradeep K. Divakar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Farmacología, Farmacognosia y Botánica, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Interests: biodiversity; DNA barcoding; biomonitoring; molecular systematics; metagenomics; evolutionary biology; lichenized fungi
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Lourdes Morillas

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, Bloco C2, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: soil lichens; biological soil crust; Mediterranean ecosystems; nitrogen pollution; climate change; bioindicators

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, there has been a growing awareness of ecosystems worldwide being affected by environmental stressors, likely as a consequence of global change.

Such alterations can have a strong impact on lichens, which are one of the most sensitive organisms to the environmental alterations, as their physiology is strongly linked to the atmospheric humidity. Moreover, they lack mechanisms to control their water and nutrient contents. For this reason, they are considered valuable ecological indicators of environmental factors such as climate change or air pollution, providing meaningful ecological systems to model and foresee the response of other less-sensitive organisms in the ecosystem. Soil lichens can have a large impact on key underground dynamics (e.g., nitrogen, carbon, and water cycling), and therefore changes in lichen communities could deeply affect other forest processes. This Research Topic seeks to improve our understanding of how lichens can contribute to disentangling the potential effects of global change, not only on lichen communities but also on key ecosystem processes, which is required for the establishment of environmental policies.

Dr. Pradeep K. Divakar
Dr. Lourdes Morillas
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Fungi is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Lichens
  • Bioindicators
  • Global change
  • Environmental stressors
  • Air pollution
  • Climate change
  • Nitrogen deposition
  • Environmental health quality.

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research

3 pages, 174 KiB  
Editorial
Lichens as Bioindicators of Global Change Drivers
by Lourdes Morillas
J. Fungi 2024, 10(1), 46; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof10010046 - 05 Jan 2024
Viewed by 864
Abstract
In recent decades, the scientific community has put the spotlight on the severe impacts that environmental stressors are producing on ecosystem functioning worldwide [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lichens as Bioindicators of Global Change Drivers)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

21 pages, 4409 KiB  
Article
Lichen Biodiversity and Near-Infrared Metabolomic Fingerprint as Diagnostic and Prognostic Complementary Tools for Biomonitoring: A Case Study in the Eastern Iberian Peninsula
by Patricia Moya, Salvador Chiva, Myriam Catalá, Alfonso Garmendia, Monica Casale, Jose Gomez, Tamara Pazos, Paolo Giordani, Vicent Calatayud and Eva Barreno
J. Fungi 2023, 9(11), 1064; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof9111064 - 31 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1480
Abstract
In the 1990s, a sampling network for the biomonitoring of forests using epiphytic lichen diversity was established in the eastern Iberian Peninsula. This area registered air pollution impacts by winds from the Andorra thermal power plant, as well as from photo-oxidants and nitrogen [...] Read more.
In the 1990s, a sampling network for the biomonitoring of forests using epiphytic lichen diversity was established in the eastern Iberian Peninsula. This area registered air pollution impacts by winds from the Andorra thermal power plant, as well as from photo-oxidants and nitrogen depositions from local and long-distance transport. In 1997, an assessment of the state of lichen communities was carried out by calculating the Index of Atmospheric Purity. In addition, visible symptoms of morphological injury were recorded in nine macrolichens pre-selected by the speed of symptom evolution and their wide distribution in the territory. The thermal power plant has been closed and inactive since 2020. During 2022, almost 25 years later, seven stations of this previously established biomonitoring were revaluated. To compare the results obtained in 1997 and 2022, the same methodology was used, and data from air quality stations were included. We tested if, by integrating innovative methodologies (NIRS) into biomonitoring tools, it is possible to render an integrated response. The results displayed a general decrease in biodiversity in several of the sampling plots and a generalised increase in damage symptoms in the target lichen species studied in 1997, which seem to be the consequence of a multifactorial response. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lichens as Bioindicators of Global Change Drivers)
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15 pages, 1516 KiB  
Article
Genomic Resources for the First Federally Endangered Lichen: The Florida Perforate Cladonia (Cladonia perforata)
by Steven D. Leavitt, Ann DeBolt, Ethan McQuhae and Jessica L. Allen
J. Fungi 2023, 9(7), 698; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof9070698 - 24 Jun 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1284
Abstract
Thirty years after its designation as a federally endangered species, the Florida Perforate Cladonia (FPC) remains imperiled in isolated populations in the Florida scrub in the southeastern USA. For threatened and endangered species, such as FPC, reference genomes provide critical insight into genomic [...] Read more.
Thirty years after its designation as a federally endangered species, the Florida Perforate Cladonia (FPC) remains imperiled in isolated populations in the Florida scrub in the southeastern USA. For threatened and endangered species, such as FPC, reference genomes provide critical insight into genomic diversity, local adaptations, landscape-level genetics, and phylogenomics. Using high-throughput sequencing, we assemble the first draft nuclear and mitochondrial genomes for the FPC mycobiont—Cladonia perforata. We also assess genetic diversity within and among populations in southeastern Florida using genome-scale data and investigate diversity across the entire nuclear ribosomal cistron, including the standard DNA barcoding marker for fungi. The draft nuclear genome spanned 33.6 Mb, and the complete, circular mitochondrial genome was 59 Kb. We also generated the first chloroplast genome, to our knowledge, for the photobiont genus associated with FPC, an undescribed Asterochloris species. We inferred the presence of multiple, distinct mycobiont parental genotypes (genets) occurring at local scales in southeastern Florida, and strikingly, no genets were shared among even the closest sample sites. All sampled thalli shared identical mitochondrial genomes, while the nuclear ribosomal cistron showed limited variability—highlighting the genetic resolution provided by nuclear genome-scale datasets. The genomic resources generated here provide critical resources for informed conservation efforts for the FPC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lichens as Bioindicators of Global Change Drivers)
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19 pages, 2145 KiB  
Article
Together Apart: Evaluating Lichen-Phorophyte Specificity in the Canarian Laurel Forest
by Cristina González-Montelongo and Israel Pérez-Vargas
J. Fungi 2022, 8(10), 1031; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof8101031 - 29 Sep 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2189
Abstract
The effects of host tree identity on epiphyte lichen communities are a controversial issue, as the results obtained in different forest environments studied are not consistent. We investigated the host preferences for lichens in the laurel forest of Macaronesia. For this purpose, we [...] Read more.
The effects of host tree identity on epiphyte lichen communities are a controversial issue, as the results obtained in different forest environments studied are not consistent. We investigated the host preferences for lichens in the laurel forest of Macaronesia. For this purpose, we analyzed the lichen communities growing on the four most common trees (Erica canariensis Rivas-Mart., M. Osorio and Wildpret, Morella faya (Aiton) Wilbur, Laurus novoca-nariensis Rivas-Mart., Lousa, Fern. Prieto, E. Días, J.C. Costa and C. Aguiar, and Ilex canariensis Poir. in Lamarck) in the laurel forest of the Canary Islands. The diversity, richness, and lichen composition showed a repetitive and common pattern with the functional traits studied. Although the existence of specificity with respect to the phorophyte species was not demonstrated, there was a clear affinity of the epiphytic lichens to the physico-chemical features of the bark (texture and pH), canopy architecture, foliar characteristics, etc. Our results highlight the importance of the natural diversity of tree species in the laurel forest. Due to the diversity and uniqueness of the lichen species that support each of the phorophytes, this fact should be taken into account in landscape protection and restoration actions, especially in those islands where the forest is highly fragmented. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lichens as Bioindicators of Global Change Drivers)
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17 pages, 2579 KiB  
Article
Distribution Types of Lichens in Hungary That Indicate Changing Environmental Conditions
by Edit Farkas, Nóra Varga, Katalin Veres, Gábor Matus, Mónika Sinigla and László Lőkös
J. Fungi 2022, 8(6), 600; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof8060600 - 03 Jun 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2160
Abstract
Distribution data originating from earlier herbarium collections and recent biodiversity records form the basis of distribution analyses in lichen species with different ecological requirements, where the records allowed comparisons or showed clear trends. As the occurrences of lichens are strongly correlated to background [...] Read more.
Distribution data originating from earlier herbarium collections and recent biodiversity records form the basis of distribution analyses in lichen species with different ecological requirements, where the records allowed comparisons or showed clear trends. As the occurrences of lichens are strongly correlated to background environmental conditions (e.g., air pollution, global warming), confirmed by Wirth’s ecological indicator values, the analysis of distribution types has a great value for bioindication and the establishment of current and future climatic and pollution situations. Five distribution types were introduced—presented by characteristic examples (13)—according to lichen distribution maps prepared in different periods of time (representing changing environmental conditions): (1) species of decreasing occurrences by time (e.g., Lobaria pulmonaria, Menegazzia terebrata, suboceanic, acidic pollution sensitive species), (2) species with no or few former records but with increasing occurrences in recent decades (e.g., Flavoparmelia soredians, Hyperphyscia adglutinata, Solenopsora candicans, sub-Mediterranean species), (3) species with increasing and then (from c. 2000) decreasing occurrences (e.g., Scoliciosporum chlorococcum, Straminella conizaeoides, acidofrequent species), (4) species with widely increasing occurrences in recent decades (e.g., Physcia aipolioides, Piccolia ochrophora, Xanthoria parietina, nitrofrequent species), and (5) species with rapidly increasing occurrences (e.g., Absconditella lignicola, Coenogonium pineti, Evernia divaricata, rapidly spreading species). The proposed distribution types of lichen species may be applied to wider regions (the European or the global level). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lichens as Bioindicators of Global Change Drivers)
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13 pages, 1139 KiB  
Article
Non-Toxic Increases in Nitrogen Availability Can Improve the Ability of the Soil Lichen Cladonia rangiferina to Cope with Environmental Changes
by Lourdes Morillas, Javier Roales, Cristina Cruz and Silvana Munzi
J. Fungi 2022, 8(4), 333; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof8040333 - 23 Mar 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1814
Abstract
Climate change and atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition on drylands are greatly threatening these especially vulnerable areas. Soil biocrust-forming lichens in drylands can provide early indicators of these disturbances and play a pivotal role, as they contribute to key ecosystem services. In this study, [...] Read more.
Climate change and atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition on drylands are greatly threatening these especially vulnerable areas. Soil biocrust-forming lichens in drylands can provide early indicators of these disturbances and play a pivotal role, as they contribute to key ecosystem services. In this study, we explored the effects of different long-term water availability regimes simulating climate changes and their interaction with N addition on the physiological response of the soil lichen Cladonia rangiferina. Three sets of this lichen were subjected to control, reduced watering, and reduced watering and N addition (40 kg NH4NO3 ha−1 year−1) treatments for 16 months. Finally, all samples were subjected to daily hydration cycles with N-enriched water at two levels (40 and 80 kg NH4NO3 ha−1 year−1) for 23 days. We found that reduced watering significantly decreased the vitality of this lichen, whereas N addition unexpectedly helped lichens subjected to reduced watering to cope with stress produced by high temperatures. We also found that long-term exposure to N addition contributed to the acclimation to higher N availability. Overall, our data suggest that the interactions between reduced watering and increased N supply and temperature have an important potential to reduce the physiological performance of this soil lichen. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lichens as Bioindicators of Global Change Drivers)
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