Northwest Lichenologists - common crusts on hardwood vs conifer bark?

22 Dec 2020 4:34 PM

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Message # 9447236

Lalita Calabria

Hey everyone:

I'm teaching lichenology at The Evergreen State College in Olympia WA this winter and students will be comparing lichen communities in Alnus rubra and Pseudotsuga-dominated forest stands. We are mainly focusing on macrolichens but I'm planning to introduce them to crust identification as well. This is their second quarter studying lichen ID and they will have access to compound scopes and lichen chems, and a variety of lichen keys for our region. To help them with sight ID in the field and to get them started, I was hoping to put together a list 10 of the most common genera (or species) of crustose lichens found on conifer bark and 10 common genera on hardwood (or specifically alder?) bark in our bioregion. I was wondering, with the collective experience of this forum, if folks could help me put together a top 5 or 10 common crusts genera to know from conifer and hardwood bark. I can definitely say that Ochrolechia, Mycoblastus, Pertusaria and Icmadophila are quite common and easy to recognize in the field here for example, but beyond that my ability to sight identify crustose genera is field is somewhat limited so I'm excited to learn more and support my students in honing their crust skills!

Thanks for your time and happy holidays!!

22 Dec 2020 8:50 PM

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Reply # 9447555 on 9447236

Richard Droker

Amandinea punctata, Athallia pyracea, Graphis scripta, and Thelotrema lepadinum come to mind.

23 Dec 2020 8:21 AM

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Reply # 9448357 on 9447236

Bruce McCune (Administrator)

Would this be for right around Olympia or up in the mountains too?

23 Dec 2020 11:29 AM

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Reply # 9448665 on 9447236

daphne stone

I had a group working on alder crusts when I taught lichenology in 2015. Unfortunately I don't have their final powerpoint, but here is what they turned up in research:

Background on Lichens found on Alnus rubra

A brief literature review revealed that lichen found on Alnus rubra trunks can have many growth forms; they are not all crustose in form. The following is a list of lichens that we may find on Alnus rubra for this project:

· Byssoloma subdiscordans found on bark of Alnus rubra in Canada (Aptoot, 1996)
· Lepraria rigidula coastal lowlands of British Columbia and Washington. Appears to be toxitolerant (found in roadsides by seattle as well as areas with no evident air pollution) (Tonsberg, 1993)
· Megalaria brodoana is found on the Alnus rubra in the PNW. A crustose lichen with a bluish granular thallus. This article goes farther into identifying this lichen. Looks like it is mostly found in North Eastern Oregon coast. (Ekman et al., 1996)
· Mycoblastus fucatus common on Alnus in lowlands on the Pacific and Atlantic coast from sea level to 500 m (Tonsberg, 1993)
· Pertusaria flavocorallina found on Alnus in Alaska from sea level to 30m. Other than Alaska it is has only been found in Scotland and Sweden. (Tonsberg, 1993)
· Pertusaria pupillaris found on the Alnus rubra and other smooth bark from sea level to 400m. *Crustose (Tonsberg, 1993)
· Pseudocyophellaria mallota found in North America on Alnus rubra grove about 120 m elevation (Tonsberg, 1999)
· Pyrenula acutispora found in undisturbed forests only in the Madeira and Pyrenees mountains (Aptoot, 1996)
· Pyreunla microtheca on Alnus rubra in North America (Aptoot, 1996)
· Schaereria corticola on Alnus rubra from northern California to Alaska. (Tonsberg, 1993)

refs:

Aptroot, Andre. 1996. New Records of Lichens and Lichemicolous Fungi from British Columbia. The Bryologist. Vol. 99 No. 2

Bergamini, A., Stofer, S., Bolliger, J. and C. Scheidegger. 2007. Evaluating macrolichens and environmental variables as predictors of the diversity of epiphytic microlichens. The Lichenologist. 39(5):475-489.

Bungartz, Frank. 2014. "Collecting Lichens." Arizona State University Lichen Herbarium:. School of Life Sciences. Accessed Web. 09 Apr. 2015. <http://nhc.asu.edu/lherbarium/lichen_info/lichen_collecting.php>.

Ekman, Stefan & Tonsberg, Tor. A new Species of Megalaria from the North American West Coast and Noted on the Generic Circumscription. The Bryologist. Vol. 99, No. 1(1996)

May, Philip F. 2000. "How to Collect Lichens." How to Collect Lichens. Farlow Herbarium, Harvard University. Accessed Web. 07 Apr. 2015. <http://www2.huh.harvard.edu/collections/lichens/collecting.html>.

Nuffield Foundation. 2011. “Observing patterns in the distribution of a simple plant.” Practical Biology. <http://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/practical-biology/observing-patterns-distribution-simple-plant>. Accessed Web. 09 Apr. 2015.

Tonsberg, Torr. 1999. Pseudocyphellaria arvidssonii New to Africa and P. mollata New to North America. The Bryologist. Vol. 102, No. 1

Tonsberg, Tor. 1993. Additions to the Licken Flora of North America. The Bryologist. Vol. 96, No. 1

Tonsberg, Tor. 1993. Additions to the Lichen Flora of North America 2. The Bryologist. Vol. 96 No. 4

23 Dec 2020 11:56 AM

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Reply # 9448728 on 9447236

Lalita Calabria

This would be in the Olympia area- Puget Sound lowland forests

23 Dec 2020 12:05 PM

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Reply # 9448737 on 9447236

Juliet Pendray

Thank you for this post - I am interested to see folks' responses!

Agree with definitely adding Thelotrema lepadinum (as mentioned above).

For Vancouver Island south (at least somewhat like Olympics), I would consider adding to your list, if there was room: Lecanora pacifica (on Garry Oak), Caloplaca pyracea (HW - Populus, shrubs), Phlyctis argena (oceanspray), maybe a lirellate e.g. Opegrapha herbarum (oak, populus).

- Juliet

Last modified: 23 Dec 2020 12:30 PM | Juliet Pendray

24 Dec 2020 7:52 AM

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Reply # 9450222 on 9447236

Bruce McCune (Administrator)

OK, here are some suggestions, 10 of each:

Hardwood bark:

Arthonia spp

Graphis scripta

Lecanora (esp. pacifica and pulicaris)

Lecidella elaeochroma

Lepraria spp.

Mycoblastus caesius

Ochrolechia spp. (esp. subpallescens, laevigata)

Phlyctis argena

Rinodina disjuncta (and other Rinodina spp)

Thelotrema lepadinum

Conifer bark:

Cliostomum griffithii

Japewia tornoensis

Lecanactis megaspora (seemed unusually common on Evergreen campus near shore)

Lepra spp.

Lepraria spp.

Lopadium disciforme

Micarea spp

Mycoblastus sanguinarius

Ochrolechia spp. (esp. subpallescens, maybe oregonensis)

Pertusaria subambigens (and probably other spp)

Near town you could add misc. nitrophiles on both substrates (Candelariella, Caloplaca, Rinodina griseosoralifera, Scoliciosporum)

26 Dec 2020 10:16 AM

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Reply # 9452227 on 9447236

Lalita Calabria

Thanks everyone! Your responses have been very helpful!!

27 Dec 2020 7:51 AM

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Reply # 9452958 on 9447236

Bruce McCune (Administrator)

Good job pushing the envelope on this one. Considering all of the expertise in the region with macrolichens, there is relatively low community expertise in crusts, except for the few that have been promoted by being on RT&E lists. Learning to recognize some of the common ones is a great way to start.