Pa. Wolseley et al., LICHENS AS INDICATORS OF ENVIRONMENTAL STABILITY AND CHANGE IN THE TROPICAL FORESTS OF THAILAND, Global ecology and biogeography letters, 4(4), 1994, pp. 116-123
A 3 year research project in Thailand on lichens as indicators of envi
ronmental change in tropical forests was undertaken in protected areas
where monitoring for long-term changes is now set up. Sites were sele
cted in Huay Kha Khaeng, Doi Suthep and Doi Inthanon in deciduous dry
dipterocarp and evergreen forests where phanerogamic diversity and fir
es history is known. Through collection and analysis of lichen and env
ironmental data, the association of lichens with tree species and fore
st type, and the use of lichens as indicators of recent changes in for
est history, is demonstrated. Factors affecting the lowering of lichen
biodiversity are discussed, in particular the effects of fire on the
constituent phanerogamic and cryptogamic communities.