ECOLOGY OF FOLIICOLOUS LICHENS AT THE BOTARRAMA TRAIL (COSTA-RICA), ANEOTROPICAL RAIN-FOREST - III - PHOROPHYTE RANGES AND PATTERNS OF PHOROPHYTE PREFERENCES
R. Lucking, ECOLOGY OF FOLIICOLOUS LICHENS AT THE BOTARRAMA TRAIL (COSTA-RICA), ANEOTROPICAL RAIN-FOREST - III - PHOROPHYTE RANGES AND PATTERNS OF PHOROPHYTE PREFERENCES, Phyton, 38(1), 1998, pp. 195-219
Phorophyte ranges and patterns of phorophyte preferences in foliicolou
s lichens were studied by clustering of individual phorophytes on the
basis of their lichen species composition. Foliicolous Lichens exhibit
broad phorophyte ranges and low specifity. Phorophytes of the same sp
ecies only cluster together as long as their leaf characters are suffi
ciently different from each other, but the number of discriminating fo
liicolous lichens is low. A distinct grouping effect of phorophytes wi
th similar foliicolous lichen diversity indicates that phorophyte pref
erences are quantitative rather than qualitative, resulting in differe
nt diversity stages rather than different species composition. These d
iversity stages can be interpreted as different stages of succession.
Species composition is strongly affected by microclimatic conditions,
in particular relative light intensity. Two large groups of foliicolou
s lichen species can be found discriminating between shady understory
and Light gap phorophytes, with Arthoniaceae, Opegraphaceae and Tricho
theliaceae being typical for shady understory phorophytes, and Gomphil
laceae and Ectolechiaceae dominant on Light gap phorophytes.