Diversidad de líquenes epífitos en bosques de Quercus de Morelos, México: Comunidad liquénica de Quercus

Abstract

The diversity of lichens is related to the forest structure, and its establishment depends on the age of the phorophytes. The importance of Quercus stands out due to the anthropogenic pressure of the forests in Mexico. This study aimed to identify the Quercus species found in fragments of two Natural Protected Areas of Morelos, Mexico, and to compare the community of epiphytic lichens. We measured the phorophytes' height, crown cover, and DBH and compared their distribution with the Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon U-test. We analyzed the richness, composition, and coverage of lichens. A first-order Jackknife nonparametric test was used, range-abundance curves were constructed, and the Shannon diversity index was applied. Among phorophytes, we used the Species Indicator Analysis and Two-Way Cluster Analysis. The results indicated that between the areas, there are differences in the composition of phorophytes. The total richness of lichens was 87 species (63 found in phorophytes). In the forest with the highest tree density, the trees were younger, with the highest richness of lichens (55); the most abundant species were Canoparmelia cryptochlorophaea, Endohyalina ericina, and Hypotrachyna gracilescens. In mature forests, tree density was lower, with only 11 species of lichen; the most abundant were Leptogium cyanescens, L. milligranum, and Physcia integrata. Only ten species are shared between the two areas. We have 20 new records.