Open AccessPopulation dynamics of the lichen genus Bulbothrix Hale as potential bioindicators of ‘time‐since‐last‐fire’ in the cerrado of the Distrito Federal, central Brazil
Author(s) -
Mistry Jayalaxshmi
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
diversity and distributions
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.918
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1472-4642
pISSN - 1366-9516
DOI - 10.1046/j.1472-4642.1998.00004.x
Subject(s) - bioindicator , lichen , thallus , geography , ecology , abundance (ecology) , population , genus , forestry , biology , botany , demography , sociology
Summary This paper investigates the potential use of the corticolous lichen genus Bulbothrix Hale as a bioindicator of ‘time‐since‐last‐fire’ in the cerrado (savannas) of central Brazil. Work was carried out at the Reserva Ecológica do IBGE and the Jardim Botãnico de Brasilia, 33 km outside Brasilia D.F., in plots of cerrado denso with known fire histories within the ‘Fire Project’ area. Measurements of abundance and thallus size were taken of all Bulbothrix individuals encountered up to 2 m on the trunks of three phorophyte species. The results show that abundances and thalli sizes of the Bulbothrix populations can be correlated with the ‘time‐since‐last‐fire’ that had occurred in each of the plots. This study shows that is is possible to use characteristics of specific lichen populations as bioindicators of fire history.