1

Lichen Species Richness found in Ponderosa State Park and the Impact on

2 Diversity in Relation to Distance From Payette Lake

3 Mary Lugg

4 Department of Natural Resources and Society (College of Natural Resources),

5 University of Idaho McCall Outdoor Science School, McCall, ID 83638

6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29

1
30 Summary:

31 1. Lichens are used as ecological indicators for air quality and climate change.

32 2. Increased temperatures due to global climate change and increased air

33 pollution may change lichen species richness and diversity over time.

34 3. The objective of this study was to understand how climatic change affect

35 lichen species diversity geographically. I hypothesized that we will have

36 lichen species richness similar to other studies in the region. I also

37 hypothesized that lichen species diversity would correlate with distance

38 from Payette Lake located in Ponderosa State Park outside of McCall, Idaho. I

39 hypothesized this because, while lichen species are found in many habits, the

40 most prominent hotspots are in wet forested environments.

41 4. Lichen species were identified within a 1 x 1 meter quadrant every 25 meters

42 along a 75-meter transect from Payette Lake to obtain lichen species richness

43 and diversity.

44 5. Analysis of the data collected indicate that there is similar lichen species

45 richness to a Forest Service study done in the area conducted in 2003.

46 Further analysis of the data collected indicates that there is no statistically

47 significant relationship between lichen species and distance from Payette

48 Lake in Ponderosa State Park.

49 6. Synthesis. Lichen species are valued as ecological indicators because they

50 are sensitive to air pollution and climate change. Analysis of data collected

51 for this study indicates there has been no significant change in species

52 richness compared to a study done by the Forest Service in 2003. Further

2
53 analysis indicates that there is no significantly significant correlation

54 between lichen species diversity and distance from Payette Lake; however,

55 this study recommends continued monitoring for lichen species and richness

56 in Ponderosa State Park to determining forest ecosystem health.

57

58

59

60

61

62

63

64

65

66

67

68

69

70

71

72

73

74

75

3
76 Keywords:

77 air quality, climate change, ecological indicators, lichen species diversity, lichen

78 species diversity

79

80

81

82

83

84

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

4
 99 Introduction:

100 The world is undergoing drastic changes in natural processes due to

101 an accelerating pace of human activity. Steffen et al. (2004) identified human

102 activities as the main driver of global climate change since the industrial revolution.

103 One such issue facing the world today is the loss of habitat and biodiversity. Species

104 are currently becoming extinct at a rate only seen during the last global mass

105 extinction event (Perrings, 2014). Loss of biodiversity is of concern because it has

106 been argued that biodiversity complements all ecological processes and functions

107 found in healthy ecosystems. (Balvanera et al., 2006; Luck et al., 2009).

108 Long-term epiphytic lichen monitoring programs have shown evidence of

109 floristic changes in environments that are experiencing increased air pollution and

110 increased temperatures due to global climate change (van Herk et al., 2002; Belnap

111 & Lange, 2005). Both of these studies found species composition changes that

112 correlated with temperature change and not just air pollution as once thought.

113 Floristic changes of lichen are of concern because they are an important part of

114 forest ecosystem biodiversity. For example, they make up large amounts of biomass

115 in the Pacific Northwest. Many mammal species use them as food sources such as

116 elk and deer and many birds use them as nesting materials (Jovan, 2008). Flying

117 squirrels in interior Idaho forests use lichens in the species Bryoria as a winter

118 staple food(Rosenireter & Hayward, 1997).

119 Lichen species sensitivity to air pollution and changes in the environment are

120 valued as ecological indicators for forest health by the United States government

121 due to their sensitivity to air quality degradation and climate change (Service et al.,

5
122 2003; Jovan, 2008). More specifically, the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA)

123 Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service (USFS) uses them to

124 evaluate and monitor biodiversity, air quality, and climate ( Jovan, 2008).

125 Lichen, although in appearance looks like a single organism, is actually a

126 symbiotic relationship between a fungal partner and a photosynthetic algal or

127 cyanobacterium partner (Kershaw, Mackinnon, & Pojar, 1998). The fungal partner

128 acts as the structure and mass of the organism and trades this physical protection

129 for carbohydrates to the photosynthetic partner (Kershaw, Mackinnon, & Pojar,

130 1998). Due to this highly successful relationship, lichens are found in a variety of

131 habitats worldwide.

132 The primary objective of this study is to determine lichen species that are

133 found in Ponderosa State Park and how proximity to Payette lake affects lichen

134 species diversity Specifically, I hope to determine if there is a statistically

135 significant correlation in lichen species diversity and distance from Payette Lake.

136 The results of my study would 1) quantify lichen species richness to be used as

137 baseline data and 2) test whether lichen species diversity is correlated with distance

138 from a body of water, perhaps because of differences in air moisture.

139 My first hypothesis is that I will find average lichen richness similar to a

140 survey done by the Forest Service in 2003 in the Middle Rocky Mountain Steppe-

141 Coniferous Forest-Alpine Meadow eco-region of Idaho of 8.1 (Service, Mountain, &

142 Neitlich, 2003). Since Nash (2008) notes that lichen biodiversity hotspots are

143 located in wet forested environments, my second hypothesis is that I will find less

144 lichen species diversity as I move away from Payette Lake.

6
145 The anticipated benefits are that lichen biodiversity can give us an

146 understanding of current climate. Data collected can then be used as baseline data

147 to track changes in climate over time. Another benefit would be to discover any

148 rare or species that are sensitive to air pollution, which could tell us about air

149 quality in the park.

150

151

152

153

154

155

156

157

158

159

160

161

162

163

164

165

166

167

7
168 Materials and Methods:

169 Study site:

170 The study was conducted at Ponderosa State Park. The park covers 1515

171 acres of a peninsula adjacent to Payette Lake outside of McCall, Idaho. The park

172 encompasses diverse ecosystems including sandy beaches, sagebrush meadows,

173 aspen groves, marshes, and both treated and untreated forests. Forests here include

174 the following tree species; Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), londgepole pine

175 (Pinus contorta), quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides), Douglas-fir (Psuedotsuga

176 menziesii), western larch (Larix occidentalis), grand fir (Abies grandis), and

177 Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii). A diversity of shrub and herbaceous species

178 make up the forest understory.

179 The climate in this area has a mean annual air temperature of 37 to 41 degrees F

180 and a mean annual precipitation of 23 to 27 inches (Western Regional Climate Center,

181 2013). The elevation of McCall is just over 5000 feet and the soil type in this area is

182 characterized as very cobbly sandy loam. (Soil Survey Staff, 2013)

183 Sampling approach:

184 The lichen survey methods were modified from the Forest Inventory and

185 Analysis (FIA) Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service (USFS)

186 (Jovan, 2008). A transect line was laid out due east with a distance of 75 meters.

187 Lichen species were measured at every 25 meters starting at Payette Lake inside of

188 a 1 by 1 meter quadrant. Several lichen identification books were used for

189 identification purposes (Vitt et al., 1988; McCune & Goward, 1996; McCune & Geiser,

8
190 1997; Kershaw et al., 1998). Species were identified and then individuals within

191 that species were counted in a time frame of 2 minutes.

192 Data Analysis:

193 I identified lichen species richness and analyzed the data using a one-sample

194 t-test using R (Version 3.3.1, R Foundation, Vienna, Austria) to see if the species

195 richness of my study is similar or statistically different from species richness

196 determined by the 2003 Forest Service study. I noted each lichen species sensitivity

197 to air pollution. I also fit a linear regression model using R (Version 3.3.1, R

198 Foundation, Vienna, Austria) to analyze if there is a statistically significant correlation

199 between lichen species diversity according to distance from Payette Lake.

200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216

9
217 Results:

218 Hypothesis 1

219 A total of 13 lichen species were found in the sampling plots in Ponderosa

220 State Park. The average species richness of all sites studied was 7.25 species, which

221 was not statistically less (p=0.235) than the previously measured value of 8.1 found

222 by an earlier lichen study by the United States Forest Service. . One species was

223 considered sensitive to air pollution. Lichen species and sensitivity to air pollution

224 are recorded in table 1 (below).

225
Air Pollution
0 m 25 m 50 m 75 m Sensitivity
Letharia Letharia
Letharia vulpina vulpina Letharia vulpina vulpina intermediate
Bryoria
capillaris sensitive
Bryoria Bryoria Bryoria Bryoria sensitive to
fuscescens fuscescens fuscescens fuscescens intermediate
Hypogymnia Hypnogymnia Hypnogymnia Hypnogymnia
metaphysodes metaphysodes metaphysodes metaphysodes unknown
Cladonia
sulphurina unknown
Caloplacea Caloplacea Caloplacea
coralloides coralloides coralloides tolerant
Pannaria
rubiginosa unknown
Dermatocarpon
miniatum unknown
Pannaria Pannaria
pezizodes pezizodes unknown
Pannaria
saubinetii unknown
Rhizocarpon Rhizocarpon Rhizocarpon
geminatum geminatum geminatum unknown
Acarospora Acarospora Acarospora
chlorophana chlorophana chlorophana unknown

10
 Cladonia
carneola tolerant
226
227 Table 1. Species found and their sensitivity to air pollution according to distance

228 from Payette Lake sampled in Ponderosa State Park.

229

230 Hypothesis 2

231 There was no statistically significant (p=0.1794) correlation found between

232 lichen species diversity and distance from Payette Lake, measured in meters (fig 1.)

233

234
235 Figure 1. Lichen Species Diversity by Distance from Lake.

236

237

238

11
239 Discussion:

240 Results from this study are sufficient to support the hypothesis that species

241 richness is similar to a United States Forest Service survey conducted in 2003

242 (Service et al., 2003). In a one-sample t-test, average species richness of 7.25 was

243 not found to be statistically less (p=0.235) than the previously measured value of

244 8.1 found by the United States Forest Service. One lichen species was found to be

245 sensitive to air pollution. Results from this study are not sufficient to support the

246 hypothesis that lichen species diversity is affected by the presence of Payette Lake

247 in Ponderosa State Park. In a linear regression model, distance was not shown to be

248 a statistically significant (p=0.1794) predictor of lichen species diversity despite

249 acknowledgment (Nash, 2008) that lichen diversity increases in wet forested

250 environments.

251 One flaw in the design of this study was the sample size. I tested four

252 locations along a transect line measuring 75 meters. Measuring a longer distance and

253 adding more transect lines would have given a more representative sample of lichen

254 species richness and diversity in the park. Another flaw in the design of this study was

255 that chemical analyses were not conducted. More species and better identification may

256 have been identified using chemical analysis of species.

257 Although this study was unable to find sufficient evidence that Payette Lake

258 affects lichen species diversity found in Ponderosa State Park, a growing body of

259 literature suggests that climate change can affect lichen species composition (van Herk

260 et al., 2002; Belnap & Lange, 2005). Many lichen species are also sensitive to air

261 quality degradation (Jovan, 2008; Service et al., 2003) . Due to increased human

12
262 activities that affect air quality and climate, continued monitoring of lichen species

263 richness and diversity is critical in determining forest ecosystem health of Ponderosa

264 State Park.

265

266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275

276

277

278

279

280

281

282

283

284

285

286

13
287 Acknowledgements:

288 A Sincere thanks to Dr. Jan Eitel (University of Idaho) for guidance on experimental

289 design and statistical analyses. Thanks also to the staff and students at the

290 University of Idaho McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS) for providing equipment

291 and support of the course of this project. A special thanks to Linda Cung who helped

292 with data collection.

293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302

303

304

305

306

307

308

309

310

311

14
312 References Cited:

313 Belnap, J., Bdel, B., & Lange, O. L. (2001). Biological soil crusts: characteristics and

314 distribution. In Biological soil crusts: structure, function, and management (pp.

315 3-30). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

316

317 Balvanera, P., Pfisterer, A. B., Buchmann, N., He, J. S., Nakashizuka, T., Raffaelli, D., &

318 Schmid, B. (2006). Quantifying the evidence for biodiversity effects on

319 ecosystem functioning and services. Ecology Letters, 9(10), 11461156.

320 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2006.00963.x

321

322 Jovan, S. (2008). Lichen Bioindication of Biodiversity, Air Quality, and Climate:

323 Baseline Results From Monitoring in Washington, Oregon, and California.

324 General Technical Report PNW-GTR-737, (March), 115.

325

326 Luck, G. W., Harrington, R., Harrison, P. A., Kremen, C., Berry, P. M., Bugter, R.,

327 Zobel, M. (209AD). Quantifying the contribution of organisms to the provision

328 of Ecosystem Services. BioScience, 59(3), 223234.

329 https://doi.org/10.1025/bio.2009.59.3.7

330

331 Perrings, C. (2014). Our uncommon heritage : Biodiversity change, ecosystem services,

332 and human wellbeing. Cambridge ; New York: Cambridge University Press.

333

334 Rosenireter, R., & Hayward, G. D. (1997). Food Habits in the Interior Conifer

15
335 Northern Flying Squirrel Seasonal Forests of Central ldaho , USA, 71(2), 97102.

336

337 Service, F., Mountain, R., & Neitlich, P. (2003). Indicator Results from Idaho:

338 Baseline Sampling. Dana, (March).

339

340 Steffen, W., Sanderson, A., Tyson, P. D., Jger, J., Matson, P. A., Moore III, B., & Oldfield,

341 F. (2004). Global change and the earth system: a planet under pressure. New

342 York.

343

344 van Herk, C. V., Aptroot, A., & Van Dobben, H. F. (2002). Long-term monitoring in the

345 Netherlands suggests that lichens respond to global warming. The

346 Lichenologist, 34(02), 141-154.

347

348

349

350

351

16