Abstract Detail

Conservation of North American Lichens and the Ecosystems They Support

McMullin, Troy [1].

The status of lichen conservation in Canada.

Biodiversity is in decline globally. The first steps in identifying declining populations and conserving biodiversity include an understanding of what species are present, where they are located, and which species are rare or sensitive to environmental change. This basic knowledge is still lacking for many species though. Lichens are an example of a group that is lacking this fundamental data throughout much of the world. In Canada, they have been poorly studied historically and were rarely considered in conservation strategies or environmental assessments. This lack of baseline data has often made assessing species decline difficult. During the last two decades, however, lichen conservation in the country has increased substantially. During this presentation the status of lichen conservation in Canada will be examined in multiple ways: 1. legal protection and recovery nationally and provincially; 2. habitat loss, with a focus on old-growth forests and climate change; 3. community outreach and stewardship; 4. impacts from the dominant silvicultural practices; and 5. future projections.

1 - University of Guelph, Integrative Biology, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON , N1G 2W1, Canada

Keywords:
Sustainable management
Phytogeography
Status ranks
endangered
Threatened
Habitat loss
ecosystem function
Climate change
Silviculture.

Presentation Type: Symposium or Colloquium Presentation
Session: SY11
Location: Salmon/Snake/Boise Centre
Date: Wednesday, July 30th, 2014
Time: 1:45 PM
Number: SY11002
Abstract ID:519
Candidate for Awards:None