Abstract
A total of 58 species of lichens were documented from the present study area, which is located between 13°40ʹ and 14°05ʹ N to 75°10ʹ and 75°35ʹ E longitude with wide range of ecosystem diversity at Shettihalli wildlife sanctuary, Shimoga district of Karnataka, India. We have surveyed a total area of 396 sq km which supports for 41 genera of lichens from 22 families. Some important lichen genera of the areas are Ramalina, Usnea, Heteroderma, Parmotrema etc. Corticolous lichens were found to be dominated in abundance, represented by 86%. Crustose lichens were represented by 54 species followed by foliose (43) and fruticose (14) species. The present investigations showed that the deciduous forests support a good macrolichen community’s diversity then the semi-evergreen forests in nearby area. An interesting observation made in the area is that fruticose lichens were restricted to branches of the tree and main trunk was dominated by foliose lichens. Important host trees which support the growth and distribution of lichens in the area are Tectona grandis, Terminalia spp., Adina cordifolia, Hopea spp., and Xylia xylocarpa
Highlights
Lichens are the complex organisms involve a symbiotic relationship between phycobionts and a mycobiont and have attracted considerable attention because they perceived position in the ladder of evolution to land plants (Hale, 1967)
The altitude was recorded with a hand-held GPS, (Garmin e-trex, USA) relative humidity (RH), temperature, microhabitat data were recorded in each transect
Present study show the same results that the distribution of the lichens are mutually varies with climatic variation in the deciduous forest regions had maximum number of macrolichens and shola forests showed more number of microlichens
Summary
Lichens are the complex organisms involve a symbiotic relationship between phycobionts and a mycobiont and have attracted considerable attention because they perceived position in the ladder of evolution to land plants (Hale, 1967). They are often observed as the most significant bioindicators. Lichens form an important floral community playing a major role in ecological indication and succession. Lichens are often abundant in habitats with an alternation of humid and xeric phases or in extreme environments of high altitude or latitude (Kappen, 1973) Lichen metabolites exert a wide variety of biological actions including antibiotic, antimycobacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic, antiproliferative and cytotoxic effects (Muller, 2002).In the present study we have carry out the diversity and distribution pattern in various forest types of the sanctuary
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