Lichen diversity on stumps in relation to wood decay in subalpine forests of Northern Italy

Abstract

Although several studies demonstrated the importance of dead wood for lichen conservation in N-Europe and N-America, the lichen biota on dead wood was poorly studied in the Alps, where stumps represent one of the main available dead wood type. This work aims at evaluating species richness and composition of lichens in relation to the decay of stumps in subalpine forests of the Italian Alps. Differences in species richness between three decay stages were tested using a one-way ANOVA, while the pattern of species composition was evaluated with non-metric multidimensional scaling and an Indicator Species Analysis. Overall, 69 species were found and wood decay proved to be an important factor influencing lichen communities on stumps in our subalpine forests. Despite the fact that the mean number of species per stump did not differ between the three decay stages and lichen communities broadly overlapped, a main pattern of species turnover was identified across wood decay process as well as some indicator species for each decay stage. During the decay process, lichen communities change functional and ecological composition as an adaptive response to the continuous change of substrate. Since stumps host several nationally rare species, which are related to different stages of decay, they could have a relevant role in lichen conservation in managed forests where other types of dead wood are normally absent.