Abstract
Lichens are traditionally divided into types such as "crustose", "foliose" and "fruticose", with different shapes and heights. Substrate, temperature and water are thought to affect lichen height, but there are few studies regarding tropical paramo lichens. Along 2015 I measured those variables in the terricolous lichens of the Cerro Buena Vista, paramo (Costa Rica, 9°33' N & 83°45' W). The measurements were taken inside the lichens and in the substrate under them, in 61 randomly located quadrats (50 x 50 cm). Lichens grew taller on (1) warmer ground, (2) wetter ground, (3) the moister Caribbean slope, and (4) the season with heavier rainfall, as expected. Apparently, atmospheric factors are more important than substrate in the determination of temperature, relative humidity and growth of lichens. Physiologically available water seems to be the main determinant of lichen vertical growth in the Buena Vista paramo.
Highlights
How tall can terricolous lichens grow? What determines that growth? Research to answer these two simple questions is not abundant, perhaps because lichens have traditionally been divided into “crustose”, “foliose” and “fruticose” growth forms according to their shape and height, a practice that artificially hides a growth continuum (Grube & Hawksworth, 2007; Tehler & Irestedt, 2007)
Even though we need to go beyond growth forms to better identify growth factors, it must be borne in mind that they are useful ecological concepts when researchers want to generalize and predict: for example, crustose lichens can colonize more extreme habitats (Rogers, 1990) while foliose and fruticose species are better competitors in less demanding environments
Crustose lichens are more abundant in primary forests; while fruticose and foliose species are most abundant in disturbed forest, thanks to their endobionts, structure and physiology (Benítez, Aragón, González, & Prieto, 2018)
Summary
How tall can terricolous lichens grow? What determines that growth? Research to answer these two simple questions is not abundant, perhaps because lichens have traditionally been divided into “crustose”, “foliose” and “fruticose” growth forms according to their shape and height, a practice that artificially hides a growth continuum (Grube & Hawksworth, 2007; Tehler & Irestedt, 2007). Even though we need to go beyond growth forms to better identify growth factors, it must be borne in mind that they are useful ecological concepts when researchers want to generalize and predict: for example, crustose lichens can colonize more extreme habitats (Rogers, 1990) while foliose and fruticose species are better competitors in less demanding environments The lower temperatures and higher photosynthetic rates of mid altitudes favor foliose and fruticose species (Ceron & Quintero, 2009), but only crustose species can grow in the more demanding conditions of high altitudes (Rai, Khare, Baniya, Upreti, & Gupta, 2015). According to Rogers (2006), a possible key factor in how tall lichens can grow is the amount of rain. I compare lichen height, relative humidity, and temperature, in the two slopes of a Costa Rican paramo
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