Abstract
Abstract The altitudinal patterns of lichen communities in altitudinal gradients are very variable. The changes that occur along the mountains depend on climatic factors but also on microsite variables such as substrate type and aspect. The effect of altitude and aspect on richness, cover and composition of saxicolous lichens communities along an elevation gradient in extra Andean mountains from the central-west of Argentina was studied. Rock outcrops on the north and south aspect of three mountain summits distributed between 2,500 and 4,500 m.a.s.l. were sampled. Lichen species present in a 20 × 20 cm square were identified and the relative cover was measured using digital photography. Richness, cover and composition were analyzed through linear models and multivariate analysis. Fifty-eight saxicolous lichen species were identified between the three sites. Richness and cover were maximum at middle altitude. Also compositional differences among communities of each mountain summit were found. Finally, the effect of the aspect was significant at lower altitudes for cover and composition.
Highlights
Elevation gradients are considered one of the most important patterns in biogeography (Lomolino 2001)
Environmental conditions change along the mountain ascension and, as a consequence, richness and species composition change too (Körner 2007)
As a Classification method, we used indicator species analysis (ISA) to detect and describe the species values in groups determined by altitude, aspect and both factors together
Summary
Elevation gradients are considered one of the most important patterns in biogeography (Lomolino 2001). Altitude is a strong variable that affects richness, species composition and diversity in lichen communities (Baniya et al 2010; Vittoz et al 2010; Bässler et al 2016; Rodríguez et al 2017; Cleavitt et al 2019). Previous works show different patterns such as lineal, unimodal or no relationship between diversity and altitude (Baniya et al 2010; Bässler et al 2016; Rodríguez et al 2017). Our hypothesis is that richness, cover and species composition of saxicolous lichen communities change with altitudinal gradient and with the aspect
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
