How lichens impact on terrestrial community and ecosystem properties

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Ecosystem Science
• Biogeochemistry

Background:

• Lichens are significant contributors to biomass in various terrestrial ecosystems, covering approximately 8% of Earth's land surface.
• Despite their ecological prevalence, the influence of lichens on community processes and ecosystem functioning has been understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the diverse roles of lichens in terrestrial ecosystems.
• To highlight lichens as key determinants of ecological processes, often overlooked in scientific attention.
• To assess how variations in lichen characteristics influence their ecological roles and ecosystem impacts.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on lichen ecology and ecosystem functioning.
• Analysis of lichen characteristics such as growth form, photobiont type, functional traits, water-holding capacity, color, and secondary compounds.
• Assessment of how these characteristics influence nutrient cycling, decomposition, and interactions with consumers and plants.

Main Results:

• Lichen traits significantly impact ecosystem nutrient inputs, fluxes, and decomposition rates.
• Lichens provide essential habitat and food sources for a wide range of organisms, from microfauna to large mammals.
• Lichens influence plant communities by affecting nutrient availability during primary succession and filtering seedling establishment.

Conclusions:

• Understanding lichen diversity and trait variation is crucial for predicting ecosystem responses to environmental changes.
• Further research is needed on the impact of intraspecific trait variation, mixed lichen communities, and long-term effects on plant succession.
• Global change drivers may significantly alter ecosystem functioning by modifying lichen community composition.