Pseudocyphellaria glabra on a Lenga bole
Lichens of the Valdivian Rainforest, Chile
Patterns in vegetation can often repeat along ecological gradients despite near complete dissimilarity of component species. For example, vegetation along the strong moisture and elevation gradient experienced when traveling through the temperate rainforests of the Cascades or Andes mountain ranges shows striking similarities. One simple example are two plants with very different evolutionary origins with the same, distinctive morphology, both with massive, palmate leaves with fleshy, watery stems covered in spines. Devil's club (Oplopanax horridus) grows in humid forests, often along rivers and streams, in the Pacific Northwest while Pangue or Nalca (Gunnera tinctoria) grows in similar disturbed areas, such as stream beds or landslides, within the Valdivian rainforest of Chile.
Lichens are prominent components of both the Pacific Northwest and its South American analogues, the Valdivian, Patagonian and Magellenic rainforests. Much work has been done describing the lichen communities of the Pacific Northwest in Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alaska. The diverse and abundant epiphytic lichen communities of the Cascades are notable to any visitor there. Conversely, while there has been a moderate amount of taxonomic work on South American temperate rainforest lichens, very little work has focused on the lichen communities. I wondered whether there was similar patterns of lichen diversity and abundance as in the Pacific Northwest along the similar ecological gradient up the Andes within the Valdiivan temperate rainforest of Chile. That simple comparative question and the lack of data on the lichen communities within the Valdivian region was the impetus for this project.
This project, titled "Liquenes del Bosque Templado Valdiviano", seeks to describe the distribution and composition of the lichen communities in the Valdivian rainforest, which is the northern, warmer, wetter component of the South American temperate rainforest complex. The specific goals were to make collections throughout the Valdivian rainforest along the moisture and temperature gradient as one moves up the Andes from the coast. The project also sought to generate interest in lichens of the area through publication of resources, such as field guides and posters, that would also enable study of the lichen community.
In 2004, I traveled to Chile and the small part of Argentina that has Valdivian rainforest to become familiar with the area and make contacts with park managers, scientists and pertinent government agencies. I returned in 2006 with my collaborator Tim Wheeler and Chilean friend Tatiana Apablaza Soto for what would be the first of several month long lichen collecting trips in the Valdivian region. We returned again in 2008 and 2011 to collect in other areas, resulting in over 8000 collections made in 11 public and private parks in Chile. Analysis of these specimens is ongoing.
Parks where we made lichen collections in, by year, include:
Patterns in vegetation can often repeat along ecological gradients despite near complete dissimilarity of component species. For example, vegetation along the strong moisture and elevation gradient experienced when traveling through the temperate rainforests of the Cascades or Andes mountain ranges shows striking similarities. One simple example are two plants with very different evolutionary origins with the same, distinctive morphology, both with massive, palmate leaves with fleshy, watery stems covered in spines. Devil's club (Oplopanax horridus) grows in humid forests, often along rivers and streams, in the Pacific Northwest while Pangue or Nalca (Gunnera tinctoria) grows in similar disturbed areas, such as stream beds or landslides, within the Valdivian rainforest of Chile.
Lichens are prominent components of both the Pacific Northwest and its South American analogues, the Valdivian, Patagonian and Magellenic rainforests. Much work has been done describing the lichen communities of the Pacific Northwest in Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alaska. The diverse and abundant epiphytic lichen communities of the Cascades are notable to any visitor there. Conversely, while there has been a moderate amount of taxonomic work on South American temperate rainforest lichens, very little work has focused on the lichen communities. I wondered whether there was similar patterns of lichen diversity and abundance as in the Pacific Northwest along the similar ecological gradient up the Andes within the Valdiivan temperate rainforest of Chile. That simple comparative question and the lack of data on the lichen communities within the Valdivian region was the impetus for this project.
This project, titled "Liquenes del Bosque Templado Valdiviano", seeks to describe the distribution and composition of the lichen communities in the Valdivian rainforest, which is the northern, warmer, wetter component of the South American temperate rainforest complex. The specific goals were to make collections throughout the Valdivian rainforest along the moisture and temperature gradient as one moves up the Andes from the coast. The project also sought to generate interest in lichens of the area through publication of resources, such as field guides and posters, that would also enable study of the lichen community.
In 2004, I traveled to Chile and the small part of Argentina that has Valdivian rainforest to become familiar with the area and make contacts with park managers, scientists and pertinent government agencies. I returned in 2006 with my collaborator Tim Wheeler and Chilean friend Tatiana Apablaza Soto for what would be the first of several month long lichen collecting trips in the Valdivian region. We returned again in 2008 and 2011 to collect in other areas, resulting in over 8000 collections made in 11 public and private parks in Chile. Analysis of these specimens is ongoing.
Parks where we made lichen collections in, by year, include:
2006:
Senda Darwin (private) Parque Nacional Alerce Andino Parque Nacional Hornopiren Parque Nacional Chiloe Parque Pumalin (private) |
2008:
La Reserva Costera Valdiviana (The Nature Conservancy and World Wildlife Fund co-owners) La Reserva Costera Alerce Andino Parque Nacional Puyehue La Reserva Costera Rio Simpson La Reserva Costera Coyhaique Parque Nacional Queulat |
Below is a slideshow of some Chilean lichens from our work
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