Lichen BioBlitz Adds New Insights into Distribution

This article was originally published in The Midden – Great Basin National Park: Vol. 17, No. 2 , Winter 2017.

Wolf lichen (Letharia vulpina), one of the many lichens seen during the 2017 BioBlitz. This lichen is found on dead wood of bristlecones. Overall, few tree lichens were found during the BioBlitz.

NPS Photo by G. Baker

By Bradley Kropp, Utah State University

The Lichen BioBlitz held July 17- 19, 2017 at Great Basin National Park (GBNP) attracted roughly 50 participants. In addition to a handful of professional biologists who specialize in lichens, the participants came from a wide range of backgrounds and included some youth and a few local residents. Most of the participants had little or no prior knowledge of lichens but all brought an enthusiasm for natural history and an interest in learning.

Dr. Steve Leavitt showing a lichen during the 2017 BioBlitz.

NPS Photo

Dr Steve Leavitt of Brigham Young University and I led the BioBlitz. On the opening day of the BioBlitz, Steve Leavitt gave a talk to attendees explaining what lichens are and covering important aspects of their biology and identification. I followed up with a talk outlining what was known about lichens in GBNP prior to the BioBlitz and suggested areas or habitats that could be explored during the BioBlitz. On the final day we gave a joint presentation summarizing the results of the BioBlitz.

This tiny Cladonia species of lichen has small stalks.

NPS Photo

An important goal of the BioBlitz was to build the list of lichens in the park that had already been put together during a survey that I conducted a couple of years prior Even though work on identifying the lichens collected during this summer’s BioBlitz hasn’t yet been finalized, I hope to briefly summarize below some of what we have learned about the lichens of GBNP. Many of the lichens collected during the BioBlitz were already known to be present in the park. Because of that, BioBlitz participants have probably added relatively few new species to the park list. However, situations like this can have a silver lining in that the new species that end up being found are sometimes things that are especially interesting.

Dr. Brad Kropp climbing up on a rock outcropping to take a closer look at some lichens.

NPS Photo

For example, Nevada is hardly the place one would expect to find aquatic lichens. I was surprised to find two aquatic species near Wheeler Campground during my first survey. However, two more aquatic lichens were added to the park list during the BioBlitz. Both of these were species of Dermatocarpon that tend to be foliose (leaf-like) and grayish-green in appearance. One of these that is fairly inconspicuous and grows on rock in Baker Creek was nearly overlooked. When it was first pointed out, I simply dismissed it as a liverwort! However, a closer look revealed that it was in fact not only a lichen but one that was new to our list.

Another interesting aspect of the lichen communities found in GBNP is that there are so few lichens on trees. Only about 26 species have been found on trees in the park thus far. In most environments, lichens on trees are abundant and in many instances they are dominant enough to account for most of the species present. It is well known that air pollution negatively affects lichens on trees but that is not a major factor in eastern Nevada. The best explanation for the absence of lichens on trees appears to be the aridity of the Great Basin.

Many of the participants at the 2017 Lichen BioBlitz. Attendees spanned all ages and came from several states.

NPS Photo

The most species-rich and common groups of lichens in GBNP are the crustose lichens (i.e., those growing tightly on their substrates) on rock. These are often colorful and fascinating lichens. However, they are challenging to identify given that extensive microscopic work is typically needed to name them and few good identification resources are available.

Overall, at least 123 lichen species are known to occur within park boundaries. There is no doubt that more are present, and quite a few will be added when the results of the BioBlitz are finally tallied. Between my survey and the BioBlitz, most of the plant communities and the major geological formations in the park have been explored. The most promising remaining areas for locating additional species appear to be at the southern end of the park where numerous geological formations intersect and road access is more limited.