NPS/James Walton
Parklands in southwest Alaska are renowned for their glacier-clad peaks, active volcanic terrain, premier wildlife viewing, and high-value salmon runs all woven together in a wilderness mosaic of lakes, rivers, mountains, forests, and tundra. Yet as one draws their eyes from this vibrant landscape, casts them downward to the branches and trunks of the trees and shrubs, to the rocks, and to the ground itself, this closer look reveals a Lilliputian world all its own. This is the realm of lichens.
In addition to lichens being inherently beautiful and fascinating in their own right—they add diversity, interest, color, and intricacy to the landscape—lichens are also recognized as a significant component of biological diversity and as sensitive indicators of air quality and climate. Despite their aesthetic and ecological importance, there remains a general lack of information regarding lichen occurrence, due in part to their small size, their often microscopic or chemical distinguishing features, and their enormous diversity.
To address the information gap on lichens in southwest Alaska parklands, the Southwest Alaska Network partnered with Oregon State University (OSU) to conduct a lichen inventory of its three largest parks: Katmai National Park and Preserve, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, and Kenai Fjords National Park. A team of lichenologists from North America and Europe conducted surveys throughout each park that were selected by our botanists to span a range of rich lichen habitats, including coastal rock outcrops and forests; large interior lake, river and forest systems; and interior and coastal alpine zones.
NPS/James Walton
Collaborators have recently published detailed findings from Katmai and Lake Clark national parks and preserves (McCune et al. 2018) and Kenai Fjords National Park (McCune et al. 2020). In Katmai and Lake Clark, the authors report a combined total of 896 taxa for both parks, adding 889 taxa to the total of seven taxa previously reported. This list includes ten species new to science, which were recently published elsewhere. An additional 15 lichenicolous fungi (fungi growing on lichens), and seven fungi associated with young living twigs of particular host species are also reported. Seventeen species are new to Alaska, and six species are new to North America (Caloplaca fuscorufa, Lecanora leucococca s.l., Ochrolechia brodoi, Protoparmelia memnonia, Rhizocarpon leptolepis, and Rhizocarpon sinense). Four new species combinations (i.e., updated species names) are presented, Cetraria minuscula, Enchylium millegranum var. bachmanianum, Lathagrium undulatum var. granulosum, and Protomicarea alpestris. New populations of the globally endangered boreal felt lichen, Erioderma pedicillatum, were also discovered in both parks.
In Kenai Fjords, the authors report a total of 616 taxa of lichenized fungi, plus an additional five subspecies and three varieties, all of which are new additions to the park. An additional five species of nonlichenized lichenicolous fungi are reported. Non-lichenized fungi that are traditionally treated with lichens are also included, and most of these are associated with the bark of particular host species. Four taxa new to North America are reported (Arctomia delicatula var. acutior, Aspicilia dudinensis, Myriospora myochroa, and Ochrolechia bahusiensis), along with 44 species new to Alaska. Numerous species have been confirmed using ITS barcoding sequences. Also several records assigned to the genus level are reported, many of those are likely new species.
Researchers observed a diverse lichen flora spanning a broad climatic gradient from warm, wet oceanic climate in Kenai Fjords and the coast of Lake Clark, to cooler, drier suboceanic and interior climates in Katmai and interior Lake Clark. The high diversity was due in part to the mixing of many floristic elements (species groups showing similar distributions), including Arctic, Amphi-atlantic, Beringian, Boreal, Cordilleran, Northern Oceanic, and Pacific Northwestern. Nitrophilous species (nitrogen loving) did not appear to be abundant in any park, suggesting low levels of nitrogenous pollutants and excellent air quality. Few calciphiles (calcium loving) were encountered, owing to the predominantly acidic rocks in all parks.
To date, more than 15 species have been discovered that are new to science, nearly that many species are new to North America, and more than 65 species are new to the state of Alaska. More than 20 peer-reviewed journal articles and one master's thesis have been published using inventory findings. Results from these inventories will provide baseline data on lichen occurrence that may be used in resource condition assessments, vulnerability assessments, long-term ecological monitoring, and resource management. Specimens collected during the inventory will be provided on loan to the Museum of the North Herbarium, University of Alaska, and several other institutions, where they will be available for research and educational purposes.
Last updated: January 30, 2024