Epiphytic lichens on Fagus orientalis in foothill Dagestan

Abstract

. An annotatted list including 116 species of lichenized, lichenicolous and non-lichenized fungi growing on beech in foothill Dagestan is given. Among them 66 species are firstly reported for studied forests of which 31 species have not been previously known from beech in Dagestan. Species Biatora pallens , Bryobilimbia hypnorum , Lithothelium hyalosporum , Myelochroa aurulenta , Scutula circumspecta , Verrucaria breussii and genera Bryobilimbia , Lithothelium , Mye-lochroa are new for the East Caucasus. The record of Lithothelium hyalosporum is the second for Russia and the Caucasus. These species, and genus Eopyrenula , have not been known in Da-gestan. We notice absence of most lichens which are growing in the belt of beech forest within the Caucasus. This is a result of the forest ma nagement on study area. A low proportion of foliose and fruticose lichens (36%) and cyanobiont species (5%) indicates a low precipitation and high anthropogenic disturbance of the studied habitats.