Abstract Detail

Systematics Section

Tripp, Erin [1], Lendemer, James [2], Harris, Richard [1].

How known is well-known? Progress in lichenology in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The southern Appalachians represent a diversity hotspot for many groups of organisms, including lichens. Although the region, like the rest of eastern North America, has been subjected to considerable anthropological change, a large portion of it has been protected at the federal, state, and local level resulting in contiguous areas of natural habitat that include the largest and most significant tracts of old-growth forest in eastern North America. Lichenological data from our previous studies in the southern Appalachians (e.g., Gorges State Park, NC) indicated that much is yet to be learned in an area of the world that is supposedly "well-known" biologically. As such, we initiated an inventory of the lichens of Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) in 2007. Since then, over the course of only short five collecting trips (2,500 cumulative collections), we have added > 170 new lichen records to the Park's checklist (including several species and two genera new to science). Previous Park checklists were also revised. These new reports collectively expand the known lichen biota of GSMNP to include between 603 and 779 taxa, an increase of ~33-46% from previous checklists, rendering it the most lichenologically diverse National Park in the United States.

Broader Impacts:

1 - New York Botanical Garden, 200th Stree and Southern Blvd, Bronx, NY, 10458, USA
2 - New York Botanic Garden, 200th Street And Southern Blvd, Bronx, NY, 10458, USA

Keywords:
Biodiversity
eastern north america
lichen
collections
national park
appalachian.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Sections
Session: 04
Location: Lindell B/Chase Park Plaza
Date: Monday, July 11th, 2011
Time: 8:30 AM
Number: 04001
Abstract ID:356