Cladonia perforata

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Cladonia perforata
Cladonia perforata.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Lecanoromycetes
Order: Lecanorales
Family: Cladoniaceae
Genus: Cladonia
Species:
C. perforata
Binomial name
Cladonia perforata

Cladonia perforata is a rare species of lichen known as Florida perforate cladonia and Florida perforate reindeer lichen. It is endemic to the state of Florida in the United States, where it is known from 16 populations in four widely separated areas of the state. [2] It is native to a very specific type of Florida scrub habitat which is increasingly rare and patchy due to habitat destruction, degradation, and fragmentation. [2] In 1993 this was the first species of lichen to be federally listed as an endangered species of the United States. [3] [4]

Contents

Description

Form Cladonia perforata 2.jpg
Form

This lichen is relatively large, its yellow-gray, slightly glossy fruiting body measuring up to 6 centimeters (2.4 in) in length. [5] The fruiting body, the visible part of the lichen, is a branching, tufted structure. [5] The branches, or podetia , are lined with hyphae on their inner surfaces and are perforated with tiny holes. [5] It and similar species undergo vegetative reproduction in which it clones by physically breaking up and spreading. [2] No sexual reproduction has been observed. [2] The lichen's method of biological dispersal is to have its fragments swept or blown to new locations. [2]

In general, this species is poorly known. Little information is available about its life history, including its precise reproductive cycle, growth, population dynamics, or any seasonal changes it might experience. [2]

Distribution and habitat

The habitat of this species is the white sand of the Florida scrub, already a rare and endangered type of ecosystem, and the lichen requires a specific spot within the habitat. [2] It can be found on high dunes and ridges among sand pines (Pinus clausa) in the part of the scrub understory called "rosemary balds": land dominated by Florida rosemary (Ceratiola ericoides). [6] The lichen occurs in very dry, open sites on sand with little plant cover around it. It can often be found tangled up in clumps with other species of lichen. [6]

It is difficult to estimate the abundance of this species. Much of the current data is outdated. The organism in question is often small and sometimes hard to spot on the ground or in the leaf litter. [2] Furthermore, what constitutes one individual organism is not always apparent; one living lichen may be several centimeters long or just a tiny fragment. Populations fluctuate often, occurrences are destroyed, and several new ones have been discovered and rediscovered in recent years. [2] The species was first discovered in 1945 by George A. Llano on Eglin Air Force Base property on Santa Rosa Island near Pensacola. [3] [7] This, the lichen's type locality, was later paved and the population presumably destroyed. [7] A population was rediscovered in this area of the Florida Panhandle in 1989. [3] [8] The species has a disjunct distribution: the other populations are located on the east and west coasts of the main peninsula of Florida.

Conservation

Threats to this species include development of its habitat for residential, agricultural, and commercial use, pollution and trash dumping, off-road vehicle use, trampling and crushing by people, animals, and vehicles, and severe storms and wildfires. [2] [5] Natural processes such as hurricanes and fires are necessary for maintaining habitat such as Florida scrub, but these events do kill the lichen by burning it, [9] crushing it to small pieces, sweeping it away in storm surges, or burying it in sand. [2] Hurricane Opal in 1995, for example, destroyed at least two known occurrences of the lichen. [2] [3] Lichen rescue operations are sometimes performed in the days after a hurricane in an effort to unbury individuals from sand and debris, and even pluck them out of trees where they have landed. [2] [4] Some individuals are collected on beds of sand and brought indoors when storms are expected. [2] Even if the lichen itself is undamaged in a storm, parts of its rare, limited potential habitat may be rendered unsuitable by disturbances. [6]

The lichen is also vulnerable because it is slow-growing, slow to recover after mortality, inefficient in its dispersal, and already rare with unstable populations. Its patchy, fragmented distribution makes it likely to experience isolation and extirpation of small populations. [2] [3] Since most populations are just clusters of clones, each population is extremely valuable in the conservation of the species. The populations occur in North, Central, and South Florida, and can be separated by hundreds of miles; gene flow between them is often highly unlikely. [2]

New populations have been reintroduced to appropriate habitat where the species has been observed before. [3] [9] Many populations are located in areas that are protected from development and fragmentation. At last review the species was still considered endangered. [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>Cladonia</i> Genus of lichenised fungi in the family Cladoniaceae

Cladonia is a genus of moss-like lichens in the family Cladoniaceae. They are the primary food source for reindeer/caribou. Cladonia species are of economic importance to reindeer-herders, such as the Sami in Scandinavia or the Nenets in Russia. Antibiotic compounds are extracted from some species to create antibiotic cream. The light green species Cladonia stellaris is used in flower decorations.

<i>Asimina tetramera</i> Species of tree

Asimina tetramera, commonly known as the four-petal pawpaw, is a rare species of small tree or perennial shrub endemic to Martin and Palm Beach Counties in the state of Florida. The species is currently listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act and as endangered by the International Union for Conservation. The four-petal pawpaw is part of the Annonaceae family alongside other Asimina species.

<i>Cetradonia</i> Genus of lichens

Cetradonia is a lichen genus in the family Cladoniaceae. A monotypic genus, Cetradonia contains the single species Cetradonia linearis. The genus was circumscribed in 2002 by Jiang-Chun Wei and Teuvo Ahti. The genus was once placed in the family Cetradoniaceae until that family was subsumed into the Cladoniaceae in 2006.

<i>Chionanthus pygmaeus</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Chrysopsis floridana</i> Species of plant

Chrysopsis floridana is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, known by its common name, Florida golden aster. It is endemic to Florida in the United States, where it is known from Hillsborough, Hardee, Manatee, and Pinellas Counties. It is considered an endemic of the west-central coast of the state in the general vicinity of Tampa Bay. There are 17 to 20 occurrences, many of which have few individuals, but one of which has over one million plants. In 1986 the plant was added to the US endangered species list because it was becoming increasingly rare, it was growing only on private property, and its habitat was unprotected and being destroyed and degraded by a number of forces. It is found at Bell Creek Nature Preserve in Riverview, Florida.

<i>Conradina brevifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Conradina brevifolia is a rare species of shrub in the mint family known by the common name short-leaved false rosemary. It is endemic to Central Florida, where it is known only from the Lake Wales Ridge. There are perhaps 36 occurrences of the plant remaining, and 10 of these are likely to be destroyed as their habitat is fragmented in the coming years. About 15% of the Lake Wales Ridge, the only home territory of the plant, remains today, the rest having been cleared for development and citrus groves. Few of the extant populations have more than 25 plants. This is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

<i>Conradina etonia</i> Species of flowering plant

Conradina etonia is a rare species of shrub in the mint family known by the common name Etonia rosemary. It is endemic to Putnam County, Florida, where it is known from about 8 populations on Etoniah Creek State Forest containing fewer than 1000 total individuals. It has a specific habitat requirement and the main threat it faces is destruction and degradation of its habitat. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

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<i>Dicerandra christmanii</i> Species of flowering plant

Dicerandra christmanii is a rare species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common names Garrett's mint, yellow scrub balm, and Lake Wales balm. It is endemic to Highlands County, Florida, in the United States, where it is known from only four sites on the Lake Wales Ridge. All are contained within a tract of land measuring 6 kilometers by 3 kilometers. The plant is steadily declining due to the destruction and degradation of its habitat, and only one of the four occurrences is on protected land. It is a federally listed endangered species.

Dicerandra cornutissima is a rare species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name longspurred mint, longspurred balm, and Robin's mint. It is endemic to Florida in the United States. It is found in Marion County, and possibly Sumter County, but it may have been totally extirpated from the latter. There are 15 known occurrences remaining. The plant was federally listed as an endangered species in 1985.

<i>Eryngium cuneifolium</i> Species of flowering plant in the celery family Apiaceae

Eryngium cuneifolium is a rare species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common names wedgeleaf eryngo, wedge-leaved button-snakeroot, and simply snakeroot. It is endemic to the state of Florida in the United States where it is known only from Highlands County. It is one of many rare species that can be found only on the Lake Wales Ridge, an area of high endemism. It was federally listed as an endangered species of the United States in 1987.

<i>Hypericum cumulicola</i> Species of flowering plant in the St Johns wort family Hypericaceae

Hypericum cumulicola is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Hypericaceae known by the common name highlands scrub hypericum, or highlands scrub St. John's wort. It is endemic to Florida, where it is threatened by habitat loss and degradation. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

<i>Liatris ohlingerae</i> Species of flowering plant

Liatris ohlingerae is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names Florida blazing star, Florida gayfeather, scrub blazing star, and sandtorch. It is endemic to Florida in the United States, where it occurs only on the Lake Wales Ridge along with many other rare plants. It is threatened by the loss and degradation of its habitat, and it is federally listed as an endangered species.

<i>Lupinus aridorum</i> Species of legume

Lupinus aridorum is a rare species of lupine known by the common name scrub lupine. It is endemic to Florida in the United States, where there were 10 known populations remaining in 2003. Fewer than 6000 individual plants were counted. It is threatened by the loss and degradation of its habitat. The scrub lupine is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

<i>Nolina brittoniana</i> Species of plant

Nolina brittoniana is a rare species of flowering plant in the asparagus family known by the common name Britton's beargrass. It is endemic to Florida, where there are 72 known populations, only a few of which are large enough to be considered viable. It is federally listed as an endangered species of the United States.

<i>Paronychia chartacea</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Pilosocereus robinii</i> Species of cactus

Pilosocereus robinii is a species of cactus known by the common name Key tree-cactus. It is native to the Florida Keys in the United States. It also occurs in Western Cuba and the Northern Bahamas. It has been erroneously reported from Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Mexico. It is a rare species which is threatened by the loss of its habitat. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

<i>Polygala lewtonii</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Polygonum basiramia</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Prunus geniculata</i> Species of tree

Prunus geniculata is a rare species of plum known by the common name scrub plum. The species is endemic to Florida.

References

  1. ↑ USDA Plants Profile
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 USFWS. Cladonia perforata Five-year Review. 2007.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Teague, D. and D. Ripley. A tale of two species. Endangered Species Bulletin. November, 2000.
  4. 1 2 Milius, S. Yikes! The Lichens Went Flying - lichens as endangered species. Science News August 26, 2000.
  5. 1 2 3 4 USFWS. Endangered or threatened status for seven Central Florida plants. Federal Register April 27, 1993.
  6. 1 2 3 USFWS. Cladonia perforata Species Fact Sheet. Multispecies Recovery Plan for South Florida.
  7. 1 2 Buckley, A. and T. O. Hendrickson. (1988). The distribution of Cladonia perforata Evans on the southern Lake Wales Ridge in Highlands County, Florida. The Bryologist91(4): 354–356.
  8. ↑ Wilhelm, G. S. and J. R. Burkhalter. (1990). Cladonia perforata, the Northwest Florida population. The Bryologist93(1): 66–68.
  9. 1 2 Yahr, R. (2003). Cladonia perforata. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2010. www.iucnredlist.org Archived June 27, 2014, at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved on 12 February 2011.
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