Growth form matters – Crustose lichens on dead wood are sensitive to forest management

Lichens have a vital role in forest ecosystems and they are threatened group boreal forests. However, the conservation ecology of total lichen community has very rarely been studied. Here we studied species communities, including macrolichens (=foliose fruticose growth forms) crustose lichens, on decaying wood spruce-dominated forests Finland. We also obligate lignicoles that grow only dead mostly form. Species richness composition were examined logs natural or cut stumps Picea abies at different decay stages (2–5) 14 stands, half which seminatural recently managed. used thorough search to yield list as close complete possible. Our study questions were: 1) Are communities managed forests, if so, there differences between macrolichens, lichens how respond management? 2) How does stage type affect i.e. logs? found 127 species. Most (75 %) recorded crustose. With generalized linear model had higher than but macrolichen was not significantly affected by management. Utilizing non-metric multidimensional scaling discovered site level unit significant effect composition, so all groups declined during process. The (stump vs log) lignicoles, both for stumps, well lichens.