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10 July 2024 Assessment of Macrolichen Diversity at Ordway-Swisher Biological Station in Northern Florida Contributes to the Scientific Mission of NEON
Laurel Kaminsky, Matthew E. Smith
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) is gathering select ecological and taxonomic data across 81 sites in the United States and Puerto Rico. Lichens are one of the organismal groups that NEON has not yet assessed across these sites. Here we sampled lichens at Ordway-Swisher Biological Station (OSBS), a NEON site in north central Florida, to provide a baseline survey of the commonly encountered macrolichens (foliose, fruticose, and squamulose lichens). Macrolichens represent a subset of observable lichens and are more commonly surveyed than crustose lichens. Seventy-four species of macrolichens were collected, including 25 occurrences that constitute new records for Putnam County, Florida. The lichen diversity at OSBS comprised approximately 30% of the macrolichen diversity known from the entire state of Florida. Fifty-four taxa are common in the state of Florida, 12 infrequent across the state, and eight are considered rare. Macrolichens were the seventh most species-rich taxonomic groups at OSBS and more diverse than the NEON focal groups of mammals and fish. Lastly, we suggest a theoretical roadmap for how lichenologists could work together with NEON to include lichens in future datasets. We hope that biologists focused on other key organismal groups will sample in NEON sites so that NEON data can be leveraged appropriately in future cross-taxon studies of biodiversity at the continental scale.

Laurel Kaminsky and Matthew E. Smith "Assessment of Macrolichen Diversity at Ordway-Swisher Biological Station in Northern Florida Contributes to the Scientific Mission of NEON," Castanea 89(1), 1-11, (10 July 2024). https://doi.org/10.2179/0008-7475.89.1.1
Received: 14 July 2023; Accepted: 19 February 2024; Published: 10 July 2024
KEYWORDS
biodiversity
ecology
macrolichens
National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON)
taxonomic bias
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