Abstract

HERRERA-CAMPOS, Ma. de los Ángeles et al. Biodiversity of lichens in Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodiv. [online]. 2014, vol.85, suppl., pp.S82-S99. ISSN 2007-8706.  https://doi.org/10.7550/rmb.37003.

Mexican lichen species richness is not known with certainty. It is estimated, for example, that 3 600 species could occur only on its tropical parts, which is half of the total estimated for the Neotropics. Considering Mexico's climate and non-tropical vegetation diversity, the number of lichen species, as some authors estimate, may reach 5 000. Therefore, the country would be only second to Brazil (4 900 lichen species in its tropical parts) among the Neotropical countries and it could harbor between 18-37% of the 13 500 to 20 000 estimated species worldwide. We consider that only near 50% of the Mexican lichen species have been recorded. The goal is to present an updated account of the known lichen species for Mexico. Herein, 2 722 species and 111 infraspecific categories grouped in 2 divisions, 2 subdivisions, 6 classes, 21 orders, 84 families, and 64 genera are recorded. Ninety percent of the species are chlorolichens and the remaining 10% cyanolichens. Crustose lichens are the most frequent growth form (62%), followed by foliose (28%), and fruticose forms (11%). The most common substrate is bark (46%), followed by rocks (34%), leaves (11%) and soil (10%). Temperate forest is the species richest type of vegetation (947 species), followed by xerophytic scrubland (544), tropical humid forest (391), seasonal dry forest (386) and humid mountain forest (230). The states with higher number of lichen species are Baja California (710), Veracruz (700), Sonora (518), Chihuahua (515) and Baja California Sur (511), and those with less species are Campeche (17), Aguascalientes (2) and Tabasco (1). However, these figures reflect more the disparity in the number of studies conducted in each state than real differences in lichen diversity among states.

Keywords : lichens; biodiversity; Mexico.

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