Distinct lichen community in riparian forests along an anthropogenic disturbance gradient in Southern Brazil

Abstract The riparian forest sustains an expressive richness and diversity of species and anthropogenic impacts in certain sites have caused changes in the structure of the communities. This study aimed to analyze the composition and structural parameters of the lichen community in riparian forests. The study was carried out in seven sites surrounded by different matrices: rural, urban and industrial. The lichens were mapped using the acetate method and the composition and phytosociological parameters were analyzed. A total of 208 species were identified. The riparian forest sites of the rural matrix differed from the others by the dominance of the morphological forms crustose and squamulose, as well as the predominance of species from humid and shaded environments. Phyllopsora lividocarpa, Phyllopsora parvifolia and Herpothallon minimum presented the highest importance values in the forest sites. The lichen community presented greater homogeneity in riparian forest sites of the urban-industrial matrix. Modifications in the species’ composition and structural parameters of the lichen community demonstrated a gradient of disturbances in the different matrices. Preservation actions of riparian forests are essential for the conservation of the species and landscape connectivity since they act as an important reservoir of biodiversity in sites of subtropical watersheds.