Small increase in sub-stratum pH causes the dieback of one of Europe's most common lichens, Lecanora conizaeoides

Backgrounds and Aims Lecanora conizaeoides was until recently western and central Europe's most abundant epiphytic lichen species or at least one of the most common epiphytes. The species is adapted to very acidic conditions at pH values around 3 and high concentrations of SO2 and its derivatives formed in aqueous solution, and thus spread with increasing SO2 deposition during the 19th and 20th centuries. With the recent decrease of SO2 emissions to nearly pre-industrial levels within 20 years, L. conizaeoides declined from most of its former range. If still present, the species is no longer the dominant epiphyte, but is occurring in small densities only. The rapid spread of the L. conizaeoides in Europe from an extremely rare species to the probably most frequent epiphytic lichen and the subsequent rapid dieback are unprecedented by any other organism. The present study aimed at identifying the magnitude of deacidification needed to cause the dieback of the lichen. Methods The epiphytic lichen diversity and bark chemistry of montane spruce forests in the Harz Mountains, northern Germany, were studied and the results were compared with data recorded with the same methods 13-15 years ago. Key Results Lecanora conizaeoides, which was the dominant epiphyte of the study area until 15 years ago, is still found on most trees, but only with small cover values of <= 1%. The bark pH increased by only 0.4 pH units. Conclusions The data suggest that only slight deacidification of the substratum causes the breakdown of the L. conizaeoides populations. Neither competitors nor parasites of L. conizaeoides that may have profited from reduced SO2 concentrations are likely causes of the rapid dieback of the species.