Bactrospora brodoi
Local name: amerikansk sönderfallslav
Overview
Bactrospora brodoi is a corticolous (bark-dwelling) crustose lichen of uncertain family placement in the order Arthoniales. Described in 1993 by José María Egea and Pilar Torrente and named for the Canadian lichenologist Irwin M. Brodo, it forms a very thin, mostly immersed pale film with tiny black, rimless discs and produces very slender, many-celled ascospores; a conspicuous asexual stage with larger pycnidia is frequent in Fennoscandia and parts of eastern Canada.
The species is rare and boreal, known from eastern Canada and Fennoscandia, with a doubtful outlier reported from coastal California. It favours long-continuity, humid spruce forests, especially the dead, bark-covered lower twigs of very old Norway spruce ; in Canada it also occurs on yellow birch and eastern white-cedar in...
Bactrospora brodoi faces significant threats from air pollution and acid rain, which degrade the specific bark chemistry and air quality conditions this sensitive lichen requires. Climate change is altering precipitation patterns and temperature regimes in its forest habitats, while habitat fragmentation from logging and urban development reduces available substrate trees and creates edge effects that compromise suitable microhabitats.
Habitat
This crustose lichen grows on the bark of deciduous and coniferous trees in mature and old-growth forests, particularly favoring trees with specific bark chemistry in humid, shaded forest environments. It requires stable microclimatic conditions with consistent moisture levels and clean air quality typical of undisturbed forest ecosystems.
Other threatened species in Roccellaceae
Frequently asked questions
Why is amerikansk sönderfallslav classified as Vulnerable?
Where does amerikansk sönderfallslav live?
What are the main threats to amerikansk sönderfallslav?
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