Lichens and Bryophytes Subprogramme

Lichens

Lichens are composite organisms comprising, in most cases, an Ascomycete fungus and a unicellular green alga. More than 3200 species are known to occur in Australia and its external territories, representing about 400 genera in about 100 families. Lichens are especially diverse in tropical and temperate regions, that is, near the east coast from north Queensland to Tasmania. While species numbers are far smaller in semi-arid and arid parts of the country, their biomass in those regions is considerable and their biological significance profound.

Environmental significance

Most lichens grow on bare rock, soil or on the bark of trees and shrubs. Their ability to exploit extreme habitats, coupled with the sensitivity of their fungus-alga symbiosis, mean that they not only possess a tangible and important ecological role, but also their diversity and abundance are reliable biological indicators of overall environmental health.

Lichens colonise bare rock, over time breaking down the substratum and beginning the process of soil-formation.
In semi-arid and arid Australia, vast communities of soil-inhabiting lichens bind the substratum by means of minute root-like organs, thus reducing erosion.
The sensitivity of the lichen symbiosis even to very small levels of pollutants in the air means they are ideal biological indicators of air quality in urban, suburban and agricultural areas.
Lichens are especially diverse in tropical and subtropical rainforest. The structure of lichen communities on the bark and leaves of trees and shrubs is a reliable indicator of forest type and the extent of disturbance.
Lichens produce unique secondary compounds. Some have proven pharmaceutical value, and the potential of other species in the diverse Australian lichen flora has not gone unnoticed.

With more than 3200 species currently known from Australia, the lichens are both a diverse and an ecologically important group of organisms.

To date, ABRS has published the first four lichen volumes of the Flora of Australia, and it maintains a comprehensive online checklist of Australian species (Checklist of Australian Lichens).

Links to other relevant works by ABRS

Flora of Australia Volume 54. Lichens - Introduction, Lecanorales 1
Flora of Australia Volume 55. Lichens - Lecanorales 2, Parmeliaceae
Flora of Australia Volume 56A. Lichens 4
Flora of Australia Volume 58A. Lichens 3

Australian Flora and Fauna Series No. 4. Index to Type Specimens of Australian Lichens: 1800–1984 - OUT OF PRINT

Flora of Australia Supplementary Series No. 7. Checklist of Australian Lichens and Allied Fungi - OUT OF PRINT This has been superseded by the online Checklist of the Lichens of Australia and its Island Territories and Flora of Australia Supplementary Series No. 19. Catalogue of Australian Lichens
Flora of Australia Supplementary Series No. 9. Lichens of Rainforest in Tasmania and South-eastern Australia
Flora of Australia Supplementary Series No. 11. Key to the Genera of Australian Lichens: Apothecial Crusts - OUT OF PRINT
Flora of Australia Supplementary Series No. 15. Tasmanian Lichens Identification, Distribution and Conservation Status I. Parmeliaceae
Flora of Australia Supplementary Series No. 19. Catalogue of Australian Lichens
Flora of Australia Supplementary Series No. 23. Key to the Genera of Australian Macrolichens

Checklist of the Lichens of Australia and its Island Territories Online

For more information on the above volumes see Flora of Australia, Flora of Australia Supplementary Series and Australian Flora and Fauna Series.

Bryophytes

Bryophytes (mainly mosses and liverworts) are primitive, green, mainly terrestrial plants. Most inhabit soil, bare rock and the bark of trees, and they are especially diverse and luxuriant in damp, shaded habitats from the tropics to cool-temperate regions, as well as montane areas. Conversely, a comparatively small number of specialised taxa thrive in the more extreme conditions prevalent in semi-arid and arid Australia. At least 1800 bryophyte species (including mosses, liverworts and hornworts) are known from Australia, these comprising significant endemic, southern-temperate, pantropical and cosmopolitan elements.

Environmental significance

Important pioneer colonisers of bare soil and, less significantly, rock and bark.
In terms of habitat preference, bryophytes are especially prominent in tropical to cool-temperate rainforest, where their considerable biomass can make them a highly significant component of the vegetation.
In semi-arid and arid Australia, soil-inhabiting bryophytes play a significant role in binding and stabilising fragile soil.
As with lichens, bryophytes possess a similar, although less well documented sensitivity to air pollution.

Links to other relevant works by ABRS

Flora of Australia Volume 51. Mosses 1

Australian Flora and Fauna Series No. 2. Southern Australian Liverworts - OUT OF PRINT
Australian Flora and Fauna Series No. 10. Catalogue of Mosses of Australia and its External Territories - OUT OF PRINT

Flora of Australia Supplementary Series No. 2. Register of Type Specimens of Mosses in Australian Herbaria.
Flora of Australia Supplementary Series No. 14. Key to the Genera of Australian Mosses - OUT OF PRINT
Flora of Australia Supplementary Series No. 16. The Mosses of Norfolk Island
Flora of Australia Supplementary Series No. 17. Catalogue of Australian Mosses
Flora of Australia Supplementary Series No. 20. A Field Guide to the Mosses & Allied Plants of Southern Australia
Flora of Australia Supplementary Series No. 21. Catalogue of Australian Liverworts & Hornworts

ABRS Identification Series CD ROM Key to Australasian Liverwort and Hornwort Genera

Checklist of Australian Liverworts and Hornworts Online

For more information on the above volumes see Flora of Australia, Flora of Australia Supplementary Series and Australian Flora and Fauna Series.

Go to Contacts for information on the responsible officer for the Lichens and Bryophytes.