Foliose lichen community on Piptocarpha angustifolia Dusen ex Malme (Asteraceae) in an area of native Araucaria forest in Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil.

Foliose lichen community on Piptocarpha angustifolia Dusen ex Malme (Asteraceae) in an area of native Araucaria forest in Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. The present study aims to characterize the corticolous foliose lichen community found on Piptocarpha angustifolia through its composition, richness, and species cover, and also correlate these parameters with some environmental factors. Lichens were sampled on trunks of 30 trees using the rubber band method, and environmental factors, such as distance of the tree from the forest edge, canopy openness above the trunks, superficial bark pH and the diameter of the trees were considered. A total of 70 lichen species, distributed in 14 genera and five families, were identified. Punctelia sp 1 presented the greatest importance value, followed by Heterodermia obscurata (Nyl.) Trevis. Regarding the influence of environmental factors, only diameter of trunks was significantly correlated with richness. These results contribute to the understanding of lichen communities in areas of native Araucaria forests and highlight the importance of new studies on lichenized fungi.