Lichens as indicators of bog-community degeneration

Abstract

The lichen flora of raised and transition-bogs in West Pomerania (N Poland) is poor and characterized by dominance of acidophilous epiphytes associated with pine bark, and of humus-loving lichens. Lichens are not good indicators of the degradation of transition and raised-bog phytocoenoses, mainly because it is difficult to properly determine their response - whether it is caused by natural or anthropogenic factors. U does not seem possible to create a lichenoindicative system for bogs, similar to that used in studies of the pollution of the atmospheric air. Lichens can successfully be used in analyses of changes in thc vegetation of isolated bogs; this should, however, be done at the most in addition to other procedures used to determine the degree of naturalness of plant communities.

Keywords

• lichens
• bog-communities
• degeneration
• bioindicators
• Poland.