Abstract
The global decline in biodiversity has invigorated the field of conservation biology, leading to investigation of species at risk of extinction in hopes of generating effective conservation strategies. Some highly diverse taxa, such as lichens, have received considerably less conservation attention, compared to plants and vertebrates. Here we add present the results of a comprehensive demographic survey and IUCN risk assessment of Cladonia submitis, a conspicuous macrolichen endemic to the Mid-Atlantic coast of eastern North America, across the core of its range. While it was found at several new locations, we found the species had disappeared from many locations where it once occurred. This decline, in conjunction with its restricted range, supports a status of Endangered under IUCN guidelines. While fire and sea level rise likely pose threats to the species, the most immediate threat is urbanization and alteration of coastal dunes. This evaluation does not consider collections from Japan and Sakhalin Island which have been assigned as C. submitis, due to differences in range, habitat and morphology that suggest this identification is inaccurate. In the absence of a proper taxonomic assessment or phylogenetic study to answer this question of identity, Japanese specimens could not be considered in this assessment. Altogether, this study provides a basis for effective management strategies of this charismatic species whose core range consists of the densely populated region between the American cities of Boston and Washington, D.C.
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Acknowledgements
A great thanks is extended to the Rutgers Pinelands Field Station for providing housing and the use of their facility over the course of this study. Additionally, thank you to Boy Scout troop 48 of Egg Harbor Township and to Tom Walker for your assistance in the field. Dr. Jessica Allen was invaluable resources in structuring, preparing and executing this study. Mike Baxter was instrumental in gathering high-quality scanning electron microscopy of specimens examined. Keith Seager, Rick Radis and David Snyder were all critical in understanding what happened to the lichens on Cape May dunes. This manuscript is part of a dissertation by the first author and was supported by NSF Dimensions of Biodiversity award #1542629 and #154263, as well as the student research grant by the Philadelphia Botanical Club and the Culberson and Hale award by the American Bryological and Lichenological Society.
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Hoffman, J.R., Ohmura, Y. & Lendemer, J.C. Combing for beach broccoli: surveys of the endemic macrolichen Cladonia submitis determines endangered status under IUCN guidelines. Biodivers Conserv 29, 2439–2456 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-020-01983-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-020-01983-x