Arvind Prajapati* and S. C. Tiwari

Department of Forestry Wildlife & Environmental Sciences, Guru GhasidasVishwavidyalaya, Bilaspur-495 009 (India)

ABSTRACT

Lichens have capability to grow on a variety of substrates (rock, soil, and trees) under extreme environmental conditions which make them cosmopolitan in nature. Basically there are four main types of lichen thalii recognizable on the basis of their general habit of growth, form and manner of attachment to the substrates; these are Crustose, Foliose, squamulose and Fruticose. Due to variation in topography, soil structure and high rainfall, in combination with perennial and annual diverse environmental condition in Amarkantak lead to the luxuriant growth of lichens which have immense ecological value. The lichen species were collected and identified at the National Botanical Research Institute Lucknow and deposited at the Lichenology lab (LWG), Lucknow. Distribution of terricolous lichens in Amarkantak Maikal Mountain is represented by physical and biological factors: physical and chemical characteristics of the soil, moisture regimes, temperature, insulations, and development and composition of forest. Fruticose species are least abundant in exposed locations. The occurrences of only 3 lichen species in undisturbed site signify the rate of soil degradation in Amarkantak tourist place. This paper describes and discusses terricolous lichen communities of dense Sal forests of Amarkantak.

Key words : Terricolous lichen, Soil degradation, Amarkantak,

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