Lichens in Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park, Montana

Abstract

In this study we identified 160 species of lichens among 67 genera from 22 sites in seven vegetation types at Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park, Jefferson County, Montana. Crustose species were the most common (4 4%), whereas 42 percent were foliose, 5.5 percent were fruticose, 5.5 percent were squamulose and 3 percent were Cladonia species. Fifty-six percent occurred on rock, 29 percent on bark or wood, 7 percent on soil, and 8 percent on moss, litter. Decaying wood or other lichens. We found the greatest diversity of species in moist Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga merciesii) in which we collected 87 species and in mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus ledifolius) sites with 86 collected species. The smallest number of species occurred in the one willow (Salix spp.) grassland site in which we collected only 20 species. Others had previously collected 18 species among seven additional genera, so we report a total of 178 lichen species among 74 genera for Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park.