Preliminary Record of Mangrove Lichens in Davao City, Philippines
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55927/eajmr.v5i3.61Keywords:
biodiversity, bioindicators, Graphidaceae, mangrove lichens, mangrove conservationAbstract
This study offers the first documentation of mangrove species in Davao City, addressing the biodiversity paradox of uncharted Philippine mangrove lichens. Ninety mature trees from Matina, Panacan, and Lasang were sampled in September and October of 2025 to assess mangrove lichen diversity. A total of 31 species from 12 families were identified using morphoanatomical analysis and chemical spot testing. While the disturbed Lasang site showed habitat homogeneity dominated by stress-tolerant dust lichens, Matina served as a biodiversity reservoir for Graphis species. These results provide crucial biogeographic baseline data, as the majority of species still lack IUCN data. The findings highlight the need to protect urban mangroves as vital habitats for distinctive epiphytic communities amid growing coastal development.
References
Aptroot, A. (2002). New and interesting lichens and lichenicolous fungi in Brazil. Fungal Diversity, 9, 15–45. https://www.fungaldiversity.org/fdp/sfdp/9-2.pdf
Aptroot, A. (2012). A world key to the species of Anthracothecium and Pyrenula. The Lichenologist, 44(1), 5–53. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0024282911000624
Aptroot, A., & Herk, C. M. V. (2007). Further evidence of the effects of global warming on lichens, particularly those with Trentepohlia phycobionts. Environmental Pollution, 146(3), 716–720. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2006.03.018
Aptroot, A., & Lücking, R. (2016). A revisionary synopsis of the Trypetheliaceae (Ascomycota: Trypetheliales). The Lichenologist, 48(6), 763–982. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0024282916000487
Archer, A. W. (2001). The lichen genera Phaeographis and Phaeographina (Graphidaceae) in Australia 2: Phaeographina—new reports and new species. Telopea, 9(2), 329–344. https://doi.org/10.7751/telopea20013006
Archer, A. W., Elix, J. A., Fischer, E., Killmann, D., & Sérusiaux, E. (2009). The lichen genus Pertusaria (Ascomycota) in Central Africa (Congo/Kivu, Rwanda, and Burundi) and Western Kenya. Nova Hedwigia, 88(3-4), 309–322. https://doi.org/10.1127/0029-5035/2009/0088-0309
Awasthi, D. D. (1975). A monograph of the lichen genus Dirinaria. Bibliotheca Lichenologica.
Awasthi, D. D. (1991). Key to the microlichens of India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. J. Cramer.
Berba, C. M. P., & Matias, A. M. A. (2022). State of biodiversity documentation in the Philippines: Metadata gaps, taxonomic biases, and spatial biases in the DNA barcode data of animal and plant taxa in the context of species occurrence data. PeerJ, 10, e13146. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13146
Brown, J. H., & Lomolino, M. V. (1998). Biogeography (2nd ed.). Sinauer Associates. https://doi.org/10.1002/mmnz.20000760118
Connell, J. H. (1978). Diversity in tropical rainforests and coral reefs. Science, 199(4335), 1302–1310. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.199.4335.1302
Costello, M. J., Vanhoorne, B., & Appeltans, W. (2015). Conservation of biodiversity through taxonomy, data publication, and collaborative infrastructures. Conservation Biology, 29(4), 1094–1099. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12496
Das, K., Nikita, B. P., Rani, A., & Uniyal, P. L. (2021). Lichens as bioindicators and biomonitoring agents. Environmental International Journal of Science and Technology, 15, 18–25. https://tinyurl.com/ye248jkk
Ekman, S. (2001). Molecular phylogeny of the Bacidiaceae (Lecanorales, lichenized Ascomycota). Mycological Research, 105(7), 783–797. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0953756201004269
Ellis, C. J. (2012). Lichen epiphyte diversity: A species, community and trait-based review. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics, 14(2), 131–152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ppees.2011.10.001
Ertz, D., & Diederich, P. (2007). Revision of the Opegrapha species with muriform ascospores (previously Dictyographa) (lichenized Roccellaceae). The Lichenologist, 39(2), 143–151. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0024282907006470
Fajardo, W. T., & Bawingan, P. A. (2019). Taxonomy and new records of Graphidaceae lichens in Western Pangasinan, Northern Philippines. Philippine Journal of Systematic Biology, 13(1), 40–54. https://doi.org/10.26757/pjsb2019b13006
Haelewaters, D., Matthews, T. J., Wayman, J. P., Belvaux, B., Piquet, A., & Pfister, D. H. (2024). Biological knowledge shortfalls impede conservation efforts in poorly studied taxa—A case study of Laboulbeniomycetes. Journal of Biogeography, 51(1), 29–39. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.14725
Hammer, Ø., Harper, D. A. T., & Ryan, P. D. (2001). PAST: Paleontological statistics software package for education and data analysis. Palaeontologia Electronica, 4(1), 9. https://palaeo-electronica.org/2001_1/past/issue1_01.htm
Holling, C. S. (1973). Resilience and stability of ecological systems. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 4, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.es.04.110173.000245
Hortal, J., de Bello, F., Diniz-Filho, J. A. F., Lewinsohn, T. M., Lobo, J. M., & Ladle, R. J. (2015). Seven shortfalls that beset large-scale knowledge of biodiversity. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, 46, 523–549. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-112414-054400
International Union for Conservation of Nature. (2020). IUCN Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (EICAT) Guidelines (Version 1.1). https://iucn.org/sites/default/files/2023-02/eicat-guidelines-final-v1.1.pdf
International Union for Conservation of Nature. (2024). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (Version 2023–1). http://www.iucnredlist.org
Ismail, A., Hakim, N. S. A., Radzun, K. A., & Syazwan, S. A. (2024). Abiotic factors and distribution patterns of epiphytic lichens inhabiting different altitudes. Biodiversitas, 25(9), 3084–3094. https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d250930
IUCN SSC Lichen Specialist Group. (2024). Report of the Lichen Specialist Group on unlisted species and habitat uniqueness. International Union for Conservation of Nature. http://www.iucn.org
Jia, Z. F., & Wei, J. C. (2008). Graphis fujianensis, a new species of Graphidaceae from China. Mycotaxon, 104, 107–110. https://doi.org/10.5962/p.414382
Joshi, S., Upreti, D. K., Divakar, P. K., Lumbsch, H. T., & Lücking, R. (2018). A re-evaluation of thelotremoid Graphidaceae (lichenized Ascomycota: Ostropales) in India. The Lichenologist, 50(6), 627–678. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0024282918000439
Kalb, K. (2001). New or otherwise interesting lichens I. Bibliotheca Lichenologica, 78, 141–168. https://tinyurl.com/8xmf2rke
Kalb, K., Staiger, B., & Elix, J. A. (2004). A monograph of the lichen genus Diorygma—a first attempt. Symbolae Botanicae Upsalienses, 34(1), 133–181. https://tinyurl.com/yc2waf9w
Kantvilas, G. (2021). A synopsis of the genus Arthothelium (Arthoniales) in Tasmania. The Lichenologist, 53(6), 415–431. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0024282921000402
Ladle, R., & Hortal, J. (2013). Mapping species distributions: Living with uncertainty. Frontiers of Biogeography, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.21425/F55112942
Lee, B. G., & Hur, J. S. (2022). A new species and four new records of Bacidia (Lecanorales, Ramalinaceae) from South Korea, with a key to Korean species. MycoKeys, 93, 107–125. https://doi.org/10.3897/mycokeys.93.89283
Lendemer, J. C. (2011). A standardized morphological terminology and descriptive scheme for Lepraria (Stereocaulaceae). The Lichenologist, 43(5), 379–399. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0024282911000326
Logesh, A. R., Upreti, D. K., Kalaiselvam, M., & Nayaka, S. (2012). Lichen flora of Pichavaram and Muthupet mangroves (Southeast coast of India). Mycosphere, 3(6), 884–888. https://doi.org/10.5943/mycosphere/3/6/1
Lucban, M. C., & Paguirigan, J. A. G. (2019). Occurrence of manglicolous lichens in Calabarzon, Philippines. Studies in Fungi, 4(1), 263–273. https://doi.org/10.5943/sif/4/1/28
Lücking, R., & Kalb, K. (2018). Formal instatement of Allographa (Graphidaceae): How to deal with a hyperdiverse genus complex with cryptic differentiation and paucity of molecular data. Herzogia, 31(1), 535–561. https://doi.org/10.13158/heia.31.1.2018.535
Lücking, R., Archer, A. W., & Aptroot, A. (2009). A world-wide key to the genus Graphis (Ostropales: Graphidaceae). The Lichenologist, 41(4), 363–452. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0024282909008305
Magurran, A. E. (2004). Measuring biological diversity. Blackwell Science. https://tinyurl.com/56vfstyf
Mongkolsuk, P., Meesim, S., Poengsungnoen, V., Buaruang, K., Schumm, F., & Kalb, K. (2015). The lichen family Physciaceae in Thailand—II. Contributions to the genus Heterodermia sensu lato. Phytotaxa, 235(1), 1–66. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.235.1.1
Mora, C., Tittensor, D. P., Adl, S., Simpson, A. G. B., & Worm, B. (2011). How many species are there on Earth and in the ocean? PLOS Biology, 9(8), e1001127. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001127
Nash, T. H. (2002). Lichen flora of the Greater Sonoran Desert Region: Most of the microlichens, balance of the macrolichens, and the lichenicolous fungi (Vol. 2). Lichens Unlimited, Arizona State University. https://tinyurl.com/54na3dtt
Nayaka, S. (2014). Methods and techniques in collection, preservation and identification of lichens. In S. Jha (Ed.), Plant taxonomy and biosystematics: Classical and modern methods (pp. 101–105). New India Publishing Agency. https://tinyurl.com/5axykx9w
Neyens, T., Diggle, P. J., Faes, C., Beenaerts, N., Somers, B., & Hens, N. (2019). Mapping species richness using opportunistic samples: A case study on ground-floor bryophyte species richness in the Belgian province of Limburg. Scientific Reports, 9, 19122. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-55593-x
Panda, M., Murthy, T. V. R., Samal, R. N., Lele, N., Patnaik, A. K., & Chand, P. K. (2017). A comparative study of manglicolous lichens and their distribution inside Bhitarkanika National Park (Odisha), India. Studies in Fungi, 2(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.5943/sif/2/1/1
Patiño, J., & Vanderpoorten, A. (2021). Island biogeography: An avenue for research in bryology. Bryophyte Diversity and Evolution, 43(1), 206–220. https://doi.org/10.11646/bde.43.1.15
Printzen, C., & Tønsberg, T. (1999). The lichen genus Biatora in northwestern North America. The Bryologist, 102(4), 692–713. https://doi.org/10.2307/3244251
Ram, T. J., & Sinha, G. P. (2016). A world key to Cryptothecia and Myriostigma (Arthoniaceae), with new species and new records from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. Phytotaxa, 266(2), 103–114. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.266.2.4
Reynolds, C. L., Er, O. A., Winder, L., & Blanchard, A. (2017). Distribution and community composition of lichens on mature mangroves (Avicennia marina subsp. australasica) in New Zealand. PLoS ONE, 12(7), e0180525. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0180525
Rivas Plata, E., Lücking, R., & Lumbsch, H. T. (2012). A new classification for the family Graphidaceae (Ascomycota: Lecanoromycetes: Ostropales). Fungal Diversity, 52, 107–121. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13225-011-0135-8
Rogers, R. W. (1986). The genus Pyxine (Physciaceae, lichenized Ascomycetes) in Australia. Australian Journal of Botany, 34(2), 131–154. https://doi.org/10.1071/BT9860131
Santos, L. A. D., Aptroot, A., Lücking, R., & Cáceres, M. E. S. (2023). Lecanora s. lat. (Ascomycota, Lecanoraceae) in Brazil: DNA barcoding coupled with phenotype characters reveals numerous novel species. Journal of Fungi, 9(4), 415. https://doi.org/10.3390/jof9040415
Scheffers, B. R., Joppa, L. N., Pimm, S. L., & Laurance, W. F. (2012). What we know and don’t know about Earth's missing biodiversity. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 27(9), 501–510. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2012.05.008
Tatipamula, V. B., Killari, K. N., Polimati, H., Prasad, G. V., & Enamala, S. (2021). Chemical and biological investigations on mangrove associated lichens (manglicolous lichens) from India. Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 83(2), 186–194. https://doi.org/10.36468/pharmaceutical-sciences.764
Weerakoon, G., Aptroot, A., Lumbsch, H. T., Wolseley, P. A., Damayanthi, P. M., Karunaratne, S., & Wijeyaratne, S. C. (2012). New molecular data on Pyrenulaceae from Sri Lanka reveal two well-supported groups within this family. The Lichenologist, 44(5), 639–647. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0024282912000333
Wei, X., Schmitt, I., Hodkinson, B., Flakus, A., Kukwa, M., Libertuofer, S., & Lumbsch, H. T. (2017). Circumscription of the genus Lepra, a recently resurrected genus to accommodate the “Variolaria”-group of Pertusaria sensu lato. PLoS ONE, 12(7), e0180284. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0180284
Westberg, M. (2005). The lichen genus Candelariella in western North America. Lund University. https://tinyurl.com/yvxxm9e3
Whittaker, R. J., Araújo, M. B., Jepson, P., Ladle, R. J., Watson, J. E. M., & Willis, K. J. (2005). Conservation biogeography: Assessment and prospect. Diversity and Distributions, 11(1), 3–23. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1366-9516.2005.00143.x
Downloads
Published
Versions
- 2026-04-01 (2)
- 2026-03-27 (1)
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Edgie Boy B. Tadena, Analou D. Dedal
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
