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Relationships between air pollution, population density, and lichen biodiversity in the Niagara Escarpment World Biosphere Reserve

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 September 2016

Richard Troy McMULLIN ,
Lindsay L. BENNETT ,
Owen J. BJORGAN ,
Danielle A. BOURQUE ,
Charlotte J. BURKE ,
Mackenzie A. CLARKE ,
Marie K. GUTGESELL ,
Peter L. KRAWIEC ,
Rachel MALYON  and
Annemarie MANTIONE
...Show all authors
Richard Troy McMULLIN*
Affiliation:
Canadian Museum of Nature, PO Box 3443, Station D, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1P 6P4
Lindsay L. BENNETT
Affiliation:
Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, Biodiversity Institute of Ontario (BIO), University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, N1G 2W1
Owen J. BJORGAN
Affiliation:
Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, Biodiversity Institute of Ontario (BIO), University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, N1G 2W1
Danielle A. BOURQUE
Affiliation:
Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, Biodiversity Institute of Ontario (BIO), University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, N1G 2W1
Charlotte J. BURKE
Affiliation:
Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, Biodiversity Institute of Ontario (BIO), University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, N1G 2W1
Mackenzie A. CLARKE
Affiliation:
Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, Biodiversity Institute of Ontario (BIO), University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, N1G 2W1
Marie K. GUTGESELL
Affiliation:
Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, Biodiversity Institute of Ontario (BIO), University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, N1G 2W1
Peter L. KRAWIEC
Affiliation:
Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, Biodiversity Institute of Ontario (BIO), University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, N1G 2W1
Rachel MALYON
Affiliation:
Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, Biodiversity Institute of Ontario (BIO), University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, N1G 2W1
Annemarie MANTIONE
Affiliation:
Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, Biodiversity Institute of Ontario (BIO), University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, N1G 2W1
Amanda T. PIOTROWSKI
Affiliation:
Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, Biodiversity Institute of Ontario (BIO), University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, N1G 2W1
Nicholas Y. TAM
Affiliation:
Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, Biodiversity Institute of Ontario (BIO), University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, N1G 2W1
Alyson C. VAN NATTO
Affiliation:
Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, Biodiversity Institute of Ontario (BIO), University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, N1G 2W1
Yolanda F. WIERSMA
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, Memorial University, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, A1B 3X9
Steven G. NEWMASTER
Affiliation:
Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, Biodiversity Institute of Ontario (BIO), University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, N1G 2W1
*
Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

The fragmented ecosystems along the Niagara Escarpment World Biosphere Reserve provide important habitats for biota including lichens. Nonetheless, the Reserve is disturbed by dense human populations and associated air pollution. Here we investigated patterns of lichen diversity within urban and rural sites at three different locations (Niagara, Hamilton, and Owen Sound) along the Niagara Escarpment in Ontario, Canada. Our results indicate that both lichen species richness and community composition are negatively correlated with increasing human population density and air pollution. However, our quantitative analysis of community composition using canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) indicates that human population density and air pollution is more independent than might be assumed. The CCA analysis suggests that the strongest environmental gradient (CCA1) associated with lichen community composition includes regional pollution load and climatic variables; the second gradient (CCA2) is associated with local pollution load and human population density factors. These results increase the knowledge of lichen biodiversity for the Niagara Escarpment and urban and rural fragmented ecosystems as well as along gradients of human population density and air pollution; they suggest a differential influence of regional and local pollution loads and population density factors. This study provides baseline knowledge for further research and conservation initiatives along the Niagara Escarpment World Biosphere Reserve.

Keywords

bioindicatorsconservationfragmentationGreat Lakes regionhabitat lossUNESCO
Type
Articles
Information
The Lichenologist , Volume 48 , Issue 5 , September 2016 , pp. 593 - 605
Copyright
© British Lichen Society, 2016 

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