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Bio-monitoring in Western North America: What Can Lichens Tell Us About Ecological Disturbances?

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Abstract

Throughout modern history, many habitats across western North America have faced continuous anthropogenic disturbances. Mining, forestry, agriculture, grazing, industrial and residential development, and air pollution have altered natural habitats to varying degrees. Lichens have been considered ‘a canary in the coalmine’ and can provide important insights into the biological impact of human-related disturbances. Here, we discuss the role of lichens as bio-monitors in the intermountain region of western North America.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to thank the dedicated employees of the USDA Forest Service whose knowledge, experience, insight, time, and kindness have played a crucial role in our research. The USDA Forest Service has provided long-term funding for this research, and additional funding sources include the Myrna Steinkamp Fund from the Colorado Native Plant Society, the Office of Research and Creative Activities at Brigham Young University, and the USDI Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Committee on Evolutionary Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Steven D. Leavitt

  2. Department of Biology and M.L. Bean Life Science Museum, Brigham Young University, 2103C MLBM, Provo, UT, 84602, USA

    Larry L. St. Clair

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  1. Steven D. Leavitt
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Correspondence to Steven D. Leavitt .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Lichenology Laboratory, CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Dalip Kumar Upreti

  2. Departmento de Biologia Vegetal II Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Pradeep K. Divakar

  3. Lichenology Laboratory, CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Vertika Shukla

  4. Lichenology Laboratory, CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Rajesh Bajpai

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Leavitt, S.D., St. Clair, L.L. (2015). Bio-monitoring in Western North America: What Can Lichens Tell Us About Ecological Disturbances?. In: Upreti, D., Divakar, P., Shukla, V., Bajpai, R. (eds) Recent Advances in Lichenology. Springer, New Delhi. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-2181-4_5

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