Macrolichen Diversity Associated with a Regenerating Sacred Grove: A Case Study From Futsil Sacred Grove, Gangolihat, Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand, India

摘要

The present study is based on a devoted sacred site of Gangolihat, Pithoragarh which is located in Futsil village and is dominated by Quercus Ieucotrichoplzora trees. Since sacred sites play an important role in biodiversity conservation through socio-cultural practices and taboos, the present site was extensively surveyed for macrolichen diversity because this grove which was earlier destroyed by villagers and is now under the phase of regeneration has no data about liche11s which are pioneer colonizers and best bioindicators of a given forest. A total of 38 macrolichen species belonging to 1 6 genera and 5 families were reported from the study area. Family Parmeliaceae was the dominating family with 18 species, followed by Physciaceae (1 1), Collemataceae (6), Ramalinaceae (2) and Cladoniaceae (1). The baseline data generated during the present study is likely to contribute the future climate change studies by comparing the present data sets viz. diversity of lichens and other climatic parameters such as temperature and moisture with that of the sacred sites when it will reach its climax condition in future.