Assemblage of Lichen Communities on Rocky Shorelines of the North Woods

Abstract

Two classic ecological models exist that attempt to explain how communites assemble: Gleason's Individualistic model and Colments' Organismic model. To test these theories, we examined lichen communities along rocky shorelines of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. We recorded the species present and measured environmental factors that might influence their distribution and abundance: distance from shoreline, slope, canopy cover, and aspect.