Lichen Survey on Dundreggan, 2009

One of the biodiversity surveys we commissioned for Dundreggan this year was a lichen survey, to follow up the initial work done by Joe Hope in 2007. Although the 2007 survey produced a species list of 179 lichens recorded on the estate, there wasn’t enough time then to cover the entire 10,000 acres, and a number of key areas were omitted. The 2009 survey was planned therefore to focus on some of those gaps, particularly the high ground in the north of Dundreggan, a partially-wooded gorge on the Red Burn and the ancient birchwood on the north side of Binnilidh Mhor. Because Joe Hope was unavailable this year, we contracted another lichenologist, John Douglass, to do the work, and I joined him for two of the five days he spent on Dundreggan in late July.

John Douglass looking at lichens on a rock near the summit of Carn Mhic an Toisich during his survey in July.

We’ve now received John’s report and as a result of his work the total number of lichens recorded on Dundreggan is now 308 species. Of those, 94 species are of Conservation Concern, falling into various categories, including 53 that are classified as Nationally Scarce, 9 Nationally Rare, 23 for which the UK has an International Responsibility, and 4 that are Red Data Book species – one of the latter (Fuscopannaria ignobilis) is also a Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) species.

Both the rocky high ground, such as that on the 680 metre high Carn Mhic an Toisich (the highest point on Dundreggan), and the gorge on the Red Burn, were found to support a good number of rare species, many of which had not been recorded during the 2007 survey. The Allt Bhlaraidh Burn, in the east of the Estate, also contains several Nationally Scarce and Rare species, growing on the exposed bedrock and boulders.

Although John didn’t spend so much time in the woodland on the estate, he confirmed the presence of a number of key species including one Nationally Scarce species (Protoparmelia ochrococca) that is an indicator of long ecological continuity. In the old birchwood on the north side of Binnilidh Mhor he found an unusual spider that was subsequently identified as being the BAP-listed running crab spider (Philodromus margaritatus) – it is superbly camouflaged amongst the lichens that grow on trees!

The lichen running spider (Philodromus margaritatus), seen here with cudbear lichen (Ochrolechia tartarea), was first spotted in the Binnilidh Mhor birchwood by John during his lichen survey.

Accompanying John for a couple of days gave me the opportunity to improve my basic lichen identification skills, and to gain greater understanding of the habitats that are important for lichens. John draws attention to these in the recommendations in his report, which include highlighting areas where tree planting should be avoided, to prevent damage to some key lichen sites. He also emphasises the relative lack of dead wood in the existing woodland, recommending that any dead wood should be allowed to accumulate in situ, as it is an important habitat for some lichens. He suggests planting more trees that have basic Ph bark, such as ash and wych elm, as there are very few of those on the estate (one of the three known elms is the habitat for Dundreggan’s sole BAP-listed lichen species). Finally he makes recommendations for further survey work, including along some of the burns and in the birchwood at Binnilidh Mhor, as there are undoubtedly further lichen species still to be discovered there.

Alan Watson Featherstone

 

Return to Biological Diversity on Dundreggan

Pages about lichens on this site

• A Liking for Lichens
• Lichens occurring in the Pinewoods in Glen Affric
• Lichens recorded on Dundreggan
• Lichen Survey on Dundreggan, 2009
• The Lichen Ecology of Aspen Woods - A Preliminary Analysis
• The importance of Aspens for lichen
• Epiphytic Lichens on Populus tremula: Implications for Conservation
• Coastal Hazelwoods and their Lichens
• Symbiosis
• Tree lungwort species profile