Lichen communities along ecological gradients: what do we know? A systematic review

Autores
González Argüello, Guadalupe; Passo, Alfredo; Rodríguez, Juan Manuel
Año de publicación
2026
Idioma
español castellano
Tipo de recurso
conjunto de datos
Estado
versión publicada
Descripción
The development and design of the protocol implemented in the present systematic review was based on those proposed by Kitchenham (2005), Kitchenham & Charters (2007), Petticrew & Roberts (2005), and Cruz Benito (2016). The search for articles was conducted during April 2025 using three different databases: two widely utilized, namely Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus, and a third one specific to lichens, Recent Literature on Lichens (RLL). Individual search terms were carefully selected, and in order to capture the largest possible number of relevant articles, the symbol “*” for certain terms to shorten the word to its most general root was used. Using the Boolean operators AND and OR, the search terms used were: (altitudinal OR latitudinal OR precipitation OR temperature OR climat* OR ecolog*) AND gradient AND lichen comm*. The search was conducted on the title, abstract, and keywords, with no limitation on publication year. Language filters (English, Spanish) were applied, and the search was restricted to primary articles only (not book chapters or other reviews). Consequently, the search yielded a total of 971 articles, namely, WoS 562, Scopus 347, and RLL 62. The data include a) identification of general features of studies on lichens and environmental gradients in relation to the different climates, countries, types of gradients analyzed, and substrates; b) the sampling strategies, diversity of variables measured, and the most frequently used statistical analyses in these studies; and c) ecological variables used, including diversity indices, functional traits, and inclusion of microlichens.
Fil: González Argüello, Guadalupe. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche; Argentina.
Fil: González Argüello, Guadalupe. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina.
Fil: Passo, Alfredo. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche; Argentina.
Fil: Passo, Alfredo. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina.
Fil: Rodriguez, Juan Manuel. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina.
Fil: Rodriguez, Juan Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas; Argentina.
Lichen communities are highly sensitive to environmental conditions, making them valuable indicators of ecosystem responses to climate and microclimatic changes. This systematic review analyzes global scientific research on lichen communities across environmental gradients (elevational, latitudinal, precipitation, and temperature). From 971 articles initially retrieved through Web of Science, Scopus, and the Recent Literature on Lichens databases, 107 met the strict inclusion criteria. Most studies were concentrated in the Northern Hemisphere, particularly in temperate and polar regions, with tropical ecosystems notably underrepresented. Elevational gradients were the most frequently studied, and epiphytic lichens on tree bark were the most analyzed communities. Saxicolous and soil lichens received considerably less attention, despite their ecological value. Sampling strategies and statistical analysis varied widely, though mixed designs (systematic and random) and multivariate analyses respectively were the most common. While over half of the studies included microenvironmental variables such as canopy cover and slope, methodological standardization remains a challenge. Despite the growing utilization of functional diversity in ecology, limited research has integrated assessments of lichen functional traits. The results on the relationship between species richness and elevation yielded varied results, without a clear pattern. It is emphasized how crucial it is to include microlichens, which are usually left out because of their taxonomic complexity and hence restrict our ability to fully comprehend the richness of lichens. To enhance understanding of lichen community responses to environmental gradients and climate change, it is essential to broaden this kind of research to tropical regions and integrate functional and multiscale methodologies.
Fil: González Argüello, Guadalupe. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche; Argentina.
Fil: González Argüello, Guadalupe. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina.
Fil: Passo, Alfredo. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche; Argentina.
Fil: Passo, Alfredo. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina.
Fil: Rodriguez, Juan Manuel. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina.
Fil: Rodriguez, Juan Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas; Argentina.
Materia
Sampling disign
Elevational gradient
Microlichens
Multivariate analysis
Nivel de accesibilidad
acceso abierto
Condiciones de uso
Repositorio
Repositorio Digital Universitario (UNC)
Institución
Universidad Nacional de Córdoba
OAI Identificador
oai:rdu.unc.edu.ar:11086/562719
Acceder
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network_acronym_str RDUUNC
repository_id_str 2572
network_name_str Repositorio Digital Universitario (UNC)
spelling Lichen communities along ecological gradients: what do we know? A systematic reviewGonzález Argüello, GuadalupePasso, AlfredoRodríguez, Juan ManuelSampling disignElevational gradientMicrolichensMultivariate analysishttps://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6The development and design of the protocol implemented in the present systematic review was based on those proposed by Kitchenham (2005), Kitchenham & Charters (2007), Petticrew & Roberts (2005), and Cruz Benito (2016). The search for articles was conducted during April 2025 using three different databases: two widely utilized, namely Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus, and a third one specific to lichens, Recent Literature on Lichens (RLL). Individual search terms were carefully selected, and in order to capture the largest possible number of relevant articles, the symbol “*” for certain terms to shorten the word to its most general root was used. Using the Boolean operators AND and OR, the search terms used were: (altitudinal OR latitudinal OR precipitation OR temperature OR climat* OR ecolog*) AND gradient AND lichen comm*. The search was conducted on the title, abstract, and keywords, with no limitation on publication year. Language filters (English, Spanish) were applied, and the search was restricted to primary articles only (not book chapters or other reviews). Consequently, the search yielded a total of 971 articles, namely, WoS 562, Scopus 347, and RLL 62. The data include a) identification of general features of studies on lichens and environmental gradients in relation to the different climates, countries, types of gradients analyzed, and substrates; b) the sampling strategies, diversity of variables measured, and the most frequently used statistical analyses in these studies; and c) ecological variables used, including diversity indices, functional traits, and inclusion of microlichens.Fil: González Argüello, Guadalupe. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche; Argentina.Fil: González Argüello, Guadalupe. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina.Fil: Passo, Alfredo. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche; Argentina.Fil: Passo, Alfredo. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina.Fil: Rodriguez, Juan Manuel. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil: Rodriguez, Juan Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas; Argentina.Lichen communities are highly sensitive to environmental conditions, making them valuable indicators of ecosystem responses to climate and microclimatic changes. This systematic review analyzes global scientific research on lichen communities across environmental gradients (elevational, latitudinal, precipitation, and temperature). From 971 articles initially retrieved through Web of Science, Scopus, and the Recent Literature on Lichens databases, 107 met the strict inclusion criteria. Most studies were concentrated in the Northern Hemisphere, particularly in temperate and polar regions, with tropical ecosystems notably underrepresented. Elevational gradients were the most frequently studied, and epiphytic lichens on tree bark were the most analyzed communities. Saxicolous and soil lichens received considerably less attention, despite their ecological value. Sampling strategies and statistical analysis varied widely, though mixed designs (systematic and random) and multivariate analyses respectively were the most common. While over half of the studies included microenvironmental variables such as canopy cover and slope, methodological standardization remains a challenge. Despite the growing utilization of functional diversity in ecology, limited research has integrated assessments of lichen functional traits. The results on the relationship between species richness and elevation yielded varied results, without a clear pattern. It is emphasized how crucial it is to include microlichens, which are usually left out because of their taxonomic complexity and hence restrict our ability to fully comprehend the richness of lichens. To enhance understanding of lichen community responses to environmental gradients and climate change, it is essential to broaden this kind of research to tropical regions and integrate functional and multiscale methodologies.Fil: González Argüello, Guadalupe. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche; Argentina.Fil: González Argüello, Guadalupe. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina.Fil: Passo, Alfredo. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche; Argentina.Fil: Passo, Alfredo. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina.Fil: Rodriguez, Juan Manuel. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil: Rodriguez, Juan Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas; Argentina.https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5276-7700https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4406-5589https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2638-84672026-08-13info:eu-repo/semantics/dataSetinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_ddb1info:ar-repo/semantics/conjuntoDeDatosapplication/jsontext/xmlapplication/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheetGonzález Argüello, Guadalupe; Passo, Alfredo; Rodriguez, Juan Manuel; (2026): Lichen communities along ecological gradients: what do we know? A systematic review.http://hdl.handle.net/11086/562719spaARGinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessreponame:Repositorio Digital Universitario (UNC)instname:Universidad Nacional de Córdobainstacron:UNC2026-09-24T11:35:56Zoai:rdu.unc.edu.ar:11086/562719Institucionalhttps://rdu.unc.edu.ar/Universidad públicaNo correspondehttp://rdu.unc.edu.ar/oai/snrdoca.unc@gmail.comArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:25722026-09-24 11:35:58.414Repositorio Digital Universitario (UNC) - Universidad Nacional de Córdobafalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Lichen communities along ecological gradients: what do we know? A systematic review
title Lichen communities along ecological gradients: what do we know? A systematic review
spellingShingle Lichen communities along ecological gradients: what do we know? A systematic review
González Argüello, Guadalupe
Sampling disign
Elevational gradient
Microlichens
Multivariate analysis
title_short Lichen communities along ecological gradients: what do we know? A systematic review
title_full Lichen communities along ecological gradients: what do we know? A systematic review
title_fullStr Lichen communities along ecological gradients: what do we know? A systematic review
title_full_unstemmed Lichen communities along ecological gradients: what do we know? A systematic review
title_sort Lichen communities along ecological gradients: what do we know? A systematic review
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv González Argüello, Guadalupe
Passo, Alfredo
Rodríguez, Juan Manuel
author González Argüello, Guadalupe
author_facet González Argüello, Guadalupe
Passo, Alfredo
Rodríguez, Juan Manuel
author_role author
author2 Passo, Alfredo
Rodríguez, Juan Manuel
author2_role author
author
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5276-7700
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4406-5589
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2638-8467
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Sampling disign
Elevational gradient
Microlichens
Multivariate analysis
topic Sampling disign
Elevational gradient
Microlichens
Multivariate analysis
purl_subject.fl_str_mv https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv The development and design of the protocol implemented in the present systematic review was based on those proposed by Kitchenham (2005), Kitchenham & Charters (2007), Petticrew & Roberts (2005), and Cruz Benito (2016). The search for articles was conducted during April 2025 using three different databases: two widely utilized, namely Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus, and a third one specific to lichens, Recent Literature on Lichens (RLL). Individual search terms were carefully selected, and in order to capture the largest possible number of relevant articles, the symbol “*” for certain terms to shorten the word to its most general root was used. Using the Boolean operators AND and OR, the search terms used were: (altitudinal OR latitudinal OR precipitation OR temperature OR climat* OR ecolog*) AND gradient AND lichen comm*. The search was conducted on the title, abstract, and keywords, with no limitation on publication year. Language filters (English, Spanish) were applied, and the search was restricted to primary articles only (not book chapters or other reviews). Consequently, the search yielded a total of 971 articles, namely, WoS 562, Scopus 347, and RLL 62. The data include a) identification of general features of studies on lichens and environmental gradients in relation to the different climates, countries, types of gradients analyzed, and substrates; b) the sampling strategies, diversity of variables measured, and the most frequently used statistical analyses in these studies; and c) ecological variables used, including diversity indices, functional traits, and inclusion of microlichens.
Fil: González Argüello, Guadalupe. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche; Argentina.
Fil: González Argüello, Guadalupe. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina.
Fil: Passo, Alfredo. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche; Argentina.
Fil: Passo, Alfredo. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina.
Fil: Rodriguez, Juan Manuel. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina.
Fil: Rodriguez, Juan Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas; Argentina.
Lichen communities are highly sensitive to environmental conditions, making them valuable indicators of ecosystem responses to climate and microclimatic changes. This systematic review analyzes global scientific research on lichen communities across environmental gradients (elevational, latitudinal, precipitation, and temperature). From 971 articles initially retrieved through Web of Science, Scopus, and the Recent Literature on Lichens databases, 107 met the strict inclusion criteria. Most studies were concentrated in the Northern Hemisphere, particularly in temperate and polar regions, with tropical ecosystems notably underrepresented. Elevational gradients were the most frequently studied, and epiphytic lichens on tree bark were the most analyzed communities. Saxicolous and soil lichens received considerably less attention, despite their ecological value. Sampling strategies and statistical analysis varied widely, though mixed designs (systematic and random) and multivariate analyses respectively were the most common. While over half of the studies included microenvironmental variables such as canopy cover and slope, methodological standardization remains a challenge. Despite the growing utilization of functional diversity in ecology, limited research has integrated assessments of lichen functional traits. The results on the relationship between species richness and elevation yielded varied results, without a clear pattern. It is emphasized how crucial it is to include microlichens, which are usually left out because of their taxonomic complexity and hence restrict our ability to fully comprehend the richness of lichens. To enhance understanding of lichen community responses to environmental gradients and climate change, it is essential to broaden this kind of research to tropical regions and integrate functional and multiscale methodologies.
Fil: González Argüello, Guadalupe. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche; Argentina.
Fil: González Argüello, Guadalupe. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina.
Fil: Passo, Alfredo. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche; Argentina.
Fil: Passo, Alfredo. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina.
Fil: Rodriguez, Juan Manuel. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina.
Fil: Rodriguez, Juan Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas; Argentina.
description The development and design of the protocol implemented in the present systematic review was based on those proposed by Kitchenham (2005), Kitchenham & Charters (2007), Petticrew & Roberts (2005), and Cruz Benito (2016). The search for articles was conducted during April 2025 using three different databases: two widely utilized, namely Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus, and a third one specific to lichens, Recent Literature on Lichens (RLL). Individual search terms were carefully selected, and in order to capture the largest possible number of relevant articles, the symbol “*” for certain terms to shorten the word to its most general root was used. Using the Boolean operators AND and OR, the search terms used were: (altitudinal OR latitudinal OR precipitation OR temperature OR climat* OR ecolog*) AND gradient AND lichen comm*. The search was conducted on the title, abstract, and keywords, with no limitation on publication year. Language filters (English, Spanish) were applied, and the search was restricted to primary articles only (not book chapters or other reviews). Consequently, the search yielded a total of 971 articles, namely, WoS 562, Scopus 347, and RLL 62. The data include a) identification of general features of studies on lichens and environmental gradients in relation to the different climates, countries, types of gradients analyzed, and substrates; b) the sampling strategies, diversity of variables measured, and the most frequently used statistical analyses in these studies; and c) ecological variables used, including diversity indices, functional traits, and inclusion of microlichens.
publishDate 2026
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2026-08-13
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dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv González Argüello, Guadalupe; Passo, Alfredo; Rodriguez, Juan Manuel; (2026): Lichen communities along ecological gradients: what do we know? A systematic review.
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identifier_str_mv González Argüello, Guadalupe; Passo, Alfredo; Rodriguez, Juan Manuel; (2026): Lichen communities along ecological gradients: what do we know? A systematic review.
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