Meeting Abstract
Epibiotic lichens in the genus Ramalina are common in California oak woodlands, but the effect of their presence on arthropod communities has not been previously examined. Lichen in oak trees may provide additional habitat or structure in the canopy and may alter light, nutrient, and water availability in the understory, leading to changes in community structure. We compared the arthropod communities living in and among Coast Live Oak trees at the University of California Fort Ord Natural Reserve over spring and summer 2017. Trees were selected based on the amount of lichen cover. Half of the oak trees were within an area with approximately 20% lichen cover, and half within an area of approximately 2% lichen cover. For each tree, we recorded DBH, height, canopy diameter, canopy cover, and understory ground cover. Arthropods were sampled using beat/sweep netting, pitfall traps, brushings, lichen clippings, and litter samples. Arthropod samples were then analyzed in the lab to identify the collected organisms to family. The canopy showed no significant difference in arthropod communities between high lichen and low lichen areas, but under story arthropod communities appeared to differ between high lichen and low lichen areas based on season. These differences may be driven by differences in water availability and phenological changes in the understory vegetation over time.
