Experimental Storage of Terrestrial Lichen and Implications for Reclamation of Caribou Habitat

Randal Glaholt, Chris Meloche, and Laura Van Ham

Terrestrial lichen form an important component of winter range for caribou inhabiting mountainous areas in northeastern British Columbia. Species of lichen belonging to the genera Cetraria, Cladina and Stereocaulon are common on these high elevation ranges and are typically found on more xeric sites characterized by unique edaphic conditions and often subject to wind scour and advanced snow melt. The present study was undertaken to experimentally investigate the feasibility of lichen salvage and storage for subsequent use in restoration of lichen communities on alpine caribou range. Lichen were manually collected from an alpine site, air dried indoors for approximately 75 days and then stored under three conditions; (1) outside, exposed to ambient conditions (Calgary, Alberta), (2) inside at room temperature in a ventilated plastic feedsack, and (3) in a freezer at a constant temperature of –15°C. The former storage condition allowed exposure to the regular photo period, the latter two conditions prevented light exposure of the lichen samples. Preliminary experiments investigating enzyme (nitrogenase) activity, respiration and photosynthesis, tissue cell count and growth were performed to examine the viability of stored samples as well as samples collected fresh at the time of experimentation. As expected, initial results indicate that fresh collected samples exhibit the highest viability as measured by the four analysis performed. Although all three storage treatments yield viable samples, room temperature stored samples appear to exhibit the highest viability in all but the nitrogenase activity test.

Keywords: Alpine, caribou, Cetraria, Cladina, lichen, Rangifer, reclamation, Stereocaulon