Frosted glass-whiskers (Sclerophora peronella) COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 9

Special Significance of the Species

Sclerophora peronella is considered rare to extremely rare throughout its range and is red listed in Austria (Hafellner 2000), Denmark, Sweden and Finland (Tibell 1999) and is declining in Italy (Nimis 2000). The species has an important ecological significance.

The lichen is an old-growth forest indicator species, recognized by Selva (1994, 1996) who considered the calicioid lichens and fungi our most sensitive biomonitors of forest ecosystem health. Small changes in the microenvironment, resulting from changes in the forest ecosystem, will influence the survival of the lichen, in turn reflecting the health of the forest.

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