Scientific cooperation with Brazil in the context of the agreement with CNPq call no. 71
DFG 444 BRA-113/58/0-1
From 07/2009 to 10/2010Staff: Marcela E. da S. Cáceres, Gerhard Rambold
Marcela E. S. Cáceres, Robert Lücking, and Gerhard Rambold have jointly contributed to advancing the understanding of corticolous lichen diversity and ecology in northeastern Brazil. Their studies focused on crustose lichen communities in the Atlantic rainforest (Mata Atlântica), the semi-arid Caatinga, and the humid forest enclaves known as Brejos de Altitude. Their research revealed that the composition of bark-dwelling lichen communities is strongly influenced by habitat type, phorophyte (host tree) specificity, and environmental parameters. They demonstrated that species richness and community structure vary significantly across ecological zones, highlighting both regional endemism and habitat differentiation. One of their key findings was that deterministic factors—especially host identity and microclimate—play a greater role in shaping community composition than stochastic processes. Additionally, they evaluated different sampling methods to improve the accuracy of species richness estimates, emphasizing the need for well-adapted protocols in tropical biodiversity studies. Together, these studies provide foundational insights into the structuring of tropical lichen communities and contribute valuable data for conservation efforts in one of the world's most threatened biodiversity hotspots.
List of publications of this Project
| Cáceres, M; Lücking, R; Rambold, G: Corticolous microlichens in northeastern Brazil: habitat differentiation between coastal Mata Atlântica, Caatinga and Brejos de Altitude, The Bryologist, 111(1), 98–117 (2008), doi:10.1639/0007-2745(2008)111[98:CMINBH]2.0.CO;2 -- Details |
| Cáceres, M; Lücking, R; Rambold, G: Efficiency of sampling methods for accurate estimation of species richness of corticolous microlichens in the Atlantic rainforest of northeastern Brazil, Biodiversity and Conservation, 17(6), 1285–1301 (2008), doi:10.1007/s10531-008-9342-3 -- Details |
| Cáceres, M: The Corticolous Crustose and Microfoliose Lichens of Northeastern Brazil – Diversity, Ecology, and Conservation, Dissertation, Universität Bayreuth (2007) |
| Cáceres, M; Lücking, R; Rambold, G: Phorophyte specificity and environmental parameters as determinants for species composition, richness and area cover in corticolous crustose lichen communities in the Atlantic rainforest of northeastern Brazil, Mycological Progress, 6(3), 117–136 (2007) -- Details |
| Cáceres, M: Corticolous crustose and microfoliose lichens of northeastern Brazil in IHW-Verlag: Libri Botanici, , 22, 168 pp. (2007) |