Lichens of Three Mine Sites in Co. Wicklow, IrelandAuthor(s): Howard FoxSource: Biology and Environment: Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, Vol. 99B, No. 1,The Ecology of Old Mine Sites (Sep., 1999), pp. 67-71Published by: Royal Irish AcademyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20500048 .

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SHORT COMMUNICATION

LICHENS OF THREE MINE SITES IN CO.

WICKLOW, IRELAND

Howard Fox

Howard Fox, National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin 9, Ireland.

INTRODUCTION

At the inaugural meeting of the Irish Mining History Society in February 1996, after an exten sive debate on the archaeological, industrial and cultural heritage of mines in Ireland, the biological heritage of Irish mine sites was highlighted. The conservation case for Irish mines sites ought to include scientific arguments addressing the signifi cance of mine vegetation in each site, the species biodiversity of each site and the potential genetic resources of all organisms living in Irish mine sites.

Research in England and Wales has shown that old mine sites have a specialised lichen flora (Purvis and Halls 1996). Lichen surveys have been carried out at mines such as Coniston, Lake Dis trict; Parys Mountain, Anglesey; Stiperstones, Shropshire; Vitifer Tin mines in Dartmoor; Van Lead mines in Llanidloes; Caradon Copper mine, Pensilva in Cornwall; and old niine sites are now routinely visited by lichenologists in general field surveys. Several ascomycete species that had not been found previously in Britain were discovered, including Lecanora handelii, Lecidea atrofulva, Lecidea inops, Psilolechia leprosa, Rhizocarpon furfurosum, Stereocaulon symphycheilum, Vezdaea retigera, etc. (Purvis and James 1985; Coppins 1987; Coppins and Purvis 1987). On the basis of these findings extensive surveys of mine sites were commissioned by statuatory nature conservation agencies in Britain. Alan Fryday and Steve Chambers (pers. comm.) surveyed more than 50 mine sites and quarries in Wales, and they added several more species that had not been seen before in Britain; including Gyalidea subscutellaris and Melaspilea inter jecta. Their investigations indicate that the diversity of lichen species at each mine site can vary enor mously, depending on the area, age, complexity and pH of the niches available at individual

mine sites. Regularly occurring lichens include Arthrorhaphis spp, Baeomyces rufus, Cladonia spp, Dibaeis baeomyces, yellow Lecanora spp, Micarea spp, Peltigera spp, Stereocaulon spp, various Trapeliaceae and Vezdaea spp (A. Fryday, pers. comm.; Purvis and Halls 1996).

Alan Fryday (pers. comm.) and Peggy Cayton (unpublished) observed that one typical group of lichens at mine sites, of the genus Vezdaea, are

highly seasonal in their fruiting. The species can be identified only for a short duration in early spring,

when the ascospores that form in the fruiting bodies (apothecia) become mature in February and

March. Vernal ascospore maturation can be ex pected in many other lichens of mine sites. In autumn and winter, mine spoil surfaces are almost continuously humid for several months. In the Penrhyn Slate Quarries at Bethesda, North Wales, the peak release of ascospores of Rhizocarpon lecanorinum is in April and May (Clayden 1997).

Fruiting is completed before soil surface desicca tion begins with the onset of dry weather in late spring and early summer.

Preliminary observations on the flora of three mine sites in County Wicklow indicate that inter esting lichens occur (Table 1). Selected voucher specimens are retained in the National Herbarium of Ireland (DBN). Lichen nomenclature largely follows Purvis et al. (1992). The old mnines at

Avoca (T17), Glendasan (109) and Glendalough (T09) were examined, and these sites extend over substantial Wareas. Avoca is surrounded by intensive agricultural grassland and the lower valley is

wooded, while Glendalough and Glendasan are open sites set in upland rocky heath in the Wick low Mountains National Park. Several taxa in

Table 1 are additions to the species list for Co. Wicklow (Seaward 1994), including Sarcosagium

campestre and Solorina spongiosa. The first published records of Placopsis lambii and Vezdaea leprosa in

Wicklow were based on observations at mine sites. In addition to those taxa mentioned in Table 1, several unidentified lichens have been seen. Only two or three full days fieldwork has been under taken in each site. Intensive study, particularly in

Glendasan and Avoca, should reveal some of the other scarce and characteristic nmine site species which are known from broadly similar habitats in England and Wales.

THE POTENTIAL FOR LICHENS AT IRISH MINE SITES

From conversations with members of the Mining Heritage Society of Ireland who have visited particular mines and described the type of habitats available, it is clear that all the large com plex mine sites in Ireland have a potentially inter

BIOLOGY AND4 ENVIRONMENT: PlOCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL I131SH ACADEMY, VOL. 99B, No. 1, 67-71 (1999). C ROYAL IRISH ACADEMY 67

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B1i01 ()(Y ANI) ENVIRONMENT

Table 1-Lichens and lichenicolous fungi of three Wicklow mine sites.

Species Avoca Glendasan Glendcalough

Acarosporafuscata + + + Acarospora smaragdula + - +

Acarospora smaopzca + + + Arthrorhaphis citrmne/la + + + Bacida sab/etaorum - + +

Baeomyces rufus + + + Bryophagus gloeocapsa - + Buellha aethalea + - +

Buell/a ocellata + +

Caloplaca citrma + - + Caloplaca holocarpa + -

Caloplaca saxicola + -

Candelarte/la vitel/lma + - +

Catapyrenmum squamulosum - - + Cetrarna aculeata - - + Cetrarta murcata + +

Collema tenax - +

Cornicularma normoerica - +

Cladonta bell/dflora - +

Cladonma caespiticma - +

Cladonta cervicoarms + +

Cladonaa chlorophaea + + + Cladonma cil/ata - + Cladonta cocctfera - + + Cladon a fimbrinata + + + Cladona fioerkeana - - +

C/adon a furcata + + + C/adonna gractlis + +

C/ado/na mactlenta +

Cladcama portentasa + + +

Cladonma pyxidata + - +

C/adonma ramulosa + - +

C/adona rang formis + - + Cladanma squamosa + + + Cladonia subcervcornms - + + Cladon a subulata - - + C/adonta uncialis - - + Clauzadea montmca/a +

Cystocoleus ebeneus - + + Dnbaems baeomyces + +

Dnploschmstes scruposus + +

Enterographa zonata + + Fuscidea cyathoides + + +

Fuscmdea gothbergensns + Fuscidea /ightfootnt - - + Gyalecta jenensis - - +

Hypagymnina physac/es + + + Hymene/ma /acustrms - Icmac/aphm/a enncetarum + Lecanara albescens +-+ Lecanara epanara + ++

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LICHENS OF THREE MINE SITES IN CO. WICKLOW, IRELAND

Table 1-Continued.

Species A voca Glendasan Glendalough

Lecanora gangaleoides - - +

Lecanora intricata + - +

Lecanora polytropa + + +

Lecanora rupicola - +

Lecanora soraliffera - - + Lecanora sulphurea - +

Lecidea fuscoatra - - +

Lecidea fuliginosa - - +

Lecidea lithophila + - +

Lecidea plaria - - +

Leptogium gelatinosum + - + Micarea cinerea + -

Micarea lignaria + + +

Micarea peliocarpa - +

Mycoblastus sanguinarius - +

Ochrolechia pare/la + -

Omphalina ericetorum - - +

Opegrapha gyrocarpa + + +

Ophioparma ventosa - - +

Parmelia conspersa - - +

Parmelia glabratula fuliginosa - - +

Parmelia omphalodes - + + Parmelia saxatilis - - +

Parmelia subrudecta + -

Peltigera didactyla + +

Peltigera lactucffolia - + +

Peltigera rufescens + - +

Pertusaria aspergilla - + +

Pertusaria corallina + + +

Physcia caesia - - +

Physcia tenella + +

Placynthiella icmalea + + +

Placynthium nigrum - - +

Placopsis gelida + - +

Placopsis lambii - + +

Porpidia crustulata + + +

Porpidia macrocarpa - + +

Porpidia tuberculosa + + +

Protoblastenia rupestris + - +

Pseudevernia furfuracea - +

Psilolechia lucida + +

Pycnothelia papillaria - +

Racodium rupestre - +

Rhizocarpon geographicum + + +

Rhizocarpon lavatum - - +

Rhizocarpon tecanorinuni - - + Rhizocarpon obscxratum ? + + Rhizocarpon oederi - + + Sarcosagium campestre - ?

Sco/iciosporum umbrnrum + - + So/orina sponlgiosa - -+

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BIOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT

esting lichen flora The three Wicklow sites studied are probably the most lichen-rich mine sites in eastern Ireland Detailed investigations should be undertaken in old mine site complexes in western Ireland, including Ross Island and

Muckross in Killarney, Co Kerry, Allihies, Co Cork and Silvermines, Co Tipperary

Smaller mine sites are unlikely to be as spe

cles-rich as larger sites, but they may support interesting hchens Casual observations in Ireland at old mine sites, abandoned quarries and old smelting locations, have yielded several blogeo graphically significant records of hchenicolous fungi and lichens Notable examples include

Illosporrum carneum on Peltegera rufescens from copper-rich soil in Tynagh Mine, Co Galway (new to western Ireland), Pannarta pezizoides, found at an Iron Age cairn on Slieve na

Callaigh, Oldcastle, Co Meath (the only recent

record from Leinster) Perhaps the most unex

pected find was Moelleropsis nebulosa (new to east ern Ireland) from a small quarry of Coal Measure

shale near The Rushes, Ballylynan, Co Laois

HOW TO IDENTIFY LICHENS

Old mine sites are potentially rewarding places to examine closely and to identify lichens Surveying of hchens is best carried out in early spring Enthusiasts with the necessary patience and curiosity to learn about and to identify these symbiotic fungi need only be equipped with a hand lens, a dissection kit, microscope slides and coverslips, a light mlcroscope with an eyepiece

micrometer ( x 400 to x 1000 magnification) and a lichen flora with critical descriptions of each species (e g Duncan 1970, Purvis et a 1992) Observations of ascospore size, and the characterisitics of the spore-sac (ascus), sterile tis sue in the fruit body (hamatheclum) and fruit body margin (exciple), along with the general appearance of the whole lichen (thallus), are sufficient to reach a species identification

Herbarium collections of Irish lichens are kept in the National Botanmc Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin 9, and these may be consulted by researchers

Documented lichen collections with exact local

ity, Irish national grid reference, date of collec

Table 1-Continued.

Species Avoca Glendasan Glendalough

Stereocaulon pideatum + + + Stereocaulon vesuvoanum + + + Tephromela atra - - +

Toninia aromatica - - + Toninta thiopsora - - +

Trapehia coarctata + + + Trapelha placodioides - - + Trapehopsis granulosa + - +

Trapehiopsis pseudogranulosa - + +

Tremolechia atrata + - +

Umbilicarna polyphylla - - + Verrucana murals - - + Verrucaria nigrescens + - +

Vezdaea aestivalbs - + Vezdaea leprosa + + +

Xanthoria parietina + - + Xanthona elegans +

Lichenicolous fungi

Endococcus propinquus + + + Polycoccum microstecticum - - + Sclerococcum sphaerale + - +

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LICHENS OF THREE MINE SITES IN CO. WICKLOW, IRELAND

tion and collector's name can be submitted here for identification.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I am grateful to my colleagues in the British Lichen Society, in particular Alan Fryday and Steve Chambers, for unpublished information on the lichen flora of mine sites in Wales, and to

Trevor Duke and Doug McCutcheon for point ing out interesting lichens in Glendalough in 1994. Nick Coy shared his enthusiasm for Avoca by showing me around these fascinating mines on several occasions. I am indebted to Matthew Parkes and Maria Cullen for assistance in prepar ing this note.

REFERENCES

Cayton, P. 1997 Seasonal apothecium production in

Vezdaea. Unpublished manuscript in H. Fox's

herbarium, Athy.

Clayden, S.R. 1997 Seasonal variation in ascospore

discharge by Rhizocarpon lecanorinum. Lichenologist

29, 495-9.

Coppins, BJ. 1987 The genus Vezdaea in the British

Isles. Lichenologist 19, 167-76.

Coppins, BJ. and Purvis, O.W. 1987 A review of

Psilolechia. Lichenologist 19, 29-42.

Duncan, U.K. 1970 Introduction to British Lichens. Ar

broath. Buncle.

Purvis, O.W., Coppins, B.J., Hawksworth, D.L.,

James P.W. and Moore, D.M. 1992 Lichen flora of Great Britain and Ireland. London. Natural History

Museum.

Purvis, O.W. and Halls, C 1996 A review of lichens

in metal-enriched environments. Lichenologist 28,

571-601.

Purvis, O.W. and James, P.W. 1985 Lichens of the

Coniston copper mines. Lichenologist 17, 221-37.

Seaward, M.R.D. 1994 Vice-county distribution of

Irish lichens. Biology and Environment: Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 94B (2), 177-94.

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