RICHNESS AND SPACE-TEMPORAL DISTRIBUTION OF CORTICLES LICHENS IN A CONILON COFFEE MONOCULTURE

Abstract

Lichens are mutualistic associations between fungi and algae, considered environmental quality indicators. The objective of this work was to analyze the wealth and space-temporal distribution of corticolas lichens in a conilon coffee crop, carried out in monoculture. The study was carried in the experimental area of the Coffee Sector of the Federal Institute of Espírito Santo - Campus of Alegre, Alegre, ES. Were raised, in the lower third of the coffee stems, the presence, quantity, morphotype and geographic position of the lichens in relation to the cardinal points. Measurement of plant height, stem diameter of coffee trees, and monitoring of monthly rainfall and air temperature was also carried out. Observations were made during the year with a frequency of 15 days. Four different lichen morphotypes were found: light green leafy, green leafy, dark green crusted and leafy gray. The dry season had the highest occurrence and the highest number of occurrences due to morphological richness, with emphasis on the light green leafy and green leafy morphotypes. In the rainy season, the gray leafy morphotype represented approximately 64% of the occurrences alone. In relation to the cardinal points, both in the dry season and in the rainy season, there was a higher occurrence of lichens on the faces of the stems facing the East and West cardinal points. The lowest occurrences of lichens were noted on the faces of the stems facing the northern cardinal point. This work contributes to the knowledge of the lichenology in the region and can be used in future environmental monitoring studies.