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Common Names

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More info for the term: lichen

soil jelly lichen
black lichen
desert lichen
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Matthews, Robin F. 1993. Collema tenax. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Description

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More info for the term: lichen

Soil jelly lichen is a foliose, terricolous lichen with a thick thallus that
is variable in size. It is usually dark olive green or black in color
[9,32]. Apothecia are small [12]. The photosynthetic symbiont (Nostoc
commune Vauch.) is capable of nitrogen fixation [7]. Soil jelly lichen is
drought and desiccation tolerant [1].
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Matthews, Robin F. 1993. Collema tenax. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Distribution

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Thomson [32] referred to soil jelly lichen as a circumpolar species in arctic to
temperate regions. In North America, soil jelly lichen is known to occur
from Alberta and Saskatchewan south through the Great Plains to Texas
and the Southwest [9,23,33]. Fink [12] also places it in the eastern
United States west to Missouri and Minnesota.
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Matthews, Robin F. 1993. Collema tenax. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Fire Ecology

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More info for the terms: fire regime, lichen, lichens, shrub

Poikilohydric plants such as soil jelly lichen dry quickly during periods of low
atmospheric humidity because of their absence of roots and water storage
tissue, and low resistance to water loss [5]. These characteristics make
lichens highly flammable under dry conditions [12].

In desert shrub habitats in Utah, soil jelly lichen rapidly invades burn sites by
the dispersal of vegetative spores from nearby areas [18].

FIRE REGIMES :
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under
"Find FIRE REGIMES".
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Matthews, Robin F. 1993. Collema tenax. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Fire Management Considerations

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Application of soil crust slurries to burned areas of a black
greasewood-shadscale community in central Utah resulted in rapid
stabilization of the soil due to crust reestablishment (including the
establishment of soil jelly lichen) [30].
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Matthews, Robin F. 1993. Collema tenax. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Habitat characteristics

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More info for the terms: lichen, lichens

Lichens, including soil jelly lichen, are very dependent on high relative
humidity, and their abundance is generally in direct relation to the
relative humidity. Lichens grow best in direct sun. Since soil jelly lichen is
able to take up moisture from the air, the underlying soil is not as
important a source of moisture as it is to vascular plants. Lichens can
grow on shallow, sterile soils [2]. Soil jelly lichen is referred to as a
ubiquitous indicator of basic soils [28]. In the Intermountain region,
it is best developed on gypsiferous soils of the Colorado Plateau and on
calcareous soils of the Great Basin [31].
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bibliographic citation
Matthews, Robin F. 1993. Collema tenax. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Habitat: Cover Types

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This species is known to occur in association with the following cover types (as classified by the Society of American Foresters):

67 Mohrs ("shin") oak
68 Mesquite
220 Rocky Mountain juniper
238 Western juniper
239 Pinyon - juniper
241 Western live oak
242 Mesquite
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Matthews, Robin F. 1993. Collema tenax. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Habitat: Ecosystem

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This species is known to occur in the following ecosystem types (as named by the U.S. Forest Service in their Forest and Range Ecosystem [FRES] Type classification):

More info for the term: shrub

FRES29 Sagebrush
FRES30 Desert shrub
FRES31 Shinnery
FRES32 Texas savanna
FRES33 Southwestern shrubsteppe
FRES34 Chaparral - mountain shrub
FRES35 Pinyon - juniper
FRES36 Mountain grasslands
FRES38 Plains grasslands
FRES39 Prairie
FRES40 Desert grasslands
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Matthews, Robin F. 1993. Collema tenax. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Habitat: Plant Associations

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This species is known to occur in association with the following plant community types (as classified by Küchler 1964):

More info for the terms: cactus, shrub, woodland

K023 Juniper - pinyon woodland
K024 Juniper steppe woodland
K027 Mesquite bosque
K031 Oak - juniper woodlands
K032 Transition between K031 and K037
K033 Chaparral
K037 Mountain-mahogany - oak scrub
K038 Great Basin sagebrush
K039 Blackbrush
K040 Saltbush - greasewood
K041 Creosotebush
K042 Creosotebush - bursage
K043 Paloverde - cactus shrub
K044 Creosotebush - tarbush
K045 Ceniza shrub
K046 Desert: vegetation largely lacking
K048 California steppe
K050 Fescue - wheatgrass
K051 Wheatgrass - bluegrass
K053 Grama - galleta steppe
K054 Grama - tobosa prairie
K055 Sagebrush steppe
K056 Wheatgrass - needlegrass shrubsteppe
K057 Galleta - three-awn shrubsteppe
K058 Grama - tobosa shrubsteppe
K059 Trans-Pecos shrub savanna
K060 Mesquite savanna
K061 Mesquite - acacia savanna
K062 Mesquite - live oak savanna
K063 Foothills prairie
K064 Grama - needlegrass - wheatgrass
K065 Grama - buffalograss
K066 Wheatgrass - needlegrass
K067 Wheatgrass - bluestem - needlegrass
K068 Wheatgrass - grama - buffalograss
K069 Bluestem - grama prairie
K070 Sandsage - bluestem prairie
K071 Shinnery
K074 Bluestem prairie
K075 Nebraska Sandhills prairie
K076 Blackland prairie
K085 Mesquite - buffalograss
K086 Juniper - oak savanna
K087 Mesquite - oak savanna
K088 Fayette prairie
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Matthews, Robin F. 1993. Collema tenax. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Immediate Effect of Fire

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Lichens in general are destroyed by fire [24]. Rangeland fires can
severely damage all components of soil crusts, including soil jelly lichen [17].
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bibliographic citation
Matthews, Robin F. 1993. Collema tenax. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Key Plant Community Associations

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More info for the terms: cover, grassland, lichen, lichens, shrub

Soil jelly lichen most likely occurs in ecosystems, Kuchler Plant
Associations, and SAF Cover Types in addition to those listed above.
However, information on other habitats where soil jelly lichen may be found is
lacking.

Common associates of soil jelly lichen in desert shrub or desert grassland
habitats include shadscale (Atriplex confertifolia), black greasewood
(Sarcobatus vermiculatus), creosotebush (Larrea tridentata), white
burrobush (Hymenoclea salsola), Mormon tea (Ephedra torreyana),
sagebrush (Artemisia spp.), rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus spp.), red brome
(Bromus rubens), galleta (Hilaria jamesii), needle-and-thread grass
(Stipa comata), Indian ricegrass (Oryzopsis hymenoides), bluebunch
wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata), Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis),
Sandberg bluegrass (Poa secunda), sand dropseed (Sporobolus
cryptandrus), moss (Tortula ruralis), and lichens [18,21,26].
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bibliographic citation
Matthews, Robin F. 1993. Collema tenax. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Life Form

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Lichen
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Matthews, Robin F. 1993. Collema tenax. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Management considerations

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More info for the terms: climax, cover, formation, grassland, lichen, lichens, natural

Cryptogamic soil crusts, including crusts formed by soil jelly lichen, are an
important component of many arid rangeland ecosystems in the western
United States [17]. Where cryptogam crusts are highly developed, the
soil surface is almost always highly stable [8]. They are important in
the reduction of soil erosion, and facilitate vascular plant seedling
establishment by improving water penetration and reducing runoff
[17,18]. Components that are capable of nitrogen fixation, such as C.
tenax, contribute a significant amount to the total soil nitrogen,
especially in arid soils [21,29]. Soils having high electrical
conductivity, high phosphorous, and high salt contents facilitate the
formation of cryptogam crusts [3]. Heavy grazing, especially during
seasons of low precipitation, high temperatures, and persistent winds
can seriously damage or destroy crusts formed by soil jelly lichen and other
cryptogams. During these seasons, soil jelly lichen is usually dormant and
brittle, and susceptible to trampling by livestock [4]. Vascular plant
communities may appear well managed and healthy, while cryptogamic crusts
are being severely disturbed. Managers of arid lands should be cautious
about accepting sparse cryptogamic cover as natural [20]. Cryptogam
analysis can be useful in evaluating the quality of grassland management
[21]. In Navaho National Monument, Arizona, soil jelly lichen was reduced from
0.8 percent cover in ungrazed areas to 0.4 percent cover in heavily
grazed areas. Although its cover was reduced, soil jelly lichen did not react to
grazing pressure as severely as other cryptogams in the study area [8].
Cryptogamic soil crusts, including crusts formed by soil jelly lichen, are an
important component of many arid rangeland ecosystems in the western
United States [17]. Where cryptogam crusts are highly developed, the
soil surface is almost always highly stable [8]. They are important in
the reduction of soil erosion, and facilitate vascular plant seedling
establishment by improving water penetration and reducing runoff
[17,18]. Components such as soil jelly lichen that are capable of nitrogen
fixation contribute a significant amount to the total soil nitrogen,
especially in arid soils [21,29]. Soils having high electrical
conductivity, high phosphorous, and high salt contents facilitate the
formation of cryptogam crusts [3]. Heavy grazing, especially during
seasons of low precipitation, high temperatures, and persistent winds
can seriously damage or destroy crusts formed by soil jelly lichen and other
cryptogams. During these seasons, soil jelly lichen is usually dormant and
brittle, and susceptible to trampling by livestock [4]. Vascular plant
communities may appear well managed and healthy while cryptogamic crusts
are being severely disturbed. Managers of arid lands should be cautious
about accepting sparse cryptogamic cover as natural [20]. Cryptogam
analysis can be useful in evaluating the quality of grassland management
[21]. In Navaho National Monument, Arizona, soil jelly lichen was reduced from
0.8 percent cover in ungrazed areas to 0.4 percent cover in heavily
grazed areas. Although its cover was reduced, soil jelly lichen did not react to
grazing pressure as severely as other cryptogams in the study area [8].
In Utah, cryptogam crusts recovered from grazing within 14 to 17 years
after grazing was eliminated [4]. Soil jelly lichen recovers rapidly from
grazing [31].

In semiarid and arid grasslands of Canyonlands National Park, Utah,
cryptogams, including soil jelly lichen, are instrumental in the build-up of
organic matter and soil nutrients. Cryptogam cover stabilizes soils
eroded by heavy winds and torrential rains, especially in undisturbed
areas [21]. Relative abundance of soil jelly lichen was "significantly" less in
formerly grazed areas compared to areas of undisturbed climax
grasslands. The ungrazed areas of the park had an average of six
cryptogam species per site, with total cryptogram coverage of 38
percent. The disturbed or formerly grazed areas had an average of two
cryptogam species per site, with a total coverage of 5 percent. This
difference suggests that cryptogam species such as soil jelly lichen may play a
more important role in the stability of desert grasslands than
previously recognized. The formerly grazed areas had less organic
matter, less available phosphorous, and higher calcium content of
surface soils due to slow sheet erosion due to lack of protection from
an established cryptogam cover [20].

Lichens are widely used as indicators of air pollution or air quality.
These poikilohydric plants are extremely sensitive to atmospheric
contaminants, especially sulfur dioxide, because they absorb moisture as
water vapor. Nitrogenase activity and photosynthetic rates of soil jelly lichen
are severely inhibited by sulfur dioxide. Nitrogen fixation is reduced
at fluoride and lead concentrations as low as 0.01 parts per million.
When soil jelly lichen and other nitrogen-fixing lichens are abundant in
nitrogen-poor grassland soils, any loss of fixed nitrogen due to
reduction of fixation rates by contaminants would probably reduce yields
of rangeland grasses [29].
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Matthews, Robin F. 1993. Collema tenax. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Occurrence in North America

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AZ CA CO ID IA KS MT NE NV NM
ND OK OR SD TX UT WY AB SK MEXICO
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Matthews, Robin F. 1993. Collema tenax. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Plant Response to Fire

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More info for the terms: cover, lichen

Information on the response of soil jelly lichen to fire is sparse. However,
after a 1977 fire in shadscale-black greasewood habitats of Camp Floyd
State Park, Utah, soil jelly lichen was the first colonizer to invade the burned
area. It was present on burned sites and in unburned controls with the
following cover percentages [18]:

1980 1982
_____________________________________
Burned 0.1 2.3
Unburned 5.2 5.8
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Matthews, Robin F. 1993. Collema tenax. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Post-fire Regeneration

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More info for the term: secondary colonizer

Initial off-site colonizer (off site, initial community) Secondary colonizer (on- or off-site spores)
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Matthews, Robin F. 1993. Collema tenax. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Regeneration Processes

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Lichen reproduction mainly occurs by means of thallus fragmentation or
the dispersal of isidia and soredia. Wind, water, or animals play an
important role in the dispersal of these vegetative propagules
[1,15,27]. Soil jelly lichen also produces small apothecia [12,32].
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Matthews, Robin F. 1993. Collema tenax. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Regional Distribution in the Western United States

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This species can be found in the following regions of the western United States (according to the Bureau of Land Management classification of Physiographic Regions of the western United States):

3 Southern Pacific Border
4 Sierra Mountains
5 Columbia Plateau
6 Upper Basin and Range
7 Lower Basin and Range
8 Northern Rocky Mountains
9 Middle Rocky Mountains
10 Wyoming Basin
11 Southern Rocky Mountains
12 Colorado Plateau
13 Rocky Mountain Piedmont
14 Great Plains
15 Black Hills Uplift
16 Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands
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Matthews, Robin F. 1993. Collema tenax. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Successional Status

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More info for the terms: climax, cover, grassland, lichen, presence, shrub, succession

Lichens may be pioneers on some sites because they are dependent on air
moisture rather than soil moisture, and can tolerate shallow
substrata. They persist in environments too harsh for higher plants,
provided relative humidityis sufficiently high for lichen growth and
temperature is sufficiently low to inhibit competitors [2]. Collema
tenax is often a primary colonizer of disturbed soils [28]. In the Swan
Valley, Montana, it is most often found on disturbed sites [25].

Soil jelly lichen is also abundant in climax grassland and shrub habitats
[17,18,19,20]. It is the most prevalent lichen on both grazed and
ungrazed areas of Canyonlands National Park, Utah [20]. Soil jelly lichen
had the following relative abundance and cover percentage during
successive stages of recovery from grazing (first samples were taken 5
years after grazing pressure had been eliminated [19]:

Year Sampled Relative Abundance Cover (%)
___________________________________________________________________________
Ungrazed 1967 9710 19.0
Grazed 1967 5548 3.80
Grazed 1977 4880 6.65

In Camp Floyd State Park, Utah, soil jelly lichen constituted 3.0 and 6.2 percent
of the cover in areas not grazed for 7 and 20 years, respectively [17].

Cryptogamic soil crusts, including those formed by soil jelly lichen, are common
in seral rabbitbrush communities of the Idaho Snake River Plain. Their
presence continues through the sagebrush communities that occur in later
succession [27].
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Matthews, Robin F. 1993. Collema tenax. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Synonyms

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Collema cristatellum
Collema pulposum
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Matthews, Robin F. 1993. Collema tenax. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Taxonomy

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More info for the term: lichen

The currently accepted scientific name of soil jelly lichen is Collema tenax
(Swartz) Ach. (Collemaceae) [9,10,12,16,32]. The following varieties
are recognized:

Collema tenax var. ceranoides (Borrer) Degel. [9,10]
Collema tenax var. corallinum (Massal.) Degel. [10,32]
Collema tenax var. crustaceum (Krempelh.) Degel. [10]
Collema tenax var. expansum Degel.
Collema tenax var. tenax [32]
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Matthews, Robin F. 1993. Collema tenax. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/