11H3
Calcareous steep rocks with lichens
Relationships with habitat classifications. EUNIS: H3.2E Bare limestone inland cliffs; PAL. CLASS.: 62.41 Limestone bare inland cliffs; HD 92/43: 8210 Calcareous rocky slopes with hasmophytic vegetation.
Conservation status. BDA, HD.
Category. Vulnerable [VU – A1, 2 B2 D2 H2 I J]..
General characteristics. Lichens are among the first organisms that occupy the rocks. Their projective cover varies in a wide range depending on such factors like type of the ground, access of direct light, humidity, period of development, etc. Among the frequent species that make the lichen communities on vertical calcareous rocks walls in Bulgaria are Caloplaca alociza, C.aurantia, C. chalybaea, C. variabilis, C. xantholyta, C. calcicola, Collema cristatum, C. polycarpon,Placocarpus schaereri, Verrucaria marmorea, Verrucaria fuscella etc.
Characteristic taxa.
- Lichens: Bagliettoa baldensis, B. limborioides, Caloplaca alociza, C.aurantia, C. calcicola, C. chalybaea, C. variabilis, C. xantholyta, Collema cristatum,Placocarpus schaereri, Petractis clausa, Polyblastia albida, P. sendtneri, Verrucaria bulgarica, V. calciseda, V. caerulea, V. cyanea, V. dufourii, V. foveolata, V. fuscella,V. hochstetteri, V. marmorea etc.
Distribution in Bulgaria. In all mountain, hilly and flat areas in Bulgaria with very steep to vertical calcareous rock outcrops, from 0 up to 2914 m alt.
Conservation importance. Pioneer stage in the organism development on rocks and stones.
Threats. Air pollution, natural destruction of the rocks, human activities.
Conservation measures taken. The habitat is in Annex № 1 of BDA. Parts of the habitat l are within national parks, nature parks, reserves and protected sites as well as in sites from the European Ecological Network NATURA 2000.
Conservation measures needed. Floristic and phytocoenological study of the lichen communities; identification of the rare phytocoenoses and species.
References. Popnikolov& Zhelezova 1964.
Author: Veska Roussakova
