Experts find 12 new species of Phl lichens
Local experts recently found 12 new species of lichens living in Philippine mountains, according to the study “Philippine Species of Parmotrema (Ascomycota, Parmeliaceae)” published in the June 2017 issue of the Philippine Journal of Science.
The research team led by Paulina Bawingan reported 30 identified Parmotrema species, in which 12 are new to the country. While this does not indicate that the species are endemic, it shows that the Philippines has a rich lichen diversity waiting to be explored.
Given gratuity permit by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Bawingan and her colleagues explored the forests of Benguet, Ifugao and Mountain Province. They also studied some collected species from Mt. Apo and Mt. Kitanglad through their partnership with Andrea Azuelo of Central Mindanao University. Collaboration with other universities enabled them to collect and identify other Parmotrema samples from Ilocos Norte, Pangasinan, Isabela and Nueva Vizcaya.
The team was able to identify the morpho-anatomic features and chemistry of the lichens through observation. The authors used microscopes to observe the features of the samples. They also used chemicals to “spot test” the samples. A spot test is done through dropping of specific chemicals on select parts of the lichens, causing them to change color or produce unique chemicals.
Meanwhile, foreign lichenologists like John Elix of Australian National University, also one of the authors, and Harrie Sipman of Freie University in Berlin, Germany verified the new species.
“We were also able to meet foreign lichenologists who taught us to identify the lichens, (and) provided free consultation and reference materials,” Bawingan said.
Through her personal visits to herbaria and laboratories abroad, Bawingan said that she learned more about lichens, especially their importance and use, as well as their taxonomy or how they are named and classified.
Parmotrema refers to the group of lichens with apothecia or pores. Lichens use apothecia to produce spores which are their means for reproduction. The term Parmotrema comes from the Greek words parmos (cup) and trema (perforations). These lichen species abound in forests in mountains of high altitudes, growing mostly on barks of trees and on rocks.