Spatial distribution characteristics of lichens in forest of Dabie mountain, Anhui province, China

Twenty-nine lichen quadrats were sampled in Yaoluoping national nature reserve. The data of three environmental factors, relative humidity, altitude and illumination, were collected. According to RDA results, the eigenvalue of canonical axis 1 and canonical axis 2 were 0.123 and 0.068, respectively, accounting for 82.9% of total eigenvalue of the first four axes. The first canonical axis mainly reported the change of environment variable humidity. Peltigera neopolydactyla had the highest positive correlation with humidity where as Leptogium saturninum and Cladonia chlorophaea had the highest positive correlation with altitude factor and illumination factor respectively. Spearman rank correlation coefficient test showed no significant negative correlation species-pairs (p<0.05). Fifty one species-pairs showed positive correlation ship. The distribution pattern is comprehensive response to environmental factors, of which environmental humidity, exactly availability moisture of lichens, has the greatest influence on it. Twenty-nine quadrats could be divided into six associations based on three environmental factors. There were no significant negative correlation species-pairs in the lichens, which might be due to small lichen individual, sparse distributing pattern and low interspecific competition (p<0.05). The bonding intensity of lichen interspecific relation-ship is a comprehensive response to available moisture and the type of substrates.