Holistic understanding of lichen growth

Lichens play an essential ecological and economic role in northern ecosystems. Their economic role is primarily linked to their importance as food resource for semi-domesticated reindeer. Despite their importance, in Sweden lichens have suffered tremendous habitat reductions in the last decades. Those reductions are primarily attributable to changes in forest age and composition, a result of intensified forestry practices. However, at the same time the intensification of forest practices has extended the availability of winter feeding grounds for moose, i.e. young forests, and moose browsing is thought to have beneficial effects on lichen cover. In this project, we aim to assess if moose browsing has positive effects also on lichen height, which together with cover is related to total lichen biomass, and if those dynamics promote reindeer use of young forests.