Understanding Habitats and Locations of Threatened Lichens within Atlantic Canada Through the Creation of Species Distribution Models and their Model-derived Products
The project will focus on understanding how three threatened lichen species (Peltigera hydrothyria, Anzia colpodes, and Pannaria lurida) within Atlantic Canada are distributed and impacted by both the environment and humans. A statistical analysis and field collection will be completed to determine if the models used for each species accurately predicts the presence of the lichen. Detailed documentation will be provided to aid in creating a modelling standard and to facilitate the study being repeated. Products will be created using the model to communicate findings such as how the species are distributed throughout Atlantic Canada. The partner organization can benefit from this as they create and modify government policy pertaining to forest management, land use, and sustainability. It will help them determine which environmental factors should be prioritized based on their impact on the species such as human disturbance, acidity, and abundance of certain trees.