A checklist of the lichens of the Beaver Dam slope, Washington County, Utah, USA

Abstract

The lichen flora of the extreme northeastern corner of the Mojave Desert was investigated during the spring of 2009. Collections were made from five sites on the Beaver Dam Slope in Washington Co., Utah, including the privately owned Lytle Ranch Preserve. We have identified 41 lichen-forming fungal species in 23 genera, including 30 saxicolous, 7 terricolous, and 4 corticolous taxa; including, 16 species recorded from Utah for the first time and 10 new records for the Mojave Desert. This study provides a baseline for documenting the distribution of common and sensitive lichen communities along a transition zone between the Mojave Desert, Great Basin, and Colorado Plateau. © 2012 Pacific Northwest Fungi Project. All rights reserved.