XVI International Botanical Congess

We document the effect of Mexico City on the epiphytic lichens of by comparing the communities occuring at Desierto de los Leones, a protected forested area near to the city, with those in El Chico National Park, a location 100 km northeast of the city. The first community has 47% fewer species, 62% less lichen cover, and a species abundance pattern that reveals a highly disturbed community. The differences between these communities are greater at the trunk base than at the height of 2m. Among a variety of factors, site air quality may account for many of the observed results.