Contribución al conocimiento de las especies del género Cladonia de Colombia

Abstract

In Colombia, the recognition of lichens as active and important organisms in ecosystems has been strengthening in recent years, allowing research that contributes to their study, generating updated information on the biological diversity present in the country. In the present project, the first taxonomic key of the genus Cladonia for Colombia was elaborated, which includes the updated names of the specimens that appear in the Colombian Lichen Catalog of the year 2021. For this purpose, an intensive search was conducted on the distribution, nomenclature, morphoanatomical and chemical characters of each of the species of Cladonia reported for Colombia. This information was fundamental for the grouping of the species, under characteristics of easy recognition during the identification process in the field. In this way, we seek to contribute to the knowledge of Cladonia species and lichenology in Colombia.