B. Papp szerk.: Studia Botanica Hungarica 30-31. 1999-2000 (Budapest, 2000)

Csontos, Péter, Lőkös, László; Molnár, Katalin: Numerical analysis of lichen zones in Komárom, NW Hungary

Studia Botanica Hungarica 30-31, pp. 127-140, 1999-2000 NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF LICHEN ZONES IN KOMÁROM, NW HUNGARY P. CSONTOS

1

, L. LŐKÖS

2 and K. MOLNÁR

3 'MTA-ELTE Research Group in Theoretical Biology and Ecology tl-1083 Budapest, Ludovika tér 2, Hungary 2

Department of Botany, Hungarian Natural History Museum H1476 Budapest, Pf. 222, Hungary 3

H-2900 Komárom, Csokonai utca 3, Hungary Lichen distribution data in the town and the surroundings of Komárom were analysed numerically to support the visually established lichen zones. Three types of hierarchical classification methods were used for grouping the sampling sites based on their species lists. When group structure of the dendrograms were analysed, results obtained by the global optimization method made the most complete interpretation possible. In general, the sampling sites characterized by epiphytic lichens showed more stable, repetitive group structure in the dendrograms than those of having predominantly saxicolous lichen flora. Considerable coincidence with the tv/o, visually established "struggle zones" was obtained when the numerically defined subgroups, characterized by epiphytic lichens, were re-allocated to the map of the study area. Key words: air pollution, Jaccard-index, Komárom, lichen mapping, numerical analysis, struggle zone INTRODUCTION Since the correlation between air pollution and lichens was recognized some 150 years ago, numerous lichen maps were prepared throughout the world (e.g. SERNANDER 1926, HAUGSJA 1930, VAARNA 1934, VARESCHI 1936, MATTICK 1937, ALMBORN 1943, SAUBERER 1951, ßARBALIC 1953, FENTON 1960, GUTTE et ai 1976, NlMIS 1989, KRAVCHUK and KAKAREKA 1995, MALYSHEVA 1996, ERNST 1997, ÖZTÜRK et al. 1997, SKIRINA 1998, VOLKOVA and SONDAK 1998), and also in Hungary (e.g. FELFÖLD Y 1942, GALLÉ 1979, FARKAS 1982, VERSEGHY and FARKAS 1985, KISS 1990, VÁNCSA and VÁNCSA 1990, VÁNCSA 1991, MALATINSZKI 1992, SZABADOS 1993, PALLOS 1996, MOLNÁR 1999). Among the advantages of lichen mapping it is acknowledged that it is relatively cheap and that indicates well the global effect of air pollution on living organisms (KOVÁCS and PODANI 1

986). Therefore, despite of its disadvantages {e.g. it is time consuming, non-quantitative, etc.) the mapping method is a popular one even today in towns and industrial areas. The "classical" lichen maps, based on distribution data of the epiphytic lichen species, communities, or particular "indicator" species, composed of a centrally lo-