Box tree habitat investigation for lichen and herbaceous community after disturbance caused by box blight disease (Case study: Lesakoti Forest, Tonekabon)

This study aimed at evaluating the box tree habitat after the occurrence of box blight disease in Buxo-Fagtum orientalis (B) and reference pure Fagetum (S) stands in the district 3, Lesakoty catchment No. 36, southeast of Tonekabon in the Mazandaran Province. In each stand, 60 micro-plots with 25 m2 were established, in which the frequency of herbaceous species was recorded. For sampling lichens, 60 × 40 cm quadrats were used. Raw data obtained from the field were compared and analyzed using an independent t-test and CCA analysis. Results revealed that the Simpson species diversity (B = 0.813 ± 0.07, S = 0.649 ± 0.07) and Shannon-Wiener (B = 0.830 ± 0.05, S =0.577 ± 0.05) of herbaceous species were significantly higher in Buxo-Fagetum orientalis stand (p <0.05). In addition, the independent t-test for lichen species showed that Simpson species diversity (B = 0.477±0 0.03, S = 0.629 ± 0.03) and Shannon-Weiner (B=0.738 ± 0.06, S= 1.067± 0/06) inboxwood-beech stand was significantly lower than those in pure beech site (p <0.05). CCA results showed that the environmental conditions, as well as the variability of the presence and diversity of different species of lichens as forest ecosystem bio-indicators were changed, mainly due to the boxwood blight disease in boxwood-beech stand. Further, stand opening caused by disturbances and increase of light reaching the forest floor was identified as a key factor in changing the composition of herbaceous and lichen communities in Buxo-Fagetum orientalis stands.