Hypotrachyna virginica warrants a status of critically endangered as its AOO and EOO are projected to reduce by >80% within its next three generations. Species distribution models projected to 2050 and 2070 using two different climate change models (CCSM4 and HadGEM2-AO) at the lowest and highest carbon dioxide concentration (2.6 and 8.5 rcp) were recently built in Maxent for this species (Allen & Lendemer, 2016). The results of the modeling predict an average suitable habitat loss of 94.3% with aminimum loss of 83.4% and a maximum loss of 100%. This represents a significant decrease in the AOO and EOO for the species.
Assessor/s: Allen, J., Lendemer, J. & McMullin, T.; Reviewer/s: Yahr, R.; Facilitator(s) and Compiler(s): Allen, J.
Bibliography:
Allen, J.L. & Lendemer, J.C. (2016) Climate change impacts on endemic, high-elevation lichens in abiodiversity hotspot. Biodiversity and Conservation25(3): 555-568.
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IUCN (2020) The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2020-1. Available at: www.iucnredlist.org. (Accessed: 19 March 2020).
IUCN (2020) The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2020-3. Available at: www.iucnredlist.org. (Accessed: 10 December 2020).
Lendemer, J.C. & Allen, J.L. (2015) Reassessment of Hypotrachyna virginica, an endangered, endemic Appalachian macrolichen, and the morphologically similar species with which it has been confused. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Science of Philadelphia164: 279-289.
Lendemer, J.C., Anderson Stewart, C.R., Besal, B., Goldsmith, J., Griffith, H., Hoffman, J.R., Kraus, B.,LaPoint, P., Li, L. Muscavitch, Z., Schultz, J., Schultz, R. & Allen, J.L. (2017) The lichens and allied fungi of Mount Mitchell State Park, North Carolina: A first checklist with comprehensive keys and comparison to historical data. Castnea82: 69-97.
Rollins, A.W., Adams, H.S. & Stephenson, S.L. (2010) Changes in forest composition and structure acrossthe red spruce-hardwood ecotone in the central Appalachians. Castanea75: 303–314.
Rose, A. & Nicholas, N. S. (2008) Coarse woody debris in a Southern Appalachian spruce-fir forest ofthe Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Natural Areas Journal28: 342-355.
White, P.B., S.L. van de Gevel, & P. T. Soulé (2012) Succession and disturbance in an endangered red spruce-Fraser fir forest in the southern Appalachian Mountains, North Carolina, USA. Endangered Species Research18: 17-25.
Find out more about the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteriahere.