Effects of some terricolous lichens [Cladonia rangiformis Hoffm., Peltigera neckerii Hepp ex Müll. Arg., Peltigera rufescens (Weiss) Humb.] on soil bacteria in natural conditions

Abstract

This paper is aimed to investigate the effects of some terricolous lichens on soil bacteria's growth in natural conditions. It is focused on species of bacteria and also on numbers of colony of soil specimens that were taken from substrates of three different terricolous lichen species. Peltigera rufescens (Weiss) Humb., which has not secondary metabolites, did not show an inhibition effect on soil bacteria. However, Peltigera neckerii Hepp ex Mull. Arg., which has secondary metabolites, has a negative effect on soil bacteria's growth. Besides, it was observed that Cladonia rangiformis Hoffm., which has many kinds of secondary metabolites, has the highest inhibition effect among the studied species. For this reason, we think that in the next researches, it is convenient to investigate elaborately by soil analysis the effect of lichen's secondary metabolites that have an effect on soil mineralization, on soil bacteria's growth.