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Impact on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Analysis of institutional authors

Aragon, GregorioCorresponding AuthorMartinez, IsabelAuthorDe La Cruz, MarcelinoAuthorHurtado, PilarAuthor

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March 11, 2025
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High Host Preferences in Epiphytic Lichens Across Diverse Phorophyte Species in the Mediterranean Region

Publicated to:J Fungi (Basel). 11 (2): 104- - 2025-02-01 11(2), DOI: 10.3390/jof11020104

Authors: Aragon, Gregorio; Martinez, Isabel; de la Cruz, Marcelino; Hurtado, Pilar

Affiliations

Rey Juan Carlos Univ, Dept Biol Geol Phys & Inorgan Chem, Biodivers & Conservat Area, ESCET, C Tulipan S-N, Madrid 28933, Spain - Author
Rey Juan Carlos Univ, Global Change Res Inst, Madrid 28933, Spain - Author

Abstract

Contrary to the assumption that epiphytic lichens, which obtain water and nutrients from the atmosphere, do not exhibit host species preference, this notion is challenged by the limited number of studies that cover a wide geographical range and diverse phorophyte species (hereafter referred to as "host species"). To investigate this assumption, we evaluated the host preference of 709 epiphytic lichen species across the Mediterranean basin, examining 72 host species. The research is based on field studies conducted by the authors, supplemented with bibliographic records to expand the study area and the number of host species. We define "host preference" as the association of an epiphytic lichen species with a single host species. Our findings reveal a high prevalence of lichens exhibiting host preference both locally (exceeding 30% of lichen species in each of six geographic areas) and regionally (25% across the entire dataset). This host preference remained consistent even with increased sampling extent, which can be attributed to factors such as hosts with diverse bark types, the wide climatic range of some species, and host species associated with extreme environmental conditions within the Mediterranean region. Overall, we conclude that host bias for epiphytic lichen species remains consistent in Mediterranean landscapes, contributing to a diverse array of epiphytic species and high levels of host species preference. This research provides valuable insights into the complex interactions between lichens and their host species, offering a deeper understanding of biodiversity within Mediterranean landscapes.

Keywords

<italic>juniperus</italic><italic>quercus</italic>BryophytesCommunitiesEpiphytesHost preferencesIberian peninsulIberian peninsulaJuniperusLichensLife on landQuercusRain-forestSpecificitySubstratTree

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal J Fungi (Basel) due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency WoS (JCR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2025, it was in position 50/163, thus managing to position itself as a Q1 (Primer Cuartil), in the category Microbiology.

Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2025-08-02:

  • The use, from an academic perspective evidenced by the Altmetric agency indicator referring to aggregations made by the personal bibliographic manager Mendeley, gives us a total of: 2.
  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 1 (PlumX).

With a more dissemination-oriented intent and targeting more general audiences, we can observe other more global scores such as:

  • The Total Score from Altmetric: 2.

It is essential to present evidence supporting full alignment with institutional principles and guidelines on Open Science and the Conservation and Dissemination of Intellectual Heritage. A clear example of this is:

  • The work has been submitted to a journal whose editorial policy allows open Open Access publication.
Continuing with the social impact of the work, it is important to emphasize that, due to its content, it can be assigned to the area of interest of ODS 15 - Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss, with a probability of 61% according to the mBERT algorithm developed by Aurora University.

Leadership analysis of institutional authors

There is a significant leadership presence as some of the institution’s authors appear as the first or last signer, detailed as follows: First Author (Aragón Rubio, Gregorio) and Last Author (Hurtado Aragüés, Pilar).

the author responsible for correspondence tasks has been Aragón Rubio, Gregorio.