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Research interests
Habitat and dispersal constraints on the distribution of Lichen epiphytes- can lichen species utilise regenerating woodlands as well as ancient woodlands. The biodiversity and conservation value of new growth woodland in respect to lichens.
The SCIN Project (Soil Crust International) aims to assess the roles and functioning of Biological Soil Crusts (BSC’s) throughout Europe, in collaboration with a number of universities and institutions. Research areas within the SCIN project include:
Adaption and acclimation of BSC lichens- specificity of mycobiont partners to photobionts, photobiont switching related to environmental variables, morphological and physiological traits related to environmental variables, the developmental flexibility of species.
Recovery of BSC’s after disturbance.
BSC lichens taxonomy, systematics and biogeography.
Recent publications
Williams L., Loewen-Schneider K., Maier S., Büdel B. (2016) Cyanobacterial diversity of western European biological soil crusts along a latitudinal gradient. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 92: fiw157. doi: 10.1093/femsec/fiw157
Rosentreter R., Eldridge DJ., Westberg M., Williams L., Grube M. (2016) Structure, Composition, and Function of Biocrust Lichen Communities. In: Weber B., Büdel B., Belnap J. (eds) Biological soil crusts: An Organizing Principle in Drylands, Ecological Studies 226, Springer International Publishing Switzerland, pp 121-138
Williams L., Borchhardt N., Colesie C., Baum C., Komsic-Buchmann K., Rippin M., Becker B., Karsten U., Büdel B. (2017) Biological soil crusts of Arctic Svalbard and of Livingston Island, Antarctica. Polar Biol. 40: 399–411. doi:10.1007/s00300-016-1967-1
Colesie C., Williams L., Büdel B. (2017) Water Relations in the soil crust lichen Psora decipiens are optimized via anatomical variability. The Lichenologist
Williams L., Jung P., Zheng LJ., Maier S., Peer T., Grube M., Weber B., Büdel S. (2017) Assessing recovery of Biological Soil Crusts across a latitudinal gradient in Western Europe. Restoration Ecology
Williams L., Colesie C., Ullmann A., Westberg M., Wedin M., Büdel B. (2017) Lichen acclimation to changing environments: photobiont switching vs. climate specific uniqueness in Psora decipiens. Ecology and Evolution. doi: 10.1002/ece3.2809
Recent conference presentations
Williams L., Lowen-Schneider K., Burkhard B. 2016. Cyanobacterial diversity of western European biological soil crusts (BSC) along a latitudinal gradient. Poster. Conference of the Phycology Section in the DBG, Leipzig, Germany
Williams L., Colesie C., Ullmann A., Westberg M., Wedin M., Büdel B. 2016. Can the soil crust lichen Psora decipiens acclimatise to changing environments? Talk. The 8th IAL Symposium. Helsinki, Finland.
Williams L., Jung P., Rippin M., Borchhardt N., Becker B., Karsten U., Büdel B. 2016. Biological soil crusts and associated cyanobacteria of Arctic, Alpine and Antarctic regions. Talk. Third International Workshop on Biological Soil Crusts Moab, Utah, USA.