*2.2. Experimental Design*

A graphical representation of the experimental design is presented in Figure 2.

**Figure 2.** Graphical representation of the experimental design. *n* = 10 number of trees; *n* = 100 number of thallus fragments for each type; T0—time zero, beginning of the experiment; TF—final time, harvesting of the samples; FV/FM = the maximum of the quantum yield of primary photochemistry.

A total of 200 thallus fragments (half meristematic and half non-meristematic) were randomly cut from a batch of about 100 healthy thalli of *L. pulmonaria* randomly selected from a nearby oak forest (Figure 1). Particularly, the former are upward-growing young lobes with intact apical meristems, and the latter are fragments of the inner sorediate or non-sorediate parts of the thallus, lacking apical growth [52,53]. The source habitat for collected fragments has the same characteristics as the unlogged stand, being adjacent to the study sites and extending on a hillside with a north slope, where *Q. cerris*, *Q. Ilex* and *Q. pubescens* are the most common trees colonized by *L. pulmonaria*. To minimize the harvesting of material from the native population, meristematic fragments were cut respecting the natural shape of the meristematic lobes (dimensions 0.55–0.95 cm for most of the samples). Non-meristematic fragments were obtained with a hole-puncher by selecting discs of approximate diameter (0.50–0.65 cm) from internal adult parts of healthy adult thalli. *Lobaria pulmonaria* was exposed using a specific transplant device ("barella") composed of a sterilized bandage supported by a plastic net (10 × 2 cm). Concerning practical reasons, each device brought five meristematic or five non-meristematic fragments of the thalli tied on the bandage using cotton threads, in a way that each lichen fragment did not overlap with the others. The following experimental conditions were considered (explanatory variables) to infer the implications of logging on the conservation and distribution of the model species in Mediterranean oak forests: forest management (logged versus unlogged stand) and type of thallus fragment (meristematic versus non-meristematic). Two hundred thallus fragments (each representing a sample) were transplanted on the north side of twenty randomly selected Turkey oak trunks (*Q. cerris*) (reciprocal distance >10 m), at about 100 cm from the ground, half in the logged and half in the unlogged stand: 50 meristematic and 50 non-meristematic fragments

in each forest type. The selection of the Turkey oak was justified by its presence and distribution after logging. Growth rates, chlorophyll (Chl) *a* fluorescence emission and total chlorophyll content were assessed. The vitality of the samples was measured monthly in terms of chlorophyll *a* fluorescence emission and seasonally (every three months) for chlorophyll content. Pre-exposure and final values were considered for the purpose of this article. Final values for chlorophyll *a* fluorescence emission were represented by the average of the last three months (winter season), to account for monthly fluctuations. Measurements were taken in the morning to minimize the variability of external conditions during the day. One measurement was taken for each sample (one measurement per visit, with one visit per month).
