Growth and Development in Lichens Like all living things, lichens need nutrients and energy to grow. Nutrients they obtain from the air (including dust), water and some from the substrate they are growing on. Energy they obtain through photosynthesis, which is the role of the algal partner. They can also be incidentally fertilised by bird … Read more
Lichens And Air Pollution Many lichens show varying degrees of sensitivity to man-made pollutants, such as sulphur dioxide. Scientists have learned to use this variability as an indicator of the air quality of any given site. Also, because the presence or absence of certain lichen species is easily recorded (and has in some cases been … Read more
Lichen Reproductive Structures Lichens have two fundamentally different sorts of reproductive bodies. These are: spore forming bodies, and vegetative reproductive bodies. Spore formation is a function of the fungal partner only and the form that the spores occur in reflects the type of fungus involved. As we already know, two main types of fungus are … Read more
What is Lichen and Why Are They So Lovable? Lichens are some of the most amazing living things on this planet. Often the first form of life to colonize a new area of rock, they occur all across the known world. Lichens are commonly seen but also commonly overlooked. Any structure that has been standing … Read more