Lichen Diversity Flashcards
Biodiversity assessment prescribed by the government only focus on ____ and _____
flora, fauna
Lichens serve as a bioindicator for ____ and _____
air quality, forest disturbance
Lichens are important agents in ______ and _____ weathering of rocks and minerals
biogeophysical, biogeochemical
Two organisms that compose lichens?
- Photobiont (alga and cyanobacterium)
2. Mycobiont (fungus)
The dual symbiotic nature of lichens was described in what year?
1867
Who described the dual symbiotic nature of lichens?
Simon Schwedener
How many species of lichens worldwide?
30,000 species
How much of the land surface do lichens occupy?
8%
5 parts of a lichen (top to bottom)
- Upper cortex
- Algal zone
- Medulla
- Lower cortex
- Rhizines
Term for the body of lichens
Thallus
The outer, tightly packed fungal layer of lichens
Cortex
The inner loosely packed fungal layer of lichens
Medulla
Term for the hyphal bundles of fungi used to attach to the substrate
Rhizines
Type of relationship of organisms that make up a lichen?
Symbiotic relationship
Gains mechanical protection, increased water availability, reduced desiccation, and an improved ability to obtain nutrients from the mycelium of the fungus.
Photobiont
Gains organic nutrients synthesized by the photobiont(s), that is, a source of carbohydrates for growth.
Fungus
Recently, according to new research, individual lichens may contain up to ____ different fungi
three
3 Lichen growth forms
- Crustose (crust-like)
- Foliose (leaflike)
- Fruticose (shrub-like or three dimensional)
Bilaterally symmetrical and usually attached to substrate by rhizines
Foliose
Attached over the entire thallus to the substrate
Crustose
Radially symmetrical, algal cells surrounded by an outer layer of fungal cells.
Fruticose
Substrate of crustose
Rock
Substrate of foliose
Bark
Substrate of fruticose
Wood
Example of fruticose species
Letharia vulpina (L.) Hue
Example of foliose species
Parmotrema tinctorum
Example of crustose species
Caloplaca marina
Three other lichen growth forms
- Leprose
- Placodioid
- Squamulose
Small scales, often overlapping, attached at one edge.
Squamulose
A diffuse powdery mass of fungal hyphae and algal cells, with little or no structure.
Leprose
Crustose, but with lobes towards the margin.
Placodioid