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Most of us walk past lichen-covered rocks, splotched with grays, greens, and golds, without giving them a closer look. Ari Daniel Shapiro visits with mycologist Anne Pringle and graduate student Benjamin Wolfe to learn about these amazing symbiotic organisms, formed when a fungus partners with an algae. Each lichen can host an entire microcosm, a microbial landscape teeming with life. These worlds-within-worlds are proving an invaluable tool for scientists studying our changing landscapes. Umbilicaria. Photo Credit: Benjamin Wolfe
read moreDuration: 5:26Published: Wed, 12 Jan 2011 15:37:25 +0000
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Cladonia imperialisThis very attractive Cladonia is not uncommon in higher parts of the mountain ranges of SE Brazil. These seem to be close to C. calycantha, C. verticillata, C. rappii and C. cervicornis ssp verticillata (from the photos in the Brodo et al book). However, this species looks much more spectacular, with more numerous and more regular "branches" forming the cups.Cladonia imperialis Ahti & Marcelli, Bibl. Lichenol. 58: 19. 1995. Type: Brazil. Minas Gerais, Mun. Itamonte, Parque Nacional de Itatiaia, km 7 on highway to Agulhas Negras, 1993 M.P. Marcelli, T. Ahti & O. Yano 28055 (SP, holotype; B, CANB, FH, H, NY, RB, isotypes).Patricia will verify this identification with Dr Marcelli (one of the authors who described the species C. imperialis) in the next few days. It certainly looks very like the specimen in the virtual herbarium at NYBG - search at [http://sciweb.nybg.org/Science2/vii2.asp] (bearing in mind that the photo here is of live material while the NYGB image is of a dried, somewhat compressed specimen).Patrícia Jungbluth has just confirmed with Marcelo Marcelli that this is Cladonia imperialis. She also informed me that this lichen has also been found in Serra do Caparaó and the Serra do Cipó, so all of the known occurrences are in SE Brazil. For the moment, I believe it's the only (identified??) image of the live organism in the field, though that may very soon change since Patricia will be visiting Itatiaia soon and will attempt to take some more photos.
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Zaragoza: Aragn (Espaa)Pinares de Torrero (pino carrasco - Pinus halepensis-) repoblado.Sobre una piedra caliza.Familia: LecanoraceaeIdentificado en biodiversidadvirtual
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Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia
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Hypogymnia imshaugii
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This foliose lichen at center/top seems to best resemble Rhizoplaca chrysoleuca (Sm.) Zopf. As with many/most species of non-vascular plants, this lichen doesn't seem to have a common name. Since "Chryso" means white or whitish (referring no doubt to the thallus), and "leuca" means gold (referring to no doubt to the apothecia which can be pale orange to bright orange or perhaps also to the well-defined rimmed, i.e. lecanorine, apothecia), I have coined a not terribly clever non-scientific name for it in the caption.At the center/bottom, there seems to be a second species of lichen with the one above sometimes poking through; note the greenish to light olive colored apothecia which aren't described for Rhizoplaca chrysoleuca and unless it is a developmental stage, the lichen below might be Rhizoplaca melanophthalma.A third, small, physiod lichen species is at center-right (and there are others, e.g. the yellowish specks).On the right side, the dessicated moss along as well as the one immediately to its right are Pterygoneurum ovatum. At the center-right is a bit of Syntrhicia ruralis.January 10, 2013, Salt Lake County foothills, Utah, approx. 4800 ft., growing on quartzite rock outcrops.
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Psora decipiensBlushing scaleDate: August 28. 2009Lat.: 46.43964 Long.: 13.64509Code: Bot_374/2009-2858Habitat: Dry upland grassland, open space, plain ground, full sun, fully exposed to precipitations, precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature 0-2 deg C, elevation 1.960 m (6.400 feet), alpine phytogeographical region.Substratum: Shallow mossy soil covering calcareous rock.Place: Mangarts flats, west of Mt. Mangart, m (feet), East Julian Alps, Posoje, Slovenia ECReferences:- F. Dobson, Lichens, The Richmond Publ. (2005), p372 - V.Wirth, Die Flechen Baden-Wuerttembergs, Ulmer, Vol. 1.and 2.(1995), p787.- I. Brodo, S.Sharnoff, S.Sharnoff, Lichens of North America, Yale Uni. Press (2001), p599.- V. Wirth, R.Duell, Farbatlas Flechten und Moose, Ulmer (2000), p116.Comments: Wirth considers this species as a rare one.
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Girraween National ParkLichenGIR_171028_F10_VRThis one is interesting as it has a pinkish blush in one area of its upper surface. The underside is the same sort of pinkish in places too.
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Geneva, Florida, United States
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Christmas, Florida, United States
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Stewart, British Columbia, Canada
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Camerons Creek, New South Wales, Australia
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LichenGirraween National ParkGIR_171021_F01_CRI have no idea what kind of lichen this is.
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Toninia candida (Weber) Th. Fr., syn.: Biatorina candida (Weber) Jatta, Lecidea candida (Weber) Ach., Psora candida (Weber) Hoffm., Diphloeis candida (Weber) Clem.EN: Bruised Lichen, DE: ?SI: ?Dat.: March 7. 2018Lat.: 46.34435 Long.: 13.673717Code: Bot_ 1114/2018_DSC1006Habitat: steep mountain slope southwest aspect; almost vertical calcareous bedrock ground; relatively warm place; full sun; partly protected from direct rain; average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature 6-8 deg C, elevations 659 m (2.150 feet), alpine phytogeographical region. Substratum: Cracked, vertical or partly overhanging calcareous rock surface.Place: Lower Trenta valley, near village Soa, next to the steepest part of the trail to Lemovlje flats, East Julian Alps, Posoje, Slovenia EC. Comment: Toninia candida seems to be a rather rare lichen in Slovenia. Although Ref. 6 lists a few observations in different phytogeographical regions of Slovenia, Ref. 7 knows a single UTM square with it. A few specimens were found at the place of this observation. Photographed in half damp conditions. Thallus K-, eventually barely noticeable light yellow. No microscopy has been done.Ref.:(1) V. Wirth, Die Flechten Baden-Wrttembergs, Teil.2., Ulmer (1995), p 911.(2)
www.afl-lichenologie.fr/Photos_AFL/Photos_AFL_T/Toninia_c... (accessed March 19. 2018)(3) U. Suppan, J. Prugger, H. Mayrhofer, Catalogue of the lichenized and lichenicolous fungi of Slovenia,
members.chello.at/johannes.pruegger/uni/slovenia/ (accessed March 18. 2018)(4)
dbiodbs.univ.trieste.it/italic/italic42?specie=1556&u... (accessed March 19. 2018)(5) P.L. Nimis, Image archive of ITALIC, Dryades Project
dbiodbs.units.it/carso/chiavi_pub52 (6) N. Ogris (ed), Boletus informaticus, Slovenian Forestry Institute
www.zdravgozd.si/bi_index.aspx (accessed March 18. 2918)
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Xanthoparmelia cumberlandiandia. These lichens may be immortal. See the New YoK Times article:
nyti.ms/VtDY79 . Photographed at Point Reyes National Seashore.
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Loonshoekje, North Brabant, Netherlands
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Canale Monterano, Lazio, Italy
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Cladonia portentosa (Dufour) Coem. (1865), syn.: Cladonia impexa Harm. (1907), Cladina portentosa (Dufour) Follmann, (1979)Reindeer lichenSlo.: ?Dat.: April 29. 2014Lat.: 46.36018 Long.: 13.69759Code: Bot_794/2014_DSC0673Habitat: at the foot of alow elevation scree slope, among small, retarded Picea abies and Fraxinus ornus trees, southeast inclined mountain slope, calcareous ground, quite open, dry and sunny place, exposed to direct rain, average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature 7-9 deg C, elevations 650 m (2.150 feet), alpine phytogeographical region. Substratum: nutrients poor sandy soil of scree ground.Place: Lower Trenta valley, between villages Soa and Trenta, right bank of river Soa, above abandoned farm house 'Strgulc', East Julian Alps, Posoje, Slovenia EC Comments: This gray-green species of genus Cladonia, growing usually in 'broccoli-like pillows', is quite common locally. It can be found on dry, stony, deteriorating, long time ago abandoned pastures. Its main characteristics are rich, filigree branching and lack of tendency to one-sidedly oriented terminal branches with sharp apices (to the contrast to several other similar species where the branches' tips are more or lessoriented in the same direction). Growing was growing in several, mostly round patches in the vicinity. Round clumps measured up to 20 cm (8") in diameter and had about 5 cm (2") thicknesses. The largest 'continuous' mat found measured about 1 x 0.6 m (3 x 2 feet). Photographed species were in almost dry state. This determination seems quite probable but is not completely certain since no chemical tests have been made and several species with similar habitus exist.Ref.:(1) F.S. Dobson, Lichens, The Richmonds Publishing Ca. LTD (2005), p 142.(2) C.W.Smith, et all, The lichens of Great Britain and Ireland, The British Lichen Society, (2009), p 319.(3) V. Wirth, Die Flechten Baden-Wrttembergs, Vol. 1. Ulmer (1995), p 334.(4)
www.lichens.lastdragon.org/Cladonia_portentosa.html Nikon D700/Nikkor Micro 105mm/f2.8 and Canon G11, 6.1-30mm/f2.8-4.5
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Wellfleet, Massachusetts, United States
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LichenGirraween National ParkGIR_170722_F08_VR
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LichenGirraween National ParkGIR_170722_F05_VR