2. Meet the Lichen Group

3. What is a Lichen?  A symbiotic relationship (where two species help each other live) between a fungus and photobiont

4. This is NOT a Lichen  Has a flowering reproductive system

5. Nor is THIS a Lichen  This is a bromilliad (from the pineapple family, which grows on trees )

6. This is a Moss with Liverworts  (Not lichens either)

7. Three Basic Types 1. Fruticose A long strand erect or hanging from the substrate 2. Crustose A lichen impossible to remove from the substrate 3.Foliose Leaflike and easy to remove from the substrate

8. Where do Lichens Grow?  Trees  Rocks  Metal  Dirt  Dr. Bauman  The Backs of Beetles

9. Ramalina celastri  Fruticose

10. Teloschistes exilis  Fruticose

11. Buellia spuria  Crustose

12. Usnea cirrosa (Dr. Seuss Plant )  Fruticose

13. Parmotrema austrosinese

14. Paromotrema hypotropum  Foliose

15. Let’s Count the Lichens!!

22. Continued Study of Formerly Plotted Areas  Number of lichens on plot near stream -379 different colonies  Number of lichens on plot near road - 528 different colonies  Number of lichens on plot on tornado blown hill - 131 different colonies

23. What Kills a Lichen?  Lichens cannot flourish near polluted areas such as near houses or roads  Many lichens cannot live out of the shade  Lichens cannot live in flooded areas  Wood chippers kill lichen

24. What Are Lichens Good For?  Bio-indicator (helps tell where pollution is present)  Bird nest material  Recharging the soil with nitrogen  Food for animals such as reindeer and ticks.  Help break down rocks and dead trees  Medicines, dyes, and clothing materials

25. “To find them in abundance is to find a corner of the universe where the environment is still pure and unspoiled,” Lichens of North America

26. Our Final Thoughts To the Johnston, Bauman, and Schinder family, Thank you for allowing us onto your property and sharing your heritage with each of us. Thanks to your generosity, we will all carry the memories with us. To our Haus Frau, Mr. Dutton, Thanks for keeping the home fires warm. To all our wonderful teachers, You’ve each made the experience fun as well as educational in your own special way. To Dr. Bauman, Your enthusiasm is infectious and we enjoyed learning about your family of lichens.

27. Lichen’em? Heck, We’re Loven’em!