Meet the Lichen Group

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

This is NOT a Lichen  Has a flowering reproductive system

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

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

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

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

Ramalina celastri  Fruticose

Teloschistes exilis  Fruticose

Buellia spuria  Crustose

Usnea cirrosa (Dr. Seuss Plant )  Fruticose

Parmotrema austrosinese

Paromotrema hypotropum  Foliose

Let’s Count the Lichens!!

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

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

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

“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

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.

Lichen’em? Heck, We’re Loven’em!