LICHENS – A TAPESTRY OF LIFE
by Donna BollenbachThe tiny moss has
been the theme of many a gifted poet; and even the despised mushroom has called
forth classic works in its praise. But the Lichens, which stain every rock, and
clothe every tree, which form:
Nature’s livery o’er the globe Where’er her wonders range Have been almost universally neglected, nay despised. Lauder Lindsay
PIONEERS
Imagine our continent after the last ice age: Glaciers cut deep gorges in the land and miles of granite boulders, silt and the bones cover the hills and plains of North America. Life has all but disappeared, but there is hope for new life in a simple living entity that is neither plant nor animal, the lichens.
Lichens, a partnership of a fungus and an alga, are able to survive in the most extreme temperatures. The lichens that partner with cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, produce their own nitrogen, so they are able to grow on nitrogen-poor substrates. They form colonies on the surface of the rocks and bare soil. The chemicals in …
Nature’s livery o’er the globe Where’er her wonders range Have been almost universally neglected, nay despised. Lauder Lindsay
PIONEERS
Imagine our continent after the last ice age: Glaciers cut deep gorges in the land and miles of granite boulders, silt and the bones cover the hills and plains of North America. Life has all but disappeared, but there is hope for new life in a simple living entity that is neither plant nor animal, the lichens.
Lichens, a partnership of a fungus and an alga, are able to survive in the most extreme temperatures. The lichens that partner with cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, produce their own nitrogen, so they are able to grow on nitrogen-poor substrates. They form colonies on the surface of the rocks and bare soil. The chemicals in …
