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Lichentopia

@lichensphere

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Looking lichenward into the lichendrome for all things lichenwise

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Glimpses from a vintage lichen text.

Dear Followers: this account will continue to serve as a source of lichenphilia however it is no longer affiliated with Northwest Lichenologists which has moved to @nwlichens. by @lichensphere

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5

a year ago

LICHEN CHIMERA, an unprecedented lichen observation: two species varieties on the same thallus. In July 2021, I was passing through Northern California & I wanted to see a special lichen for the first time. Umbilicaria phaea var. coccinea is currently documented as one of the rarest lichens in western North America, though it is not a species, rather it is a species variety of Umbilicaria phaea. They diverge merely in appearance, the former is a vivid red hue & the latter is brown, otherwise they are morphologically identical & they always occur together, sometimes copiously, other times minimally, at some sites as few as one red thallus (lichen body) is present among a sea of brown ones. While the brown variety is distributed worldwide & common, the red variety is known to have a limited & curiously disjunct distribution: the majority of known populations are concentrated in southern Oregon & northern California, two populations are known in central Oregon (somewhat distanced from each other, Fremont-Winema National Forest & Ochoco NF), & one sizable population is known in central Washington near the Columbia River. Habitat at these sites feature profuse volcanic rock substrate (basalt, a mainstay of the nearby Cascade Mountains), with an arid climate & they are often extremely exposed to sunlight. (THIS TALE WILL CONTINUE IN THE COMMENTS…) #lichens #lichen #liquenes #liquen #fungi by @lichensphere

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7 months ago

Incredible photos of the slime mold Trichia decipiens growing on an unidentified Hypogymnia sp. 📸 by @stucumber_ (1-2) plus by request a recap from recent stories posts about identifying Hypogymnia imshaugii 📸 by Heather Stewart-Ahn (3-7).

Hypogymnia spp. are commonly known as tube or pillow lichens because their lobes feature hollow interiors. This genus is encountered abundantly in the PNW biome & moreover it is particularly speciose on the temperate westside of the Cascade Mountains, especially among mixed coniferous forests where they dominate in presence. Identifying Hypogymnia to species can be challenging due to variable morphology & chemistry.

One Western North America species can be identified easily by examining the interior of the lobes, these lobe “tubes” feature a ceiling (the portion lining the upper surface) & a floor (the portion lining the lower surface). Hypogymnia imshaugii tends to have a growth habit of narrow fairly uniform lobes that are dichotomously branched & not tightly appressed to its substrate. More crucially, H. imshaugii is the only species with this growth habit that can have an entirely white interior (alas a caveat, not always, at times it can be bicolored— one half dark, one half light, as are many other Hypogymnia spp.). Hence, if you inspect the interior of a lobe having the appearance of the H. imshaugii growth habit & the interior is all white that decisively identifies it (if it’s not all white find another thallus with the same look until you find one with an all white interior).

In sum, identifying the species of a tricky lichen genus sometimes can be solved with a tricky trick.

#lichen #lichens #lichenology #botany #mycology #biology #biodiversity #epiphytes #ascomycota #symbiosis #liquen #liquenes #licheni #lichenologie #fungi #fungusamongus #biodiversity #pnw #hympogymnia #slimemold #trichiadecipiens #hypogymniaimshaugii by @lichensphere

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5 years ago

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5 years ago

An ant that fell prey to the notorious fungal pathogenic complex Ophiocordyceps unilateralis 🧟‍♂️🐜, possibly Desmidiospora myrmecophila (synonym Ophiocordyceps desmidiospora), lifeless long enough it now bears what appears to be Lepraria lichen as well as moss.

Not necessarily a pretty sight nonetheless a fascinating find, 📸 by @rowan_nygard in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Thank you kindly Rowan for allowing us to share your photos!

#lichen #lichens #lichenology #botany #mycology #biology #biodiversity #epiphytes #ascomycota #symbiosis #liquen #liquenes #líquenes #líquen #licheni #lichenologie #fungi #fungusamongus #biodiversity #lepraria #bryophytes #ant #formicidae #ophiocordycepsunilateralis #ophiocordycepsdesmidiospora by @lichensphere

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5 years ago

Lichenocity from San Luis Obispo County, CA 📸 by @gastrochelle— thanks for allowing us to share these wondrous photos, gladdens our hearts to see people lichen gazing while on a fungi feasting excursion, although @stucumber_ is probably beholding slime mold in the first photo; third slide details a variety of lichens on a Pinus radiata cone (aka Monterey pine).

#lichen #lichens #lichenology #botany #mycology #biology #biodiversity #epiphytes #ascomycota #symbiosis #liquen #liquenes #licheni #lichenologie #fungi #fungusamongus #biodiversity #pnw #californiacoast #pinusradiata #usnea #slimemold #pinusradiata by @lichensphere

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5 years ago

The blue glamour of the cyanolichen Placynthium cf. nigrum, a crustose to squamulose to small foliose growth form combo, widely distributed across the Northern Hemisphere, shown occurring on limestone, its most preferential substrate, 📸 by @wyrdwyrld on San Juan Island, WA. Thanks so much for allowing us to post your photos of this remarkable cerulean lichen!

#lichen #lichens #lichenology #botany #mycology #biology #biodiversity #epiphytes #ascomycota #symbiosis #liquen #liquenes #licheni #lichenologie #fungi #fungusamongus #olympicnationalpark #biodiversity #pnw #placynthiumnigrum #inklichen #limestone #cyanolichen #sanjuanisland taken in San Juan Island by @lichensphere

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5 years ago

Beautiful lichens from Blue Mountain in Olympic National Park, WA 📸 by Heather Stewart-Ahn. A wondrous amount of lichen diversity can appear on a single rock, even in the harsh alpine at 6k feet elevation. If you look closely at the second photo you will see two bees (or hornets 🤷🏻🐝) that were very drawn to & possibly feeding on some of the lichens.

The bright orange species is Rusavskia elegans (née Xanthoria elegans) which occurs in all manner of extreme habitats on Earth, distributed in both polar regions & deserts. Moreover, an international space station experiment in 2008 demonstrated that R. elegans can survive 18 months of exposure to outer space, it was among four survivors out of 650 organisms that prevailed, 71% of the lichen remained viable including some of the spores. The other three surviving organisms were sea monkeys aka brine shrimp, tardigrades aka water bears or moss piglets, & a fruit fly larvae from South Africa. A commonality between the four survivors: desiccation tolerance. The last two photos show the actual compartment used in the experiment including while it was afloat in space.

Rusavskia elegans may appear to be a crustose lichen (directly interfaces with substrate, akin to a film) however it is foliose (leaf-like, dorsiventral, distinct upper & lower surface); one identifying trait for this species is the white ventral surface which can be seen clearly along its margins in the fifth photo.

#lichen #lichens #lichenology #botany #mycology #biology #biodiversity #epiphytes #ascomycota #symbiosis #liquen #liquenes #licheni #lichenologie #fungi #fungusamongus #olympicnationalpark #biodiversity #pnw #bees #rusavskiaelegans #xanthoriaelegans #tardigrades #mosspiglet #waterbear #seamonkeys #brineshrimp #fruitfly #outerspace #NASA #internationalspacestation taken in International Space Station by @lichensphere

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2

5 years ago

An alpine sight from summer to ease the pains of darkening wintery days: A deer snacking on Bryoria (aka witches hair lichen) 📽 at the aptly named Deer Park Campground in Olympic National Park, WA by Heather Stewart-Ahn.

#lichen #lichens #lichenology #botany #mycology #biology #biodiversity #epiphytes #ascomycota #symbiosis #liquen #liquens #licheni #lichenologie #fungi #fungusamongus #bryoria #witchshairlichen #deerpark #olympicnationalpark by @lichensphere

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5 years ago

Amorphophallus titanum, aka the corpse plant, is endemic to Sumatra yet it resides at many botanical gardens worldwide. Typically this species blooms once every 5-10 years & emits a stench akin to rotting flesh in order to attract pollinators.

Less commonly known about this plant genus: it has a predilection for appearing like it is coated in lichens & cyanobacteria (zoom into the bottom of it to see some of these textures). Research published in 2019 proposes “that the visual expression of lichen and cyanobacteria mimicry enables the huge and fleshy petioles to look like solid non-edible tree trunks, a classic case of masquerade, probably as defence against herbivores.”

This A. titanum began blooming on Nov. 4, 2021 at the New York Botanical Garden, 📸 the following day by staff member & lichenologist Amanda Chandler— thanks for allowing us to post your photo!

Reference: “Mimicry of lichens and cyanobacteria on tree-sized Amorphophallus petioles results in their masquerade as inedible tree trunks” by C. Claudel et al

#lichen #lichens #lichenology #botany #mycology #biology #biodiversity #epiphytes #ascomycota #symbiosis #liquen #liquenes #licheni #lichenologie #fungi #fungusamongus #amorphophallustitanum #corpseplant #cyanobacteria #mimicry #herbivory #nybg #newyorkbotanicalgarden taken in New York Botanical Garden by @lichensphere

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5 years ago

Haunted lichen sighting in the Thain Family Forest at the New York Botanical Garden 📽 in The Bronx, NYC by Amanda Chandler. Spoiler alert: actually it’s an insect wearing a lichen costume 🎃. Have a nice & happy Halloween this weekend!
#👻☘️🍄☘️👻

#lichen #lichens #lichenology #botany #mycology #biology #biodiversity #epiphytes #ascomycota #symbiosis #liquen #liquenes #licheni #lichenologie #fungi #fungusamongus #bronx #newyorkbotanicalgarden #insect #lichencamo #cosplay by @lichensphere

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5 years ago

Ecstatic to share these spectacular nighttime lichen images, with & without UV light, compliments of @damontighe, one of Instagram’s constantly pleasing feed treasures, 📸 in Oakland, CA. Thanks so much Damon for allowing us to share these photos & for all the marvels you cover— mycology, nudibranchs, moths, mountains, DNA, urban naturalizing, & more!

Exposure to UV light is sometimes used for identifying lichen species since it can reveal the presence of secondary metabolites— compounds produced by organisms that are inessential & thus secondary to growth, development, & reproduction, often produced for ecological needs, both offensive & defensive. Beyond UV light, which provides general detection, a more concise chemistry analysis can be achieved via chemical spot testing or thin layer chromatography.

Flora are secondary metabolite wizards, especially lichens, which produce an array of substances: antimicrobials, antivirals, pigments for UV protection, herbivory deterrents, & so forth. Some lichen compounds are unique to a genus or a single species & are not known to be produced by any other organism on Earth. For example, solarinine is made solely by Solarina crocea (which incidentally has a fluorescent orange lower surface that can be seen in daylight without any artificial UV lighting). Many secondary metabolites are consumed by humans for their pleasurable effects, such as caffeine or capsaicin, the latter being a potent anti-fungal & the source of spiciness in chili peppers (fun fact, birds lack brain receptors for capsaicin thus they do not experience spiciness which allows them to assist with seed dispersal).

1-2) Ramalina sp. [most likely either R. subleptocarpa or R. farinacea, needs chemical spot testing to determine secondary metabolites]
3-4) Xanthoria sp.
5-6) Bark party: fungi, lichen, moss, et al [likely Punctelia sp. & Flavoparmelia sp.]
7-8) tree scroll videos with rain ASMR

#lichen #lichens #lichenology #botany #mycology #biology #biodiversity #epiphytes #ascomycota #symbiosis #liquen #liquenes #licheni #lichenologie #fungi #fungusamongus #chemistry #secondarymetabolites #ramalina #xanthoria #punctelia #flavoparmelia taken in Oakland, California by @lichensphere

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6

5 years ago