Lichen
That Green stuff on tree bark!
4 Facts:
1.A lichen is not a single organism, but the result of a partnership between a fungus and an alga or cyanobacteria.
2.Lichens have a truly remarkable resistance to drought. A dry lichen can quickly absorb from 3 to 35 times its weight in water!
3.The thallus, or lichen body, comes in four shapes.
4. Lichens can live to be hundreds of years old. Lichens hundred of years old can be used to date the rock surfaces on which they grow.
History Of Lichens:
Although lichens had been recognized as organisms for quite some time, it was not until 1867, when Swiss botanist Simon Schwendener proposed his dual theory of lichens, that the true nature of the lichen association began to emerge.Schwendener's hypothesis, which at the time lacked experimental evidence, arose from his extensive analysis of the anatomy and development in lichens, algae, and fungi using a light microscope. Many of the leading lichenologists at the time, such as James Crombie and Nylander, rejected Schwendener's hypothesis because the common consensus was that all living organisms were autonomous.Other prominent biologists, such asHeinrich Anton de Bary, Albert Bernhard Frank, and Hermann Hellriegel were not so quick to reject Schwendener's ideas and the concept soon spread into other areas of study, such as microbial, plant, animal and human pathogens.When the complex relationships between pathogenic microorganisms and their hosts were finally identified—refuting the idea of holistic organisms—Schwendener's hypothesis began to gain popularity. Further experimental proof of the dual nature of lichens was obtained when Eugen Thomas published his results in 1939 on the first successful re-synthesis experiment.
Q & A WITH EMILY:
Q: Do you like lichens/How do you feel about their presence?
A: I don't particuly fancy them but I don't mind them either. I think they are supossed to be part of nature.
Q: Do you see them often at home?
A: Well, yes because i live sort of in a forest so there are many trees in my yard. Most trees have Lichens on them.
Q: Are they only green?
A: No.... I don't think so.
Q: Can you look at them under a microscope?
A: Yes i have a microscope but I've never tried it.
Special! Interveiw with an Expert:
So Random So No Random's blogger Emily reaserched an expert and this is what she found (via: http://www.fia.fs.fed.us/lichen/methods/ )
"The method has two parts that are performed simultaneously. (1) In each standard 0.38 ha FIA plot (see methods chapter for plot design and field methods) the field crew searches for macrolichens on woody plants and collects a sample of each lichen believed to be distinct species. Tree and shrub bases below 0.5 m are excluded from sampling. Lichens on fallen branches and other lichen litter may be included. Given the large plot area, fallen branches typically provide an excellent sample of the canopy lichens. The collection represents the species diversity of macrolichens in the plot as fully as possible, with a maximum time limit of 2 hours. (2) The field crew estimates the abundance of each species using a four-step scale: 1 = rare (< 3 individuals in plot); 2 = uncommon (4-10 individuals in plot); 3 = common (> 10 individuals in plot but less than half of the boles and branches have that species present); and 4 = abundant (more than half of boles and branches in the plot have the subject species present). As plots are finished, specimens are sent to specialists for identification. Note that the field crew need not accurately assign species names to the lichens, but must be able to distinguish among species, and be able to estimate abundances accurately."
"Field procedures were designed to be conducted by non-lichenologists for practical reasons of staffing field crews. Data is collected in the field by FIA field crews each summer. Prior to the field season, each crew participates in a 3 day intensive training in lichen communities methods. Only crews who pass the certification test at the end of training are allowed to collect lichen data. To be certified, crews must attain the required measurement quality objective (MQO) of collecting 65% of an expert's species capture on the same plot. " Says The Forest Inventory and Analysis National Program's Website.
Once Opon An Object:
Genre: Fiction
Once opon a time on a tree far far away there lived a poor humble Lichen named Skooto. Skooto had many friends but not alot of family. He never Knew a single Lichen related to him. One day he found his best friend skeete lying down. He relized Skeete looked excactly like him. He went to the LWOG (Lichen Wise Old Guy) and asked him if he could ask the stars if skeete was his brother. The LWOG told him he was. When Skooto weht ome to tell Skeete a suprise party was waiting for him. Since skeete was 11 and skooto was 10 he knew. The Lichen law said '' Once a Lichen turns 10 the very day he will be exposed to his family. Until then his family won't meet him/her and his/her family won't know them." After the party Skooto was happy and lived with his family. The End!
