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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread Lichen on Basalt #63760 04/04/2002 3:53 AM Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 6,296 Piedmont Region of Virginia, U... Wordwind Carpal Tunnel Wordwind Carpal Tunnel Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 6,296 Piedmont Region of Virginia, U... I saw a lichen I've never seen before on some lava outcroppings--and wondered whether anyone here could steer me in the right direction to find its name. It grew skin tight against the basalt; it was the most incredible deep chartreuse color with a metallic cast--I thought of it as chartreuse gold; the colony was probably very old in that you would have had to have had a very sharp knife to scrape it from the basalt; running your fingers across its surface, you would have felt a very tightly compressed, pimpled feeling--almost like sandpaper that's been sanded down past any practical use--fine-grained, used, smoothed-down sandpaper. But, wow! The color! The way that lichen shone in the sunlight! Chartreuse metallica! Loveliest natural growing (glowing) thing I've seen in a long while. Was it really lichen? Probably--and probably old colonies of it would be my guess. Thanks for any input here. I've been online all night trying to find it, but no go yet. I hope it has a beautiful name whenever it pops up. Best regards, WildsWanderer Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Lichen on Basalt #63761 04/04/2002 2:21 PM Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 wwh Carpal Tunnel wwh Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 Lichens are very complex. There is a symbiosis, but I can't remember the names of the two components. I'll have to try searching. Here is URL: http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/fungi/lichens/lichens.html Lichens are unusual creatures. A lichen is not a single organism the way most other living things are, but rather it is a combination of two organisms which live together intimately. Most of the lichen is composed of fungal filaments, but living among the filaments are algal cells, usually from a green alga or a cyanobacterium. In many cases the fungus and the alga which together make the lichen may each be found living in nature without its partner, but many other lichens include a fungus which cannot survive on its own -- it has become dependent on its algal partner for survival. In all cases though, the appearance of the fungus in the lichen is quite different from its morphology as a separately growing individual. The true identity of lichens as symbiotic associations of two different organisms was first proposed by Beatrix Potter, who is best remembered for her children's books about Peter Rabbit. In addition to her books, she spent time studying and drawing lichens. Her illustrations are still appreciated for their detailed and accurate portrayal of the delicate beauty of these bizarre organisms. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Lichen on Basalt #63762 04/04/2002 5:58 PM Joined: Jul 2000 Posts: 3,467 Marion NC TEd Remington Carpal Tunnel TEd Remington Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jul 2000 Posts: 3,467 Marion NC Took a lichen to it, didja? TEd Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Lichen on Basalt #63763 04/04/2002 10:07 PM Joined: Jan 2002 Posts: 477 Sydney, Australia hev addict hev addict Joined: Jan 2002 Posts: 477 Sydney, Australia Took a lichen to it, didja? Not me TEd, 'twas a bit basalty fer me! Hev Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Lichen on Basalt #63764 04/04/2002 10:26 PM Joined: Aug 2001 Posts: 2,605 Keiva Carpal Tunnel Keiva Carpal Tunnel Joined: Aug 2001 Posts: 2,605 Igneous and ingenious -- I'm-a lava-n it! Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter A rolling stone gathers no lichen #63765 04/04/2002 11:20 PM Joined: Oct 2001 Posts: 104 moss member moss member Joined: Oct 2001 Posts: 104 Lichen are very complex Is a lichen another name for moss, wwh? Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: A rolling stone gathers no lichen #63766 04/04/2002 11:40 PM Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 6,296 Piedmont Region of Virginia, U... Wordwind Carpal Tunnel Wordwind Carpal Tunnel Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 6,296 Piedmont Region of Virginia, U... Dear Moss, Lichen is a name for the organism that actually is the result of a symbiotic relationship between algae and fungus. Cool, huh? I just learned this in the last 24 hours. Always before I just thought lichen was lichen, as moss is moss, as you should well know! But nope: lichen's fungus and algae--or mebbe I should say fungi and algae! Best regards, WildWood Bill, I just had to jump on this one because I was so excited to have learned something new! Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: A rolling stone gathers no lichen #63767 04/05/2002 12:21 PM Joined: Nov 2000 Posts: 866 Perth, Western Australia stales old hand stales old hand Joined: Nov 2000 Posts: 866 Perth, Western Australia From 1st year biology class, Sydney Uni, 1977... Freddie fungus took a lichen to Alice Algae - so they decided to live together in sym-biosis. I just reports them.... stales Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: A rolling stone gathers no lichen #63768 04/05/2002 2:01 PM Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 6,296 Piedmont Region of Virginia, U... Wordwind Carpal Tunnel Wordwind Carpal Tunnel Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 6,296 Piedmont Region of Virginia, U... In a fruitless attempt to try to track down my lichen, I tried Bill's site which would let you enter various distinctive features of the lichen in question--but the choices were mind-boggling and the terminology there unclear. One of the categories was propogation--something about spores. And this makes me wonder, algae and fungi in mind, how you'd classify one kind of spore when there are actually two organisms forming the lichen. Where's a botanist when you need one? Best regards, WordWorrier Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: A rolling stone gathers no lichen #63769 04/05/2002 2:37 PM Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 wwh Carpal Tunnel wwh Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 My guess is that at least in many lichens, the fungus can spead by spores to start a new colony, but cannot thrive until airborne algae joins the colony. 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