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A lichen (/ ˈ l aɪ k ən / LIE-kən, UK also / ˈ l ɪ tʃ ən / LI-chən) is a hybrid colony of algae or cyanobacteria living symbiotically among filaments of multiple fungi species, along with yeasts and bacteria [1] [2] embedded in the cortex or "skin", in a mutualistic relationship.
Usnea filipendula – one of about 20,000 described species of lichen. The following outline provides an overview of and topical guide to lichens.. Lichen – composite organism made up of multiple species – a fungal partner, one or more photosynthetic partners, which can be either green algae or cyanobacteria, and, in at least 52 genera of lichens, a yeast. [1]
Lichen-like fossils have been found in the Doushantuo Formation in China dating back about 600 million years ago. [36] Fungi from Verrucariales also form marine lichens with the brown algae Petroderma maculiforme, [37] and have a symbiotic relationship with seaweed like and Blidingia minima, where the algae are the dominant components. The ...
Lichen. Lichenology is the branch of mycology that studies the lichens, symbiotic organisms made up of an intimate symbiotic association of a microscopic alga (or a cyanobacterium) with a filamentous fungus.
Some marine primary producers are specialised bacteria and archaea which are chemotrophs, making their own food by gathering around hydrothermal vents and cold seeps and using chemosynthesis. However most marine primary production comes from organisms which use photosynthesis on the carbon dioxide dissolved in the water.
Lichens are known in which there is one fungus associated with two or even three algal species. Rarely, the reverse can occur, and two or more fungal species can interact to form the same lichen. [12] Both the lichen and the fungus partner bear the same scientific name, and the lichens are being integrated into the classification schemes for fungi.
The majority of the lichens contain eukaryotic autotrophs belonging to the Chlorophyta (green algae) or to the Xanthophyta (yellow-green algae). About 90% of all known lichens have a green alga as a symbiont. Among these, Trebouxia is the most common genus, occurring in about 20% of all lichens. [6]
With the exception of calicioid lichens, lichen growth forms are based on the appearance of the thallus, which is the vegetative (non-reproductive) part of the lichen. [5] In most species, this form is determined by the lichen's fungal partner, though in a small number, it is instead the alga or cyanobacteria (the lichen's photosynthetic ...