Cladonia rangiferina

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Cladonia rangiferina
Cladonia rangiferina 205412.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Lecanoromycetes
Order: Lecanorales
Family: Cladoniaceae
Genus: Cladonia
Species:
C. rangiferina
Binomial name
Cladonia rangiferina
(L.) Weber ex F.H.Wigg. (1780)
Synonyms [1]
  • Lichen rangiferinusL. (1753)
  • Cladina rangiferina(L.) Nyl. (1866)
Top view of C. rangiferina Cladonia portentosa top.JPG
Top view of C. rangiferina
The underside of C. rangiferina Cladonia rangifera underside.JPG
The underside of C. rangiferina

Cladonia rangiferina, also known as reindeer cup lichen, [2] reindeer lichen (cf. Sw. renlav) or grey reindeer lichen, is a light-colored fruticose, cup lichen species in the family Cladoniaceae. It grows in both hot and cold climates in well-drained, open environments. Found primarily in areas of alpine tundra, it is extremely cold-hardy.

Contents

Other common names include reindeer moss, deer moss, and caribou moss, but these names can be misleading since it is, though somewhat moss-like in appearance, not a moss. As the common names suggest, reindeer lichen is an important food for reindeer (caribou), and has economic importance as a result. Synonyms include Cladina rangiferina and Lichen rangiferinus.

Description

Thalli are fruticose, and extensively branched, with each branch usually dividing into three or four (sometimes two); the thicker branches are typically 1–1.5 millimetres (1⁄32–1⁄16 inch) in diameter. [3] The color is grayish, whitish or brownish gray. C. rangiferina forms extensive mats up to 10 centimetres (4 in) tall. The branching is at a smaller angle than that of Cladonia portentosa . [4] It lacks a well-defined cortex (a protective layer covering the thallus, analogous to the epidermis in plants), but rather, a loose layer of hyphae cover the photobionts. The photobiont associated with the reindeer lichen is Trebouxia irregularis . [5] It grows on humus, or on soil over rock. It is mainly found in the taiga and the tundra.

Reindeer lichen, like many lichens, is slow growing (3–11 millimetres or 1⁄8–3⁄8 inch per year) and may take decades to return once overgrazed, burned, trampled, or otherwise damaged. [6]

A similar-looking but distinct species, also known by the common name "reindeer lichen", is Cladonia portentosa .

Chemistry

A variety of bioactive compounds have been isolated and identified from C. rangiferina, including abietane, labdane, isopimarane, the abietane diterpenoids hanagokenols A and B, obtuanhydride, sugiol, 5,6-dehydrosugiol, montbretol, cis-communic acid, imbricatolic acid, 15-acetylimbricatoloic acid, junicedric acid, 7α-hydroxysandaracopimaric acid, β-resorylic acid, atronol, barbatic acid, homosekikaic acid, didymic acid and condidymic acid. Some of these compounds have mild inhibitory activities against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant Enterococci. [7] Exposure to UV-B radiation induces the accumulation of usnic acid and melanic compounds. [8] Usnic acid is thought to play a role in protecting the photosymbiont by absorbing excess UV-B. [9] [10]

Habitat

Cladonia rangiferina often dominates the ground in boreal pine forests and open, low-alpine sites in a wide range of habitats, from humid, open forests, rocks and heaths. A specific biome in which this lichen is represented is the boreal forests of Canada. [11]

Ecology

Cladonia rangiferina is a known host to the lichenicolous fungus species Lichenopeltella rangiferinae , which is named after C. rangiferina, Lichenoconium pyxidatae [12] and Lichenopeltella uncialicola [13]

Conservation

In certain parts of its range, this lichen is an endangered species. For example, in the British Duchy of Cornwall it is protected under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.

Uses

The reindeer lichen is edible, but crunchy. It can be soaked with wood ashes to remove its bitterness, then added to milk or other dishes. [14] It is a source of vitamin D. [15]

This lichen can be used in the making of aquavit, [16] and is sometimes used as decoration in glass windows. The lichen is used as a traditional remedy for removal of kidney stones by the Monpa in the alpine regions of the West Kameng district of Eastern Himalaya. [17] The Inland Dena'ina used reindeer lichen for food by crushing the dry lichen and then boiling it or soaking it in hot water until it becomes soft. They eat it plain or, preferably, mixed with berries, fish eggs, or lard. The Inland Dena'ina also boil reindeer lichen and drink the juice as a medicine for diarrhea. Acids present in lichens mean their consumption may cause an upset stomach, especially if not well cooked. [18]

According to a study published in 2017, reindeer lichen was able to grow on burnt soil as soon as two years after a forest fire in Northern Sweden, indicating that artificial replanting of lichen could be a useful strategy for the restoration of reindeer pastures. [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<i>Peltigera aphthosa</i> Species of lichenised fungus in the family Peltigeraceae

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<i>Cladonia amaurocraea</i> Species of lichen

Cladonia amaurocraea, commonly known as the quill lichen or the quill cup lichen, is a species of fruticose, cup lichen in the Cladoniaceae family.

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Lichenopeltella rangiferinae is a species of fungus belonging to the class Dothideomycetes. It was discovered growing on Cladonia rangiferina in Hrútey near Blönduós, Iceland and subsequently described as new to science in 2011.

Lichenopeltella uncialicola is a species of fungus belonging to the class Dothideomycetes. The species was discovered in Iceland in 2010 where it was found growing on Cladonia uncialis. Since then, it has been found on a different host species, Cladonia rangiferina, in North-Korea, Italy Austria, and Greenland.

<i>Lichenoconium pyxidatae</i> Species of fungus

Lichenoconium pyxidatae is a species of lichenicolous fungus belonging to the class Dothideomycetes. It has a Holarctic distribution being found in Alaska and various parts of Russia, including Siberia, Franz Josef Land, Novaya Zemlya and Wrangel Island.

<i>Pulchrocladia retipora</i> Species of fruticose lichen

Pulchrocladia retipora, commonly known as the coral lichen, is a species of fruticose lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. Found predominantly in Australasia, its habitats range from the Australian Capital Territory to New Zealand's North and South Islands, and even the Pacific region of New Caledonia, where it grows in coastal and alpine heathlands. The lichen features coral-like branches and subbranches with numerous intricate, netlike perforations. It is known by multiple names, with some sources referring to it by its synonym Cladia retipora, or the common name lace lichen.

<i>Cladonia rei</i> Species of lichen

Cladonia rei, commonly known as the wand lichen, is a species of ground-dwelling, fruticose lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. It is a widely distributed species, having been reported from Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, and North America. It is identified by its slightly dirty-colored, rough-surfaced, slender podetia that grow up to 9 cm (3.5 in) tall. Diagnostic characters of the lichen include the continuously sorediate, green-and-brown-mottled, podetia that taper upward to a point, while chemically, it contains homosekikaic and sekikaic acids. Its reduced capacity to bioaccumulate toxic heavy metals from its surroundings, as well as its ability to switch photobiont partners, allows the lichen to colonize and survive highly polluted habitats. There are several other Cladonia species that are somewhat similar in appearance, but can be distinguished either by subtle differences in morphology, or by the secondary chemicals they contain.

<i>Cladonia didyma</i> Species of lichen

Cladonia didyma is a fruticose lichen, commonly known as southern soldiers, belonging to the family Cladoniaceae, which include fungal symbionts under the Ascomycota phylum with characteristic red ascocarps containing sexually reproductive asci.

References

  1. ↑ "Cladonia rangiferina (L.) Weber ex F.H. Wigg. 1780". MycoBank. International Mycological Association. Retrieved 2012-03-25.
  2. ↑ "Standardized Common Names for Wild Species in Canada". National General Status Working Group. 2020.
  3. ↑ Geiser L, McCune B (1997). Macrolichens of the Pacific Northwest. Corvallis, Oregon: Oregon State University Press. p. 62. ISBN   0-87071-394-9.
  4. ↑ Raine M. (2009). Nature of Snowdonia: A Beginner's Guide to the Upland Environment. Pesda Press. p. 56. ISBN   978-1-906095-10-9.
  5. ↑ Rikkinen J. (1995). "What's behind the pretty colours?: a study on the photobiology of lichens". Bryobrothera. 4: 16.
  6. ↑ Rook EJS (11 October 1999). "Cladonia species. Reindeer lichens". Archived from the original on 2012-04-03. Retrieved 2012-03-25.
  7. ↑ Yoshikawa, Kazuko; Kokudo, Naoki; Tanaka, Masami; Nakano, Tatsuro; Shibata, Hirofumi; Aragaki, Naokatsu; Higuchi, Tomihiko; Hashimoto, Toshihiro (2008). "Novel Abietane Diterpenoids and Aromatic Compounds from Cladonia rangiferina and Their Antimicrobial Activity against Antibiotics Resistant Bacteria". Chemical & Pharmaceutical Bulletin. 56 (1): 89–92. doi: 10.1248/cpb.56.89 . PMID   18175983.
  8. ↑ Nybakken, Line; Julkunen-Tiitto, Riitta (2006). "UV-B induces usnic acid in reindeer lichens". The Lichenologist. 38 (5): 477–85. doi:10.1017/S0024282906005883. S2CID   85209370.
  9. ↑ Bjerke, Jarle W.; Lerfall, Kjetil; Elvebakk, Arve (2002). "Effects of ultraviolet radiation and PAR on the content of usnic and divaricatic acids in two arctic-alpine lichens". Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences. 1 (9): 678–85. doi:10.1039/b203399b. PMID   12665305.
  10. ↑ Bjerke, J; Elvebakk, A; Dominguez, E; Dahlback, A (2005). "Seasonal trends in usnic acid concentrations of Arctic, alpine and Patagonian populations of the lichen". Phytochemistry. 66 (3): 337–44. doi:10.1016/j.phytochem.2004.12.007. PMID   15680990.
  11. ↑ C. Michael Hogan. 2008. Black Spruce: Picea mariana, GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg Archived October 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  12. ↑ Brackel, Wolfgang von (2011). "Lichenopeltella rangiferinae sp. nov. and some other lichenicolous fungi from Iceland" (PDF). Acta Botanica Islandica . 15: 51–60.
  13. ↑ Zhurbenko, M. P.; Pino-Bodas, R. (2017). "A revision of lichenicolous fungi growing on Cladonia, mainly from the Northern Hemisphere, with a worldwide key to the known species". Opuscula Philolichenum. 16: 188–266.
  14. ↑ United States Department of the Army (2009). The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants. New York: Skyhorse Publishing. p. 85. ISBN   978-1-60239-692-0. OCLC   277203364.
  15. ↑ Björn, L. O.; Wang, T. (2000). "Vitamin D in an ecological context". International Journal of Circumpolar Health. 59 (1): 26–32. ISSN   1239-9736. PMID   10850004.
  16. ↑ Meuninck, Jim (2018). Basic Illustrated Edible Wild Plants and Useful Herbs. Falcon Guides. p. 14. ISBN   978-1-4930-3641-7.
  17. ↑ Rout, Jayashree; Kar, Ashish; Upreti, D. K. (2005). "Traditional remedy for kidney stones from a high altitude lichen: Cladonia rangiferina (L.) Wigg (reindeer moss) of Eastern Himalaya". Ethnobotany. 17 (1/2): 164–6.
  18. ↑ "Caribou Moss – Cladonia rangiferina" . Retrieved 2009-01-12.
  19. ↑ Roturier, Samuel; Ollier, Sébastien; Nutti, Lars-Evert; Bergsten, Urban; Winsa, Hans (November 2017). "Restoration of reindeer lichen pastures after forest fire in northern Sweden: Seven years of results". Ecological Engineering. 108: 143–151. doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2017.07.011.
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