Saxicolous lichen

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A saxicolous lichen is a lichen that grows on rock. [1] [2] The prefix "sax" from the Latin saxum means "rock" or "stone". [3]

Characteristics

Saxicolous lichens exhibit very slow growth rates. They may develop on rock substrates for long periods of time, given the absence of external disturbances. [4] The importance of the mineral composition of the rock substrate, as well as the elemental geochemistry is also important to the distribution of saxicolous lichens, but the relationship between the substrate influence on lichens, either chemical or textural, is still obscure. [5]

Communities of saxicolous lichens are often species-rich in terms of number. [6]

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Verrucaria placida is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Verrucariaceae. Found in freshwater habitats in Europe, it was formally described as a new species in 2013 by lichenologist Alan Orange. The type specimen was collected by the author south of the Moelvi river, where it was found in woodland, growing on a stone in a shaded stream. The species epithet placida, derived from the Latin word for "quiet" or "peaceful", refers to the "smooth, unbroken thallus and the characteristic but unstriking appearance of this lichen". Verrucaria placida has been recorded in Norway, southern Germany, and Wales, where it occurs in small streams and grows on shaded siliceous rocks and stones.

Verrucaria hydrophila is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Verrucariaceae. Found in freshwater habitats in Europe, it was formally described as a new species in 2013 by lichenologist Alan Orange. The type specimen was collected by the author from Melindwr, Coed y Fron Wyllt, where it was found in a woodland growing on a shaded stone in a stream. The lichen has a thin, smooth, grey-green to brownish thallus that is somewhat translucent when wet. It is widespread in Europe and the British Isles, where it grows on rocks and stones in streams and seepages; the species epithet refers to its semi-aquatic habitat.

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References

  1. Alan Silverside's Lichen Glossary (p-z), Alan Silverside
  2. Shukla, V.; Upreti, D.K.; Bajpai, R. (2013). Lichens to Biomonitor the Environment. Springer India. p. 65. ISBN   978-81-322-1503-5 . Retrieved 20 April 2019.
  3. Snell, W.H.; Dick, E.A. (1971). A glossary of mycology. Harvard University Press. p. 146. ISBN   9780674354517 . Retrieved 20 April 2019. saxicolous. Living or growing among rocks. [< L. saxum stone + -cole, colous.]
  4. ARMESTO, JJ; LC, CONTRERAS (1981). "SAXICOLOUS LICHEN COMMUNITIES: NONEQUILIBRIUM SYSTEMS". American Naturalist. 118 (4): 597–604. doi:10.1086/283856. S2CID   84210222.
  5. Rajakaruna, Nishanta; Knudsen, Kerry; Fryday, Alan M.; O'Dell, Ryan E.; Pope, Nathaniel; Olday, Fred C.; Woolhouse, Suzie (September 2012). "Investigation of the importance of rock chemistry for saxicolous lichen communities of the New Idria serpentinite mass, San Benito County, California, USA". The Lichenologist. 44 (5): 695–714. doi:10.1017/S0024282912000205. ISSN   0024-2829. S2CID   85765282.
  6. John, Elizabeth; Dale, M. R. T. (July 1991). "Determinants of Spatial Pattern in Saxicolous Lichen Communities". The Lichenologist. 23 (3): 227–236. doi:10.1017/S0024282991000397. ISSN   0024-2829. S2CID   83675197.