Boreal felt lichen  (Erioderma pedicellatum)

Biology

Lichens consist of two different organisms, a 'mycobiont' (a fungus) and a 'phycobiont' (either an alga, which is a simple plant, or a cyanobacterium, a bacteria that can photosynthesise), which live together in a symbiotic association (5). The phycobiont in the boreal felt lichen is a cyanobacteria. The presence of the cyanobacteria makes the boreal felt lichen particularly sensitive to atmospheric pollution such as acid rain (2).

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