Ciliate strap-lichen  (Heterodermia leucomela)

Learn about the scientific name of this species and how it fits into the tree of life at Nature Navigator.

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 (7). Many lichens are known to be very sensitive to environmental pollution, and they have been used as 'indicators' of pollution (7). Ciliate strap-lichen reproduces asexually by producing microscopic structures called 'soredia'; masses of soredia look like a fine powder to the human eye, but actually consist of fungal threads (hyphae) and cells of the phycobiont (7). These structures are dispersed by the wind, by animals, or by simply falling to the ground (2), and enable a new lichen to become established.

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