Crater lichen (Diploschistes ocellatus)

Crater lichen
Crater lichen

Crater lichen fact file

Crater lichen description

KingdomFungi
PhylumAscomycota
ClassLecanoromycetes
OrderOstropales
FamilyThelotremataceae
GenusDiploschistes (1)

Diploschistes ocellatus is a widespread lichen species that grows on calcareous rocks and soils. Its numerous thalli are powdery pale grey to white, with each thick thallus enclosing a black apothecium (a disc-like structure on the surface of the thallus used in sexual reproduction) (2)

There are two different morphs of Diploschistes ocellatus, which differ in the structure of the thallus and apothecia and in the presence or absence of tiny pores on the surface, known as pseudocyphellae (3).

Synonyms
Diploschistes subocellatus, Lagerheimina ocellata, Lichen ocellatus, Parmelia ocellata, Urceolaria ocellata, Urceolaria subocellata.
Top

Crater lichen biology

Lichens are a unique group of organisms that consist of two components, a fungus (called the ‘mycobiont’) and an alga or cyanobacterium (called the ‘photobiont’) that live in a close symbiotic relationship (4) (5) (6). The fungus produces the thallus (the main lichen body) which houses the alga or the cyanobacterium, providing protection and creating optimal conditions for the photobionts to photosynthesise. This process produces sugars and other nutrients which can then be used by the fungus (6).

Top

Crater lichen range

A wide-ranging species, Diploschistes ocellatus occurs from southern Europe and Africa, across Asia to Australia, New Zealand and some islands in the western Pacific Ocean (2).

Top

Crater lichen habitat

Diploschistes ocellatus grows on calcareous rocks and soils (2). One morph of this species grows only on soils in arid areas of southern Spain which contain the very soft mineral gypsum (3).

Top

Crater lichen status

Diploschistes ocellatus has not yet been classified by the IUCN.

Top

Crater lichen threats

Although it is not known if there are any specific threats to Diploschistes ocellatus, lichens are a slow-growing association of fungi and algae or cyanobacterium, and so are extremely sensitive to contamination from air pollution. As such, lichens are often used as indicators of the amount of pollution in an ecosystem (5).

Top

Crater lichen conservation

Diploschistes ocellatus has not been the target of any known conservation measures.

Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi is a principal sponsor of ARKive. EAD is working to protect and conserve the environment as well as promoting sustainable development in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Top

Authentication

This information is awaiting authentication by a species expert, and will be updated as soon as possible. If you are able to help please contact:
arkive@wildscreen.org.uk

Top

Glossary

Alga
A simple plant that lacks roots, stems and leaves but contains the green pigment chlorophyll. Most algae occur in marine and freshwater habitats.
Calcareous
Containing free calcium carbonate, chalky.
Cyanobacteria
A group of bacteria that contain the pigment chlorophyll and are able to photosynthesise. Once known as ‘blue-green algae’, cyanobacteria are thought to have been the first organisms to produce oxygen; fossil cyanobacteria have been found in 3000 million year old rocks. As they are responsible for the oxygen in the atmosphere they have played an essential role in influencing the course of evolution on this planet.
Fungus
Fungi are one of the taxonomic kingdoms, separate from plants and animals. They obtain nutrients by absorbing organic compounds from the surrounding environment.
Morph
One of two or more distinct types of a given species, often distinct colour forms, which occur in the same population at the same time (that is, are not geographical or seasonal variations).
Photosynthesis
Metabolic process characteristic of plants in which carbon dioxide is broken down, using energy from sunlight absorbed by the green pigment chlorophyll. Organic compounds are made and oxygen is given off as a by-product.
Symbiotic
Describes a relationship in which two organisms form a close association. The term is now usually used only for associations that benefit both organisms (a mutualism).
Thallus
Type of simple plant body that does not have stems, leaves and roots.
Top

References

  1. Species 2000 and ITIS Catalogue of Life (August, 2009)
    http://www.catalogueoflife.org
  2. Vasser, S.P. and Nevo, E. (2005) Lichen-forming, Lichenicolous, and Allied Fungi of Israel. A.R.G. Gantner Verlag K.G., Germany. 
  3. Martín, M.P., Winka, K., Llimona, X. and. Lumbsch H.T. (2000) Evaluation of morphological variation in the lichen Diploschistes ocellatus (Ascomycota, Ostropales): evidence from nuclear rDNA ITS sequence data. Plant Biology, 2: 571-578.
  4. Ghazanfar, S.A. and Fisher, M. (1998) Vegetation of the Arabian Peninsula. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, the Netherlands.
  5. Nash, T.H. (1996) Lichen Biology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
  6. Ahmadjian, V. (1993) The Lichen Symbiosis. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York.

This species is featured in:

This species is featured in Jewels of the UAE, which showcases biodiversity found in the United Arab Emirates in association with the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi.

Please donate to ARKive today

Help us share the wonders of the natural world. Donate today!

Sign up to our newsletter

Get the latest wild news direct to your inbox.

Get involved

ARKive relies on its media donors to donate photos and videos. Can you help? There are plenty of other ways you can get involved too!

X
Close

Image credit

Crater lichen  
Crater lichen

© Jacinta Lluch

Jacinta Lluch
http://www.flickr.com/photos/70626035@N00/

X
Close

Link to this photo

ARKive species - Crater lichen (Diploschistes ocellatus) Embed this ARKive thumbnail link by copying and pasting the code below.

Terms of Use - The displayed thumbnail may be used as a link from your website to ARKive's online content for private, scientific, conservation or educational purposes only. It may NOT be used within Apps.

Read more about

X
Close

MyARKive

MyARKive offers the scrapbook feature to signed-up members, allowing you to organize your favourite ARKive images and videos and share them with friends.

X
Close

Terms and Conditions of Use of Materials

Copyright in this website and materials contained on this website (Material) belongs to Wildscreen or its licensors.

Visitors to this website (End Users) are entitled to:

  • view the contents of, and Material on, the website;
  • download and retain copies of the Material on their personal systems in digital form in low resolution for their own personal use;
  • teachers, lecturers and students may incorporate the Material in their educational material (including, but not limited to, their lesson plans, presentations, worksheets and projects) in hard copy and digital format for use within a registered educational establishment, provided that the integrity of the Material is maintained and that copyright ownership and authorship is appropriately acknowledged by the End User.

End Users shall not copy or otherwise extract, alter or manipulate Material other than as permitted in these Terms and Conditions of Use of Materials.

Additional use of flagged material

Green flagged material 

Certain Material on this website (Licence 4 Material) displays a green flag next to the Material and is available for not-for-profit conservation or educational use. This material may be used by End Users, who are individuals or organisations that are in our opinion not-for-profit, for their not-for-profit conservation or not-for-profit educational purposes. Low resolution, watermarked images may be copied from this website by such End Users for such purposes. If you require high resolution or non-watermarked versions of the Material, please contact Wildscreen with details of your proposed use.

Creative commons material

Certain Material on this website has been licensed to Wildscreen under a Creative Commons Licence. These images are clearly marked with the Creative Commons buttons and may be used by End Users only in the way allowed by the specific Creative Commons Licence under which they have been submitted. Please see http://creativecommons.org for details.

Any other use

Please contact the copyright owners directly (copyright and contact details are shown for each media item) to negotiate terms and conditions for any use of Material other than those expressly permitted above. Please note that many of the contributors to ARKive are commercial operators and may request a fee for such use.

Save as permitted above, no person or organisation is permitted to incorporate any copyright material from this website into any other work or publication in any format (this includes but is not limited to: websites, Apps, CDs, DVDs, intranets, extranets, signage, digital communications or on printed materials for external or other distribution). Use of the Material for promotional, administrative or for-profit purposes is not permitted.