Golden hair lichen  (Teloschistes flavicans)

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

Biology

Lichens are remarkable organisms; they consist of an alga and a fungus living together in a symbiotic association(3). A general rule is that the fungal component of a lichen is unable to live independently, but the alga may live without the fungal partner as a distinct species (3). Many lichens are known to be very sensitive to environmental pollution, and they have been used as 'indicators' of pollution (6). This genus is thought by some experts to be very ancient, and some species may have remained unchanged for millions of years (7). The golden hair lichen reproduces asexually, either by the body of the lichen (the thallus) breaking into pieces, or by means of 'soredia', microscopic structures that look like powder to the naked eye, and contain fungal threads and a few algal cells (6).

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