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| Sylvia
and Stephen Sharnoff |
"LICHENS
OF BAJA CALIFORNIA
The
Fringe of the Sonoran Desert"
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| Lichens
of several kinds decorate a cactus. The disc-shaped structures
are the "fruiting bodies" of the fungal partner.
They produce spores that can combine with the right species
of algae to form a new lichen. |
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This brightly colored
lichen in the genus Acarospora or Pleopsidium is
following cracks in the rock. The taxonomy of lichens
is not as well-known as that of vascular plants. There
is probably no scientist in the world who could name
this lichen with confidence.
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| Many lichens,
like this Psora, grow directly on soil. These lichens
are important in preventing erosion. Those containing cyanobacteria
contribute "fixed" nitrogen to the soil as well.
Lichens such as these are a key component of what are now
referred to as "microbiotic crusts." They are
easily destroyed by livestock overgrazing or by off-road
vehicles. |
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Lichens often compete
for space, like this orange Caloplaca and a gray
species of Phaeophyscia, both growing on rock.
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Xavier Castellanos, "Paintings - Magical Mexico"
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