November 27, 2009
This colorful Methow Valley boulder shines with an abstract palette of what I assume are lichens. Red, yellow, black, white -- along with some kind of grayish fuzz -- form a rainbow society of growth against winter's muted tones.
Seattle's Burke Museum apparently has about 800 native lichen species growing in its herbarium. They're probably not a huge tourist draw compared to, say, the Space Needle or ferry system. But that number still seems pretty amazing.
Lichens are odd ducks in the botanical world (if I may mix my taxonomy). They're basically algae blooms being hugged by over-affectionate fungi to form a beautiful, symbiotic "flower." How they tint themselves is a mystery to me. Anyone know the details of lichen color chemistry? Hello? Hello?
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lbadge320 (Frank Cone) says...
"Anyone know the details of lichen color chemistry? Hello? Hello?"
My theory: Nature's mood rings
November 27, 2009 at 7:49 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
girlfawkes (r wools) says...
Beautiful. Lichens are decreasing in numbers, probably due to the effect of higher acidity in rain water.
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"When a lichen is wet, the cortex becomes more transparent and the underlying photobiont layer becomes visible, making a gray or brown lichen turn bright green or olive in color. But a variety of bright pigments may be deposited in the cortex: most widespread is pale yellow usnic acid, but other pigments generate a variety of yellow, orange, or red lichens. Colors vary within species due to light exposure, genetics, age, etc. Light seems to be a primary factor, since the deepest pigments -- yellow, orange, red, even brown -- occur in the most exposed, often dry habitats. These pigments appear to protect the underlying photobionts from excessive ultraviolet radiation."
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http://www.saguaro-juniper.com/i_and_...
November 27, 2009 at 9:10 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
girlfawkes (r wools) says...
Oh, I also meant to comment that lichen are in many ways the dry land equivalent of reef crest corals, as photosynthetic corals have a symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae, which are microscopic algal organisms that live within the body of the coral and assist in processing nutrients, as well as protecting the delicate coral tissue from excessive UV radiation, thus lending the otherwise transparent coral tissue the vivid colors we see on the reef.
November 27, 2009 at 10:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
irwin (Mike Irwin) says...
Girlfawkes ... so lichen colors protect the organism from strong ultraviolet radiation — which must be abundant in these semi-arid areas getting 300 days of sunshine a year. The colors are sort of like pigment blankets that cover their, ahem, tender vegetation, right? I like the comparison of lichens to coral. They certainly LOOK like coral. Thanks for the wonderful explanation. Are you a scientist?
November 28, 2009 at 8:18 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
girlfawkes (r wools) says...
No, but a pretty hard core reef hobbyist for years. I propagate and grow many different species from my aquarium at home. After reading about lichens the comparison just came to mind.
November 28, 2009 at 10:47 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )