Crustose Lichen on Rhyolite, The Dragoon Mountains, Cochise County, Arizona
Crustose lichen is a type of lichen that has a crust-like or flattened appearance, adhering tightly to its substrate, which can be rocks, tree bark, or soil. It is composed of two main components: a fungal partner and a photosynthetic partner, which can be either algae or cyanobacteria. The fungal partner provides a protective structure for the photosynthetic partner and absorbs nutrients from the substrate. Crustose lichens are often used as indicators of environmental conditions, such as air quality and rock weathering, and they play important roles in soil formation and ecosystem processes.
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Photo credit: © Phil Degginger / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: algae, arizona, az, biodiversity, bioindicator, cochise, colorful, county, crustose, dragoon, dragoons, ecology, foliose, fungi, lichen, mountains, mts, mutualistic, photosynthesis, pollution, rhyolite, symbiosis, taxonomy
