Rhizocarpon geographicum

A new interest of mine since taking this class are lichens. While on the root glacier trail in Kennicott, I identified the green map lichen. Green map lichens habitat consists of rock surfaces in areas that air pollution is quite low. The map lichen is black with green-yellow spots. These lichen grow around each other and will eventually connect to one another. Due to their patchwork nature the lichens can join and become very large. The range of this lichen is wide, appearing in most cold areas such as Canada, United States, and Greenland. This lichen can also be found in tropical climates but only at high elevations. Depending on the size of the green map lichen can determine the lichens approximate age. Green map lichens reproduce asexually as well as reproducing by dispersing diaspores. These lichens can also produce secondary compounds such as toxins that kill bacteria that maybe harmful to the organism.


Resources:
http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/potd/2005/10/rhizocarpon_geographicum.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhizocarpon_geographicum
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Lichen