Lichens as Pollution Indicators

Flashcards covering key vocabulary related to lichens, their structure, ecology, and uses as pollution indicators.

Lichen

Symbiotic relationship between a fungus and a photosynthetic organism (alga, cyanobacterium, or both).

Mycobiont

Fungal component of a lichen.

Phycobiont

Algal component of a lichen.

Saxicolous

Lichens growing on rocks.

Corticolous

Lichens growing on tree barks.

Follicolous

Lichens growing on leaves.

Terricolous

Lichens growing on soil surface.

Thalloid

Plant body of lichen with different shapes.

Crustose Lichen

Lichens with flattened thallus, closely attached to the substratum.

Foliose Lichen

Lichens with flat, dorsiventral, leaf-like lobed structure.

Fruticose Lichen

Lichens with well developed shrub-like, cylindrical and branched thallus.

Homoiomerous Lichen

Lichen thallus showing simple structure with algal cells and fungal hyphae equally distributed.

Heteromerous Lichen

Lichen thallus exhibiting differentiation and layered structure with algae in a specific zone.

Upper Cortex

Thick, outer protective layer of the lichen thallus made up of compactly arranged fungal hyphae.

Algal Zone

Zone in the lichen thallus containing algal cells entangled by fungal hyphae for photosynthesis.

Medulla

Loosely interwoven, thick-walled fungal hyphae with large spaces in the lichen thallus.

Lower Cortex

Compactly arranged hyphae in the lichen thallus that may extend downward for anchorage.

Rhizines

Hyphae extending downward from the lower cortex to penetrate the substrate for anchorage.

Pioneer Colonizers

Lichens that are the first to establish vegetation on bare rocky areas.

Bioindicators

Lichens sensitive to airborne pollutants, used to assess air quality.

Lobaria

Genus of lichen used for lung diseases.

Cetraria

Genus of lichen used for tuberculosis.

Usnea

Genus of lichen used for uterine aliments.

Usnic acid

Acid from Usnea and Cladonia, effective against fungi and bacteria.

Orcein

Dye extracted from lichens used for staining nucleus in biological laboratories.