suzettesoule
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer Lichen
This is a photograph of Cladonia leporina that I photographed while walking in the woods on campus. I liked how the red fruiting bodies contrasted with the green moss. This genus of lichen is most commonly known as Reindeer Moss or Reindeer Lichen. Most species live in northern boreal forests and taiga regions, where they provide an important food source for reindeer and caribou, hence their name. However, this lichen probably isn't providing food for any reindeer down here in the South. This lead me to raise the question of why it is growing here. After researching this type of lichen, I came to realize that the habitat it prefers has a lot of the same conditions and resources I imagine the pine forests in Wilmington provide. Most interestingly, these lichen prefer to live in fire prone areas, just like the well known long leaf pine. Cladonia leporina prefer the large canopy openings that pine stands provide so that their symbiotic photobionts can access sunlight to provide them energy. Without fire, these lichen would literally be overshadowed by other plant species. Lichen are also very combustible, helping fuel the fires that keep the ecosystem running. Finding this out further helped me understand the importance of fire in the long leaf pine savannas that characterize out area.
Source: www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/lichens/claspp/all.html#GENER...
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer Lichen
This is a photograph of Cladonia leporina that I photographed while walking in the woods on campus. I liked how the red fruiting bodies contrasted with the green moss. This genus of lichen is most commonly known as Reindeer Moss or Reindeer Lichen. Most species live in northern boreal forests and taiga regions, where they provide an important food source for reindeer and caribou, hence their name. However, this lichen probably isn't providing food for any reindeer down here in the South. This lead me to raise the question of why it is growing here. After researching this type of lichen, I came to realize that the habitat it prefers has a lot of the same conditions and resources I imagine the pine forests in Wilmington provide. Most interestingly, these lichen prefer to live in fire prone areas, just like the well known long leaf pine. Cladonia leporina prefer the large canopy openings that pine stands provide so that their symbiotic photobionts can access sunlight to provide them energy. Without fire, these lichen would literally be overshadowed by other plant species. Lichen are also very combustible, helping fuel the fires that keep the ecosystem running. Finding this out further helped me understand the importance of fire in the long leaf pine savannas that characterize out area.
Source: www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/lichens/claspp/all.html#GENER...