taylor.daughtry
IMG_2002
This photo was taken on February 1st in Forest C located on UNCW's campus. In the bottom left hand corner, you can see a white and fluffy looking pile. This is known as a Lichen and is under the category of Fruticose. They are known to have stalks and branches. According to The Infinite Spider, "Lichens aren't plants, and they aren't just one organism, they are symbiants (things living together) and can be two or three species all cohabitating at once". I thought this was pretty interesting to read about. I never really thought about a lichen containing three species instead of an organism that's one species. When I first saw this picture I immediately thought about how the fungus and the algae have to form a relationship in order to make the lichen. The fungi is used to control and monitor the growth process while the algae helps by protecting the lichen as a whole. What I mean is that it's used as a way to protect the lichen from harmful UV rays. Even the fungi and algae live together, they both positively benefit. It is possible for one of them to gain more benefits but this is also known as parasitic.
The Infinite Spider - infinitespider.com/lichens-101/
IMG_2002
This photo was taken on February 1st in Forest C located on UNCW's campus. In the bottom left hand corner, you can see a white and fluffy looking pile. This is known as a Lichen and is under the category of Fruticose. They are known to have stalks and branches. According to The Infinite Spider, "Lichens aren't plants, and they aren't just one organism, they are symbiants (things living together) and can be two or three species all cohabitating at once". I thought this was pretty interesting to read about. I never really thought about a lichen containing three species instead of an organism that's one species. When I first saw this picture I immediately thought about how the fungus and the algae have to form a relationship in order to make the lichen. The fungi is used to control and monitor the growth process while the algae helps by protecting the lichen as a whole. What I mean is that it's used as a way to protect the lichen from harmful UV rays. Even the fungi and algae live together, they both positively benefit. It is possible for one of them to gain more benefits but this is also known as parasitic.
The Infinite Spider - infinitespider.com/lichens-101/