The Alps are home to more than 3,000 lichens

Date:

March 12, 2018

Source:

Pensoft Publishers

Summary:

Widely used as biomonitors of air quality, forest health and climate change, lichens play a vital role. However, no overview of their diversity across the emblematic Alps had been provided up until recently, when an international team of lichenologists concluded their 15-year study. Their annotated checklist includes more than 3,000 lichens and presents a long-missed benchmark for scientists studying mountain systems around the globe.

FULL STORY

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A common fruticose lichen in the Alps: Flavocetraria nivalis.

Credit: Dr Peter O. Bilovitz CC-BY 4.0