orange wall lichen
Xanthoria parietina (L.) Beltr. 1858
50.8843, 5.98617
Field Notes
Description:
Foliose, pale- to golden-yellow or orange, grey in shade, lacking isidia or soredia; apothecia usually present, margins concolorous with thallus, disks orange. Throughout Britain, generally very common on nutrient-enriched bark (especially on Elder, Sambucus nigra) and stonework, often abundant on coastal rocks (see, also, X. aureola), further increasing as a result of nitrate/ammonia deposition from atmospheric pollution
( http://www.lichens.lastdragon.org/Xanthoria_parietina.html )
Habitat:
Hardwood forests in low-elevation broad valleys; scattered on Populus and other hardwoods in riparian areas in agricultural and populated areas. It is often associated with high level of nitrogen and favored by eutrophication and can be often found near farmland and around livestock.
-----X. parietina is a widespread lichen, and has been reported from Australia, Africa, Asia, North America and throughout much of Europe. In eastern North America and Europe, it is found more frequently near coastal locations. The increases in NO3 deposition as a result of industrial and agricultural developments in southern Ontario, Canada in the 20th century are thought to be responsible for the reappearance of this species in the local lichen flora
( wikipedia )( http://www.soortenbank.nl/soorten.php?soortengroep=duikgids&id=344 ),
Notes:
Pelvis bone of a dead sheep colonized by Xanthoria parietina, in a sunny dry scrubland south of the Island of Mallorca. (Double click on the photo to enlarge)
Like all lichens are formed by the intimate symbiotic union between an alga and a fungus. The alga or phycobiont brings energy from photosynthesis, while the fungus or mycobiont provides water and minerals. Many millions of years ago learned to live together, helping each other, allowing them to successfully colonize the new land emerging from volcanic eruptions and tectonic plate movements. In fact, lichens are often the first living organisms to colonize the volcanic islands just after the lava cooled
( http://www.mycobank.org/MycoTaxo.aspx?Link=T&Rec=410037 ), ( http://mundani-garden.blogspot.com/2011/01/xanthoria-parietina-lichen-o… )
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