When Santa's exhausted reindeer finally set down their sleigh in the deep snow of the North Pole early Christmas morning, it's not Rudolph's radiant red nose that will help them find sustenance in the barren landscape.
Evolution
Dec 15, 2023
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100
Semi-domesticated reindeer avoid winter habitats with exotic lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), introduced from Northern America. Reduced food supply and dense stands probably contribute to the reindeers' avoidance behavior ...
Ecology
Sep 21, 2023
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1
A unique long-term study performed by researchers at Umeå University shows that the pendent lichen Usnea longissima has decreased by 42% over 37 years in Skuleskogen National Park, located in High Coast UNESCO World Heritage ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 1, 2023
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6
All plants and lichens listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act are sensitive to climate change but there are few plans in place to address this threat directly, according to a new study by Amy Casandra Wrobleski ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 26, 2023
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A new study reveals that the evolution of sunscreen pigments in lichen-forming fungi has been governed by the reshuffling of existing enzyme genes and novel accessory genes into new gene clusters.
Evolution
Feb 9, 2023
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16
The chemical composition of lichens depends on the basis (substrate) on which they grow. In this way lichens adapt to adverse conditions—such as a high level of acidity (low pH) or the presence of toxic metals. A new property ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 6, 2022
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32
Algae are more than just the green scum that shows up on aquarium walls. The tiny plants, when teamed up with a fungus, can form a composite structure called lichen. Lichens grow everywhere, from tundras in the Arctic to ...
Ecology
Feb 15, 2022
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Tropical rainforests are the world's most significant source of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs). These compounds have a great influence on the concentration of oxidative substances and thus on the self-purifying ...
Earth Sciences
Dec 21, 2021
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469
An interdisciplinary research team from the University of Bayreuth, the University of Hohenheim, and the Bavarian State Natural Science Collections has discovered how different climatic conditions influence the chemical properties ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 20, 2021
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47
Natural substances are biologically active components produced by organisms. So far, they have been of interest to researchers primarily as the basis for medicines, because some natural substances have been shown to inhibit ...
Evolution
Jul 20, 2021
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180
Lichens ( /ˈlaɪkən/, sometimes /ˈlɪtʃən/) are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus (the mycobiont) with a photosynthetic partner (the photobiont or phycobiont), usually either a green alga (commonly Trebouxia) or cyanobacterium (commonly Nostoc). The morphology, physiology and biochemistry of lichens are very different from those of the isolated fungus and alga in culture. Lichens occur in some of the most extreme environments on Earth—arctic tundra, hot deserts, rocky coasts, and toxic slag heaps. However, they are also abundant as epiphytes on leaves and branches in rain forests and temperate woodland, on bare rock, including walls and gravestones, and on exposed soil surfaces (e.g., Collema) in otherwise mesic habitats. Lichens are widespread and may be long-lived; however, many are also vulnerable to environmental disturbance, and may be useful to scientists in assessing the effects of air pollution, ozone depletion, and metal contamination. Lichens have also been used in making dyes and perfumes, as well as in traditional medicines.
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