Lichens Could Need More than a Million Years to Adapt to Climate Change

Often mistaken for primitive plants such as moss (if they are even noticed in the first place), lichens are actually not plants at all. They are a group of versatile symbiotic life-forms that play crucial roles in myriad ecosystems, from rain forests to Arctic tundra. Though some do closely resemble moss, others look like little … Read more

Lichens are in peril because they adapt so slowly to climate change

Lichens are important for stabilising soils and providing some animals with food, but the algae within them are adapting to climate change at a rate of just 1°C every million years Life 15 February 2022 By Jake Buehler Lichen (Folmannia orthoclada) on rock in Atacama Desert. This lichen contains Trebouxia algae Matthew Nelsen One of … Read more