Biology:Lepraria pacifica
| Lepraria pacifica | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Lecanorales |
| Family: | Stereocaulaceae |
| Genus: | Lepraria |
| Species: | L. pacifica
|
| Binomial name | |
| Lepraria pacifica Lendemer (2011)
| |
Lepraria pacifica, the Pacific dust lichen, is a whitish-blue-green leprose crustose lichen that grows on its substrate like patches of granular, caked-up, mealy dust grains.[1][2]:305 Like other members of the Lepraria genus, it only reproduces asexually.[1][2]
The main vegetative body (thallus) is made of patches of soredia, little balls of algae wrapped in fungus.[1][2] The thallus body may be discontinuous, starting off as isolated granules that divide to form aggregations that then merge to form a 0.1– 0.7 mm crust without a cortex (ecorticate).[1] It gradually forms an organized pseudocortex.[1] The photobiont consists of green globose coccoid cells.[1] It produces a thick thallus and (usually) lacks rhizohyphae and ascending thallus margins.[1]
It is endemic to western North America.[1] It grows on rock, soil, and bark, along the pacific coast of North America, from Coastal British Columbia to populations found in southern California , and in and near Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada range.[1][2] It is usually corticolous (grows on bark), and occurs only in western North America.[1] It is usually found only growing on conifers.[1] In redwood forests, it is the most commonly found member of its genus.[1] It is one of the only lichens that grows on the lower trunks of redwood trees.[2] "Pacifica" refers to it being found only along the mountain ranges of the Pacific Coast in western North America, and in the Sierra Nevada range in and near Yosemite National Park.[1]
Lichen spot test are K− or K+ purple, C ± pink, KC+ pink, P−, UV+ blue-white.[1]
Lepraria pacifica has a thallus similar in structure to some forms of the European L. incana, but has a thicker thallus and always produces TLC detectable nordivaricatic acid.[1] Its thick thallus is unlike other members of its genus, but this is variable.[1] It is the only member of its genus that regularly produces divaricatic acid.[1] It is characterized by having divaricatic acid, zeorin, and nordivaricatic acid, which is in lower concentrations than L. crassissima and L. cryophila.[1] It may be confused with L. crassissima and L. incana because of its similar chemistry, but it occurs in different biogeography and ecology.[1] L. crassissima is mainly saxicolous (grows on rock), and is a European species with a thallus similar to L. cryophila, with a well developed hypothallus and rhizohyphae as well as ascending thallus margins.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 A taxonomic revision of the North American species of Lepraria s.l. that produce divaricatic acid, with notes on the type species of the genus L. incana, James C. Lendemer , Mycologia 103(6): 1216–1229, [1]
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Field Guide to California Lichens, Stephen Sharnoff, Yale University Press, 2014, ISBN:978-0-300-19500-2
Wikidata ☰ Q18393135 entry
 |  |
