Hello! Welcome to another Ranger Minute from Redwood National and State Parks.
My name's Ranger Steve and today I'd like to discuss the importance of some
of the smaller wonders you can find in this world heritage site. Our focus today
is on lichen. Lichen are fungi that have a symbiotic relationship with algae, so
the soft spongy nature of this fungus right here provides a safe, moist habitat
for algae live.
In return, algae provide the fungus with valuable nutrients created during photosynthesis.
Some lichen, like this lettuce lung, and this lungwort, additionally contain cyanobacteria.
Wow, that's like three different kingdoms in one! Now, cyanobacteria plays an
important role of nitrogen fixation. That is, it takes atmospheric, biologically
useless nitrogen and converts it into useful nitrogen fertilizer. Would you
believe this lettuce lung is one of the number one nitrogen contributors to an
old growth forest. And it only grows on the largest, oldest, and tallest of trees.
That's amazing!
Aside from fixing nitrogen, lichens have many other important uses. Some have been
used traditionally in the manufacture of natural dyes and perfumes. Some of our
wildlife in the park, such as deer and elk, are known to graze on lichen. Some
species, like this in the Usnea genus, have antibiotic properties. Due to their
spongy makeup, lichen do a really good job of absorbing toxic air pollutants.
This makes them excellent indicators of environmental health. That is, they help
us measure the quality of the air we all breathe and might I say, the air in this
old growth forest...[takes deep breath]...is excellent!
There are many different kinds of lichen and you'll find them
growing a lot of different places like on the bark of living trees such as this
cladonia lichen.
You can also find lichen growing on logs, branches and twigs,
rocks, and even the forest floor. So remember the next time you're visiting
the International Biosphere Reserve, visiting some of the tallest trees on
the planet,
feeling kind of small--take the time to get smaller! Explore lichens, you could
discover a whole new world!