Peltigera aphthosa is a species of lichen known by the common names green dog lichen, leafy lichen, felt lichen, and common freckle pelt. It has a circumpolar distribution, occurring throughout the Arctic, boreal, and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.[1]
| Peltigera aphthosa | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Peltigerales |
| Family: | Peltigeraceae |
| Genus: | Peltigera |
| Species: | P. aphthosa
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| Binomial name | |
| Peltigera aphthosa | |
| Synonyms | |
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This lichen has a large thallus that may exceed one meter in width. It is divided into lobes up to about 10 centimeters long and 6 wide. It is green, becoming pale as it dries. The thallus is dotted with cephalodia, which contains one of the two symbionts, a species of Nostoc. The other is a species of Coccomyxa. These perform photosynthesis, and the Nostoc also fixes nitrogen. The lichen produces large apothecia, a reproductive structure.[1]
This widespread lichen grows in a variety of habitat types, including Arctic ecosystems. It grows in alpine climates in the southern parts of its distribution.[1]
This lichen was noted to absorb aluminum and silicon from the ash released from the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens.[1]
It is a known host to the lichenicolous fungus species Lichenopeltella santessonii.[2]
References edit
- ^ a b c d Matthews, Robin F. 1993. Peltigera aphthosa. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory.
- ^ Brackel, Wolfgang von (2011). "Lichenopeltella rangiferinae sp. nov. and some other lichenicolous fungi from Iceland" (PDF). Acta Botanica Islandica. 15: 51–60.
Further reading edit
- Palmqvist, K. (1993). Photosynthetic CO2-use efficiency in lichens and their isolated photobionts: the possible role of a CO2-concentrating mechanism. Planta 191 48–56.
- Paulsrud, P., et al. (1998). Cyanobiont specificity in some Nostoc-containing lichens and in a Peltigera aphthosa photosymbiodeme. New Phytologist 139 517–24.
- Paulsrud, P., et al. (2001). Field investigations on cyanobacterial specificity in Peltigera aphthosa. New Phytologist 152 117–23.
External links edit
