Growth of foliose lichens: A review

Citation

Armstrong RA & Bradwell T (2011) Growth of foliose lichens: A review. Symbiosis, 53 (1), pp. 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13199-011-0108-4

Abstract
This review considers various aspects of the growth of foliose lichens including early growth and development, variation in radial growth rate (RaGR) of different species, growth to maturity, lobe growth variation, senescence and fragmentation, growth models, the influence of environmental variables, and the maintenance of thallus symmetry. The data suggest that a foliose lichen thallus is essentially a ‘colony’ in which the individual lobes exhibit a considerable degree of autonomy in their growth processes. During development, recognisable juvenile thalli are usually formed by 15months to 4years while most mature thalli exhibit RaGR between 1 and 5mm yr−1. RaGR within a species is highly variable. The growth rate-size curve of a foliose lichen thallus may result from growth processes that take place at the tips of individual lobes together with size-related changes in the intensity of competition for space between the marginal lobes. Radial growth and growth in mass is influenced by climatic and microclimatic factors and also by substratum factors such as rock and bark texture, chemistry, and nutrient enrichment. Possible future research topics include: (1) measuring fast growing foliose species through life, (2) the three dimensional changes that occur during lobe growth, (3) the cellular changes that occur during regeneration, growth, and division of lobes, and (4) the distribution and allocation of the major lichen carbohydrates within lobes.

Keywords
Radial growth rate (RaGR); Dry weight gain; Growth models; Aging and regeneration; Thallus symmetry

Journal
Symbiosis: Volume 53, Issue 1

People

Dr Tom Bradwell

Senior Lecturer, Biological and Environmental Sciences