Lichen
What is Lichen?
Lichen
is a plant formed from the symbiotic association of certain fungi and most of
the time it is green algae. Lichens occupy many different habitats, often in
extreme environments, so Antarctica is a great location. In Antarctica there are three(3) main types of Lichens. The first one is Crustose lichens, which form a thin crust on the surface of the substrate they grow on. Another lichen is Foliose, which form leafs like lobes. The last type is Fruticose lichens which have a shrubby growth habit. Lichens have very slow growth rates. In the most favorable
of conditions in the Maritime Antarctic, growth rates reach 1 cm
per 100 years. In the harsher environment of the Continental Antarctic, growth
is much slower, and may be as little as 1 cm per 1000 years