For the uninitiated, lichens are cryptogams\u2013fungi that reproduce by spores, as with other fungi and some groups of plants. But unlike either, lichens are unique<\/a> in that they\u2019re composite organisms, often a symbiotic combination of fungi and algae. Think of them as codependent roommates; the former acts as a sort of bodyguard for the latter in exchange for nourishing sugars from the algae\u2019s photosynthesis. At large, lichens make the perfect bird nests by some avian standards, and the growths also have a penchant for breaking down dead trees and rocks while providing nitrogen for soil. Unassuming as they are, they\u2019re integral to maintaining healthy biomes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" You\u2019ll find them clinging to rock faces like flecks of gray paint, or carpeting a tree trunk with skeins of red whisps. Lichens come in myriad shapes, sizes, colors, and consistencies. But while they\u2019re often overlooked during your average … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sweetgum.nybg.org\/science\/projects\/southeastlichens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sweetgum.nybg.org\/science\/projects\/southeastlichens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sweetgum.nybg.org\/science\/projects\/southeastlichens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sweetgum.nybg.org\/science\/projects\/southeastlichens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sweetgum.nybg.org\/science\/projects\/southeastlichens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sweetgum.nybg.org\/science\/projects\/southeastlichens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97,"href":"https:\/\/sweetgum.nybg.org\/science\/projects\/southeastlichens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75\/revisions\/97"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sweetgum.nybg.org\/science\/projects\/southeastlichens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sweetgum.nybg.org\/science\/projects\/southeastlichens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sweetgum.nybg.org\/science\/projects\/southeastlichens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"http:\/\/23.253.106.247\/plant-talk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Lendemer-close-1.jpg\" "\\"James")
<\/a>You\u2019ll find them clinging to rock faces like flecks of gray paint, or carpeting a tree trunk with skeins of red whisps. Lichens come in myriad shapes, sizes, colors, and consistencies. But while they\u2019re often overlooked during your average hike, they\u2019re worth giving a spare glance the next time you\u2019re outdoors\u2013lichens play an important part in the ecosystem. Few know this so well as the NYBG<\/a>\u2018s Dr. James Lendemer. Like many of the Garden\u2019s globetrotting scientists\u2013\u00a0Michael Balick, Bill Buck, and\u00a0Roy Halling, to name a few\u2013Lendemer\u2019s field odysseys carry him well beyond the laboratory door in his hunt for specimens. In recent years, that chalks up to long days spent trekking through the Great Smoky Mountains<\/a> of the eastern United States.<\/p>\n