. . . N ot to be confused with the Whitesnake Lichen (gotta love the hair — it definitely looks chitinous).
Snakes are not the only animal to have assumed a worm-like form without being standard-issue worms; indeed they are not even the only organism to do so. Here is a lichen, of all things, that seems to have decided it’d be cool to dress up as a Guinea Worm.
Image by Pellaea, Creative Commons Attribution License 2.0 Generic. Click image for link.
As you may recall, lichens are in that twilight zone between two organisms working together for the common good (like a grouper and a cleaner wrasse) and a single organism that was long ago two (like us and our mitochondria). The lichen is both fungus and alga — the exterior (i.e. crunchy coating) is usually fungus, and the inside is stuffed with a fluffy algal filling. As I’ve mentioned before, it’s not at all clear whether it’s a truly reciprocal relationship, or if the fungus is shamelessly exploiting the alga. I have my own view (I think it’s more the former), but I can’t really be sure that’s always the case and I’m not really an expert. As they say on Facebook. . . it’s complicated.
In any case . . . in North America, this little fruticose (shrubby) lichen, Thamnolia vermicularis (the only member of its genus), grows on tundra as far south as my neck of the woods (i.e. the Colorado Rockies) or on windy Pacific Northwest coasts near sea level. It has none of the reproductive equipment with which many lichens come standard: powdery tufts of soredia, fingery projections called isidia, or little cups made by the fungus half. For this lichen to reproduce, it must do so the old fashioned way: plain-vanilla fragmentation.
Here’s one way for that to happen:
When interior decorating, it's important to mix patterns and textures while keeping the color palate unified and predators stymied. Image by MeegsC, Creative Commons Attribution License 3.0 Generic. Click for link.
Because, as it turns out, the golden plover thinks the whiteworm lichen is <lilt>*fabulous*</lilt>!
This post inspired by a recent entry at Botany Photo of the Day.
Additional sources: The Lichen Bible, aka Brodo and the Sharnoffs’ Lichens of North America.
