Why are lichens called pioneers of vegetative cover and what is their role in nature?

Lichens are a very peculiar group of living organisms that can live in such conditions where no other plants can survive. They withstand both severe frosts and very high temperatures. They grow in the most unusual places: on rocks and trees, sandy soils and fences, in the tundra and Antarctica. Having studied the characteristics of these unusual organisms, one can answer the question of why lichens are called pioneers of plant cover. After all, they appear first in places where nothing can grow: on stones, in the desert or in the tundra. These amazing organisms, which are a symbiosis of the fungus and algae, have been little studied. Scientists believe that they exist on Earth for about 200 million years and play an important role in the development of flora and fauna.

What are the characteristics of lichens?

1. This organism is a symbiosis of fungus and algae. They are completely dependent on each other. Initially, the fungus parasitized on the body of the algae, but in the process of evolution a new organism was formed.
2. It is also amazing to eat lichen. The filament of the fungus receives from the environment water and minerals, and from the body of the algae - organic. In turn, algae from the fungus gets all the minerals it needs. In their nutrition, these organisms are almost independent of the soil. They settle in the most lifeless places, and then, dying off, form a nutrient substrate for other plants. This is why lichens are called pioneers of plant cover.

3. A feature of these organisms is their ability to live where no plant will survive. With the help of special acids they can dissolve a rocky cover, magma or sand, creating in time soil.
4. Lichens grow very slowly. For a year they increase by no more than 5 millimeters. But these organisms live very long. On the average, their age is about 100 years, but there is information about lichens of two thousand years of age.
5. These organisms are very unpretentious. It can withstand a prolonged drought, frosts up to 60 degrees and fifty-degree heat.

What are lichens?

The names of most of them do not say anything to an ordinary person. Many have seen these organisms, because they are so peculiar that they do not look like mushrooms or plants. What are lichens?

• Leafy can live on the bark of trees, cover a solid carpet of soil or hanging in the form of a beard from the branches.

• Scale lichens are like thin crusts covering rocks, bark of trees, fences and walls. They resemble a gray scum.
• Bushy lichens live in coniferous forests, forming solid carpets of beautiful branching bushes. Sometimes their height can reach half a meter.

Where do these organisms live?

Why are lichens called pioneers of vegetation cover? Yes, because they "pave" the way in the spread of other plants, mastering stony and sandy soils. They are the first to appear in places where nothing can grow. The main thing for their life is light and moisture in the air. Lichens are one of the most common organisms. You can meet him from the North to the South Pole. They love coniferous and mixed forests, tundra and taiga, stony highlands and deserts. Some species can grow in water and volcanic lava. They grow on iron, stones, porcelain, bricks, cardboard, fabric and glass.

It is this particular feature that is the answer to the question of why lichens are called pioneers of plant cover. They dissolve the stones of their life activity, and when they die, they form a sub-extract, which subsequently is a nutrient medium for the life of other plants.

Significance of lichens

• Very sensitive to the purity of air, these organisms are an indicator of its pollution. Especially they react to the content of sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere.
• Various acids secreted by lichens are used in the perfume and cosmetic industries, from which paints and litmus are obtained. Some of their species secrete bactricidal substances, so they are used in folk medicine.
• The cover of lichens in the tundra and coniferous forests protects the soil from erosion. They also protect the trees from infection with fungi.
• The role of lichens is also that they are a food for many animals, especially in the northern regions. Some of these organisms are edible for humans.