Answer to Question #125729 in Zoology for Tee

Question

Are lichens aquatic

Answer 1

Lichens are Aquatic Habitats

Introduction

Lichens possess individual fundamental requirements for their habitats. However, these organisms occur on a variety of surfaces (substrate). Each cover, must contain specific nutrients required for lichens to blossom. These requirements are; Moisture, air, light, nutrients, and substrates.

Since Lichens poses no waxy cuticle like healthy plants, conservation of water during dry spells is cumbersome. However, lichens can absorb almost everything, including water and vapour via the cortex. Most of the lichens are found in wet regions like coastal regions but further inland because there is not enough water in the atmosphere to support growth when lichens are damp, or during the rainy seasons they are flaccid and carry out photosynthesis. During the dry seasons, they become fragile and become dormant a process known as poikilohydric, (Y Gauslaa and D .Coxson - Botany, 2011)

Lichens require fresh air to survive. They absorb water and everything through the cortex. From vital nutrients toxins, lichens intake it all. These organisms are capable of absorbing water in the air, which is the reason why there many are found in wet regions along oceans and big water bodies. Look around the large cities and towns in the world. There are few lichens in these regions because they can’t tolerate the polluted environments by factories in the towns and cities, (P Porada, B Weber, W Elbert, U Pöschl and A Kleidon, 2013).

Lichens require nutrients for survival like other living organisms. The primary nutrients needed for the growth of lichen I include nitrogen, carbon, and oxygen. Nitrogen is especially important since it is required for the production of proteins and organic acids, and not just for lichens, but life on this planet. Lichens Have difficulties in getting nitrogen directly, and therefore nitrogen bacteria are vital in the nitrogen fixation for lichens.

Similarly, all lichens make their food. They require light to provide energy to make their food. Specifically, the algae in the lichen produce carbohydrates and the fungi take those carbohydrates to grow and reproduce. Different lichens need various amounts of light. That hat is why many lichens are found on exposed rocky desert soils and leafy tree or in its shadow on mossy ground. The colour of lichen is also dependent on the amount of light it receives. For example, Lobaria pulmonaria usually is in a shaded environment, yet when it grows in an exposed environment, the colour is different, generally darker, and browner, (Y Gauslaa, 2014 )

Lichens need a home to live. May grow on the rocks and others and the soils around the water surfaces. Summarily, lichens can be classified as an aquatic organism since they hardly manufacture their foods during the dry season as opposed to the rainy season.

References

Y Gauslaa - The Lichenologist, 2014 

                        P Porada, B Weber, W Elbert, U Pöschl, A Kleidon - Biogeosciences, 2013 

F Canganella, J Wiegel - Naturwissenschaften, 2011