The interesting world of the lichen
Nature in the alps is beautiful and grand. The view of the high mountains is a good reason to visit the alps. You often feel small in that grand landscape when surrounded by high peaks, streams, forests and mountain lakes. It is beautiful to behold, but did you know that there are also small natural wonders in the Alps that are more interesting than you think? That you can find some survivalists here that are worth taking a closer look at? I'm not talking about critters here, but lichens!
Lichens are special
We often tend to just walk past them, but lichens are very special. They are world record holders in terms of altitude! They have been discovered at 7800 metres and may be found at even higher altitudes. Unfortunately, we cannot verify that, as humans themselves are limited to what altitude we can survive at.
Some lichens can still perform enough photosynthesis even at temperatures of -20°C and can survive on rocks that can heat up to +80°C in the sun. The lichens that live at high altitudes where UV radiation is high have adapted themselves so that they can protect themselves from this radiation, and there are also lichens that have partnered with certain fungi to protect themselves from the elements. The fungi form a protective layer over the lichen and the moss produces a sweet nutrient for the fungi.
Types of lichens
There are different types of lichens, but here I want to talk about the fruticose lichens, foliose lichens and crustose lichens. All three can be found in the alps. You can recognise them by the way they grow. For instance, a fruticose lichens is always slightly upright, or it hangs down. They are like tiny bushes or little trees. They usually grow on trees, or on the ground between low bushes.
Foliose lichens like to grow on tree bark or stones and stay lower to the ground. They are a kind of lichen patches that attach to the ground by means of rhizomes.
Finally, we have the crustose lichens. These are the most represented species of lichen in the high mountains. They like to grow in places where there are few nutrients for other plants, such as on stones, rocks and fencing. They cling to their substrate and cannot be removed without destroying them. They often have beautiful colours, such as orange, red and yellow which adds a bit of brightness to the landscape they thrive in.
Lichens in impossible places
Crustose lichens in particular can be found at high altitudes. They live above the tree line and some even only above the snow line. This concerns, for example, the blushing rock tripe named Umbilicaria Virginis, which owes its name to the place where it was found: around the summit of the Jungfrau in Switzerland. Some species grow as little as 0.1 mm per year! You can imagine that they therefore can't use competition from other, fast-growing plants and so they choose places with few nutrients. Here, they live off airborne carbon dioxide and water and, of course, sunlight. That's all they need. Only the beautifully red-orange-coloured Xanthoria Elegans has a preference; bird droppings. If you see this lichen, you can assume that it is also a place where birds like to sit to rest and do their business.
In places where there is a lot of wind and thus little shelter, lichens can also be found. These grow among low vegetation, which does not mind a little wind. Two well-known examples are Iceland moss and reindeer moss. The latter is vital for chamois and ibex in winter, but Icelandic moss is also used by us humans against various ailments.
Beautiful appearances
As you will notice, there are very many different types of lichen, which give the landscape a beautiful appearance in their own way. In forests, for instance, bearded moss gives trees a whimsical, but at the same time fairy-like appearance. Higher up, where there is hardly any vegetation at all and everything seems grey and drab, the crustose lichens provide a lush play of colours; red, orange, yellow, green, and so on. An honourable mention goes to the Rhizocarpon Geographicum, or common map lichen. This species can cover large areas of stones and rocks and can be recognised by its bright green to olive green colour, combined with a dark border around it.
Lichen in the alps
Wherever the air is pure, you can encounter lichens which explains why so many can be found in the alps. They have adapted and even specialised to survive at high altitudes. It is up to us to go out and discover and appreciate these wonderful organisms. So the next time you decide to head out into the mountains and enjoy the beautiful views, check out the lichens too. You'll probably discover more of them than you ever thought possible.
Want to read more about survivalists in the Alps? Then check out the ibexes.
