NUIG: Talk on lichens - March 21st, 2013 - 7pm

09/09/2010

lichenological research.
Having devoted his career to furthering our understanding of lichen ecology his interests have led him to some of the world's most fascinating habitats ranging from the Antarctic to the Namib Desert, providing the backdrop for what promises to be a most amazing end to the Botany Society year.
The title of the talk 'Taking trouble with lichen' refers to John Wyndham's science fiction novel Trouble with Lichen, and links together Peter's research career to date and the numerous troubles encountered in investigating various aspects of lichen biology. Peter's early research took him to the boreal forests of Canada where ground-dwelling mat-forming lichens (e.g. Cladonia species) are frequently a dominant component of the vegetation. Here he investigated the characteristics which make these species ecologically successful on a global scale; including internal nutrient recycling (i.e. high nutrient use efficiency) and high leaf area index for resource interception. Further work on lichen responses to nitrogen enrichment, again involving mat-forming lichens, the chemistry of which is highly coupled to that of atmospheric deposits, will also be of discussion on the night. This fascinatingly includes lichen communities neighbouring large animal colonies - seals in Namibia and penguins in the Antarctic.

See more details on Lichens.ie.

Thursday 21st March 2013 from 19.00
Botany & Plant Science
Mairin de Valera Seminar Room C315
(3rd/top floor Aras de Brun), National University of Ireland, Galway