Lichens - William Purvis

From rocky coasts and urban churchyards to rainforests and mountain summits, lichens are a familiar part of the landscape, yet their biological nature has long been an enigma.



As part of the food chain lichens act like sponges, absorbing nutrients and pollutants. Each lichen is a miniature ecosystem, consisting of a fungus and one or more photosynthetic partners. A delicate balance exists between them and is easily upset by environmental disturbance. So lichens provide us with practical tools to assess the effects of air pollution, radioactive fall-out and climate change.



Lichenologist William Purvis explores their usual biology, amazing diversity and ecological importance. He explains how understanding lichen biodiversity leads to technological developments in medicine, metal prospecting and pollution control.



This unique book includes up-to-date information on economic uses and outlines practical project ideas for collecting and studying lichens.