Lichen is a type of living thing that can live in almost any place on the earth. They are not plants, animals, or fungus, but something else with both algae and fungus together. They need the air, little water, and a few minerals — all of which they get from the air.
Lichens also need a tree, rock, building, or other thing to grow on. They produce their own energy from the sun through photosynthesis. Lichens have three shapes or growth forms, and they can live a very long time — some are over 1,000 years old. You can find them in neighborhoods, parks, and forests, but also in schoolyards, parking lots, and cities.
Lichens and Community Based Science
Community based science has citizens and students collect data, which scientist will analyze. DAQ and its partners are collecting data about lichens to better understand air pollution and environmental health. We know that some species and forms of lichen can be harmed by air pollution, especially sulfur, acid deposition, and acid rain. In many areas with chronic air pollution there are few lichens, and the percentage of crustose lichens is much higher in those areas. We have developed some tools to help students better understand lichens, their place in the ecosystem, and what we can learn about them across North Carolina.
Getting Started
- Look at the Three Types of Lichen Flyer and Air Quality Basics and A Little Bit About Lichens Flyer
- Watch the How To Find a Lichen Video, NC Division of Air Quality (2:09)
- Go on a group Lichen Safar
- Choose one of the lichen study activities
- Have the students explore for lichens at their grade level
Lichen Activities
Lichen or Not, Introduction to Lichens : A brief introduction to the three forms of lichen and other small things that can grow on rocks, trees, and other outdoor objects.
A Little Bit About Lichens Student Survey: This activity has students survey the forms of lichens and find the percentages of the three forms.
Lichen Data Sheet: The Lichen or Not Data Sheet has students observe what is living on a 3" by 6" area. Students will be asked about the location and environment and what is living there. They can also take a picture and submit their data to the North Carolina Lichen Database, hosted by NC Stream Watch.
After a few minutes, students will be able to see their data on the NC Stream Watch ArcGIS map.
Please note: The Stream Watch map works better with a Google browser. Each submission is reported and checked by a DEQ Specialist.
Additional Resources
The Division of Air Quality recognizes that several of our partners in air quality and education have great expertise about lichens. Below you will find some of their resources and additional videos.
Websites
- Lichens of North Carolina, NC State Parks
- About Lichens, U.S. Forest Service
- Lichens as Bioindicators, National Park Service
- Lichen-The Little Things That Matter, Article by the National Park Service
- Community- Based Science , NC Climate Education
Videos
- Lichens & Air Quality, Kids in Parks Video, featuring James Lendemer, coauthor of Field Guide to the Lichen of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (3:31)
- Lichens Are So Awesome Video, Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont (3:55)
- Lichens: Corals of the Forest (3:10)
- What's in a Lichen? How Scientists Got It Wrong for 150 Years, National Geographic (4:12)
- The Life of Lichen, University of Florida, IFAS Extension (16:46)
Contact
NC Air Awareness Education and Outreach: air.awareness@deq.nc.gov