365Caws is now in its 14th year of publication, and was originally intended to end after 365 days. It has sometimes been difficult for me to find new material, particularly during the winter months, but now as I enter my own twilight years, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to provide daily posts. It is my hope that along the way I may have inspired someone to a greater curiosity about the natural world. If so, I can rest, content in the knowledge that my work here has been done.
Friday, March 6, 2015
Longmire Pioneers
Day 144: Humans can't claim to be the only pioneers to have occupied Longmire. Pilophorus acicularis ("Devil's Matchstick") is a "pioneer" lichen, one of the first to colonize freshly exposed rock surfaces. Chemicals within the structure of many lichens contribute to soil formation by causing certain minerals in rock to become more soluble. Subsequently when the lichen dies, its decaying organic matter accumulates in the pits and cracks it has helped to create, forming a substrate for the next species to colonize. An uncommon lichen, Pilophorus acicularis is also a nitrogen-fixer, much like the legumes of agricultural fame (peas, alfalfa, etc.). This factor is what gives it an advantage over other lichens which cannot establish on bare rock.
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