Day 96: The specialized vocabulary of lichens can be daunting even with a glossary in hand. Let's talk about two types of reproductive structures as they appear on Lobaria pulmonaria (Lung Lichen). The first is "apothecium" (plural, apothecia), visible here as raised brown discs. These are fruiting bodies, i.e., they bear spores which allow the lichen to reproduce sexually with spores from another lichen. However, many lichens are capable of asexual reproduction as well. Lobaria pulmonaria is a case in point. Asexual reproduction occurs when it generates miniature clones of itself. These genetically identical offspring are called soredia (singular, soredium) and emerge through the cortex of the lichen in soralia (singular, soralium), visible in the photo as small white ring-shaped dots. Soralia may appear along the margins of L. pulmonaria's lobes as well, and often in great abundance. A similar lichen, L. linita, may be found in the same environment, however, it does not produce soralia.
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