Map Lichen?? on rock - Mason Lake

Map Lichen
Rhizocarpon geographicum a form of crust lichen crustose
See an interesting article on the use of lichens to measure the date of deposition.

www.blackwellpublishing.com/Microbiology/pdfs/lichens.pdf
yellow-green islands are areolae
black fungal hypothallus at the margin.

Note that there are other lichens on this rock, a whole little ecosystem

Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Lecanoromycetes
Order: Lecanorales
Family: Rhizocarpaceae


Mason Lake, King County, Washington, USA


i083008 070