Xanthoria parietina
Ordinary Gelbflechte ( Xanthoria parietina )
The Ordinary Gelbflechte ( Xanthoria parietina ) is a leaf-shaped lichen.
Description
The Ordinary Gelbflechte is a yellow, breitlappige foliose lichen. It has apothecia and is not sorediös.
The camp is up to 10 centimeters of large rosettes. The tabs are flat or slightly concave, 1 to 5 mm wide, to the widened ends, and rounded adjacent to each other and more or less overlap. The top is smooth to wrinkled and orange yellow, yolk- yellow to yellowish green, to the North and in the shade it is green or gets a shade of gray. The underside has a few, simple, bright rhizines and is whitish. The apothecia are almost always present. They are up to 4 millimeters in size, sitting up slightly stalked and have a significant bearing edge. They are frequently found in the bearing center. The disc and a dark orange.
The outer layer of the lichen (cortex ) consists of densely packed hyphae that protect it against water loss due to evaporation as well as against strong radiation. The thickness of the bearing varies with the habitat in which the Ordinary Gelbflechte growing: At shady places the bearing is much thinner than in places that are exposed to full sunlight. Thus, the algal partners are protected because they do not tolerate high light intensities. The yellow color is caused by the anthraquinone Parietin, which is embedded in the form of minute crystals on the top layer of the cortex. Parietin the synthesis is promoted both by UV irradiation and by the algal partner.
Algae partner
The photobiont ( algal partner ) of Ordinary Gelbflechte are green algae in the genus Trebouxia, including Trebouxia arboricola and Trebouxia irregularis. These two green algae are also freely available in nature. One study showed that the algae occupy about 7% of the thallus volume.
Reproduction and propagation
Since the Ordinary Gelbflechte has not developed a vegetative propagation organs ( soredia and isidia ), the symbiosis between fungi and algae in each reproductive cycle must be created. For this, the two horn mite species Trhypochtonius tectorum and Trichoribates seem to be responsible trimaculatus who live on the ordinary Gelbflechte. In their droppings are found both ascospores and algal cells. It is believed that the spread of ordinary Gelbflechte done by these feces.
Location and distribution
The foliose lichen is characteristic of heavily fertilized places. It is usually found on the bark of deciduous trees, grows with a high availability of nutrients but also on walls, concrete slabs, bricks or even rusted sheet metal.
The Ordinary Gelbflechte is widespread. It is found throughout Europe with the exception of the Arctic, North America, Asia, Africa and Australia.
Importance as a forage crop (selection)
The caterpillars of the following butterflies are dependent on the plant as a food source:
- Ivory lichen Little Bear ( Cybosia mesomella )
- Small Flechtenbär ( Setina aurita )
- Usually Flechtenbär ( Eilema complana )
- Pink Red Flechtenbär ( Miltochrista miniata )
- Rotkragen Braid Little Bear ( Atolmis rubricollis )
- Dry meadows Flechtenbär ( Eilema lutarella )
- Four-point lichen Little Bear ( Lithosia quadra )
System
Carolus Linnaeus gave the first description in 1753 of Ordinary Gelbflechte as lichen parietinus. The specific epithet comes from the Latin word paries, parietis for (house ) wall. Theodor Magnus Fries in 1861 introduced this species in the genus Xanthoria.
Special
The Ordinary Gelbflechte is often found in areas with intensive livestock farming, as they benefited from the high air pollution with nitrogen compounds. It is one of the few lichens, which spread very rapidly in recent years. She is very tolerant of air pollution, both in terms of Bisulfite as well as for heavy metals. Therefore, the Ordinary Gelbflechte has been variously used for biomonitoring.
An aqueous extract of the ordinary Gelbflechte has good antiviral properties. It prevents the proliferation of human parainfluenza virus type 2 Ordinary Gelbflechte was formerly officinal as lichen parietinus and was used instead of quinine against malaria.
This species was chosen for Braid of 2004.