What is a lichen? Detailed answer

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What is a lichen? Detailed answer

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What is a lichen?

In many moist, shaded forests, small plants can be found that cover the ground in a green carpet. Mostly lichens.

Unlike other plants, such as peas or beans, lichens lack roots and flowers. Instead, they have shoots that grow above the ground or penetrate the soil. They extract water and mineral salts from the soil. They also lack a system of water exchange within the plant, like that of large plants. Therefore, they mainly develop only in the presence of moisture. That is why the lichen on the trees is located on the side where there is little sunlight. Some lichens grow on damp rocks. If the rock is dry, then the lichen also dries up, but does not die off. When moisture appears, lichens are restored.

There are several hundred types of lichens. One of the most common is white lichen. It forms clusters of green "pads" in moist areas of the soil. One of the lichen species has a seed box, which is covered with a fluffy cap. Peat lichen of a bright gray-green color is common in swampy areas. It also occupies the shores of lakes, reservoirs, forming a real carpet. Its leaves are equipped with large cylindrical cells that absorb and retain water well. They are used by flower merchants to conserve moisture for other plants.

Peat lichen, due to the fact that it is able to absorb moisture, was used at the initial stage of the First World War in the treatment of wounds. It forms an excellent carpet in an aquarium containing salamanders or frogs. Peat is partially composed of decomposed lichen and other vegetation. After drying, peat is used in many countries as a fuel.

The term "lichen" is often misused. "Irish lichen" is actually a seaweed, "Spanish lichen" is a plant that has flowers that are not lichen.

Author: Likum A.

Random interesting fact from the Great Encyclopedia:

Who and when managed to live for 10 years on counterfeit one-dollar bills?

American Emerich Juttner counterfeited one-dollar bills for 10 years and avoided being caught by the US Secret Service hunting for him. Starting his trade in 1938, Juttner made 10-12 such bills every week and tried to pay them in various shops in Manhattan. When he was eventually arrested, the court took into account that the defendant used counterfeit money only personally and to buy the most necessary things, assigning him a prison term of 1 year and 1 day, as well as a $ 1 fine. After getting out of prison, Juttner sold the film rights to his story and earned more than all his forgeries combined were worth.

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It seems to people who are far from science, for example, judges, that genetic examination is the ultimate truth, which finally convicts a person of a crime. It turns out that thanks to scientific progress, this is not at all the case. The problem arose due to the fact that if earlier such an analysis required quite a lot of genetic material, now it is possible to establish the identity of a person literally by several cells. And we must prove that these cells were not accidentally included in the sample.

To demonstrate the scale of the problem, forensic researchers at Indiana University, led by Associate Professor Krista Latham, staged such an experiment. Two people shook hands for two minutes, after which they were each given a knife to hold. They took samples of genetic material from the knives, and it turned out that in every fifth case this material belonged only to the participant who did not hold the knife in his hand! And in 85% of the cases, his DNA was found on this experimental murder weapon, along with the DNA of the second participant. Obviously, in a real case, it would be very difficult for a judge to draw the right conclusion based on the results of the almighty method of DNA fingerprinting.

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