Lichens GO! Lichens GO!

Lichens GO

Lichens

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Glossary

Lichens GO

What is a lichen?

Often unknown to the general public, lichens are good bioindicator present all around us. There are more than 20,000 species worldwide. Lichens have the particularity of being made up of two organisms: a heterotrophic fungus and an autotrophic alga or cyanobacterium.

In this association, the fungus constitutes the dominant part of the lichen body, also called the thallus. It provides water and mineral nutrition captured from the atmosphere (rain, fog, etc.). In return, the alga or cyanobacterium carries out photosynthesis, producing the energy necessary for the lichen growth. This type of mutually beneficial association is called symbiosis.

PartiCitaE is a participatory observatory of the urban environment. It questions, with city dwellers, the human influence on urban environments and ecosystems with the aim of improving living conditions in the city for all living beings, including humans. The main theme of the observatory concerns air quality, which results in particular in the coordination of three projects: Lichens GO, Écorc’Air, and ExpoPed. PartiCitaE is also interested in the biological quality of urban soils with the QUBS observatory.

To find out more, go to the PartiCitaE website.