Boreal Felt Lichen, Erioderma pedicellatum
20th Century • Boreal Northern Hemisphere (Canada, Norway, Alaska, Russia)
A leafy lichen, composed of symbiotic relationship between a fungus and cyanobacteria, the Boreal Felt Lichen is found in the boreal northern hemisphere primarily on Balsam Firs. While there are populations on multiple continents, the lichen is endangered and increasingly threatened by deforestation, air pollution, and climate change (the species is highly dependent on rainfall, dew, and fog). In Nova Scotia, where the lichen is carefully studied, the population declined by 90% between 1980 and 2000.
Cameron, Robert, et al. “Habitat Loss Exceeds Habitat Regeneration for an IUCN Flagship Lichen Epiphyte: Erioderma Pedicellatum.” Canadian Journal of Forest Research, vol. 43, no. 11, Nov. 2013, pp. 1075–1080. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1139/cjfr-2013-0024. | Cameron, Robert P., and Brad Toms. "Population decline of endangered lichen Erioderma pedicellatum in Nova Scotia, Canada." Botany, vol. 94, no. 7, July 2016, pp. 565+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A459022713/AONE?u=nypl&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=0c7fbf33. Accessed 11 Jan. 2022.
Boreal felt lichen (Erioderma pedicellatum) on balsam fir (Abies balsamea) in Halifax County, Nova Scotia, Canada. By Robert Cameron
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