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Subject : Botany Topic : Economic & Ecological Importance of Lichens
Typology: Study notes
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Nutritional purpose : Many lichens form the food of insects, insect larvae, reindeer and cattle. In the Arctic tundra regions, Cladonia (reindeer moss) forms the main food of reindeers. Cetraria (iceland moss) in Iceland and Scandinavian countries forms the food of several animals. Evernia and Parmelia are edible lichens used by man.
Evernia
Medicinal uses : Some lichens are medicinal, Cetraria is useful in the treatment of respiratory diseases (particularly TB), Peltigera in the treatment of rabies, Rocella in the treatment of angina (heart disease), Usnea in the treatment of urinary complaints. Usnic acid, obtained from Usnea, is a broad spectrum antibiotic. It is used in the preparation of wound-healing ointments. Lichens have been used in the treatment of jaundice, diarhoea, fevers, epilepsy, hydrophobia, and skin diseases. They are used as laxatives, lichens are also used as an ingredient in bacterial culture media. Parmelia saxatilis , ‘the skull lichen’, has a medicinal property for curing epilepsy. Powdered Usnea fillipendula was used to heal wounds.
Lichen as food : Cladonia rangiferina and some other lichens are used to make brandy. One of the most useful nutritious species is Cetraria islandicca , the "Iceland moss”. After removing its bitterness by soaking in a weak solution of sodium or potassium carbonate, it is dried and powdered and made into cakes, or is boiled and consumed with milk. Lichens for dyes : Some dyes are extracted by boiling the lichens in water, and the others by fermenting the lichens in ammonia. Wolf lichen (Letharia vulpina) was the most widely used lichen dye among the native people of North America, Arizona etc. Cetraria islandicca
They have the ability to separate the minerals by eroding rocks. Therefore, they also grow on empty rocks. Because of its death and dissolution, there becomes a fold of mineral and organic matter on which other plants can grow. Thus, they produce suitable conditions for other plants to grow on rocks. They also contribute in the formation of soil by enriching it by trapping water, dust and silt. Also, when lichens die they contribute organic matter to the soil, which further improves the quality of the soil so that more plants can grow. Lichen also plays an important role in fixing nitrogen. Due to their cooperation with algae, lichens are capable of converting nitrogen from the air into nitrate, which leads to their development.
