The hyper-arid central region of the Namib Desert is characterized by quartz desert pavement terrain that is devoid of vascular plant covers. In this extreme habitat the only discernible surface covers are epilithic lichens that colonize exposed surfaces of quartz rocks. These lichens are highly susceptible to disturbance and so field surveys have been limited due to concerns about disturbing t...

Fungi associated with photosynthetic organisms are major determinants of terrestrial biomass, nutrient cycling, and ecosystem productivity from the poles to the equator. Whereas most fungi are known because of their fruit bodies (e.g., saprotrophs), symptoms (e.g., pathogens), or emergent properties as symbionts (e.g., lichens), the majority of fungal diversity is thought to occur among species...

The advancement in the knowledge of potent antioxidants has uncovered the way for greater insight in the treatment of diabetic complications. Lichens are a rich resource of novel bioactive compounds and their antioxidant potential is well documented. Herein we review the antidiabetic potential of lichens which have received considerable attention, in the recent past. We have correlated the anti...

Lichen-forming fungi can occur on river and lake margins subjected to varying water levels, and on tidal coastal rocks where they can constitute major components of the biota. There are approximately 700 species known from coastal rocks and 200 from freshwater river and lake margins. Most cannot survive constant immersion although there are exceptions. Some species are only exposed at the lowes...

Abstract Lichens are a well-known symbiosis between host mycobiont and eukaryote algal or cyanobacterial photobiont partner(s). Recent studies have indicated that terrestrial lichens can also contain other cryptic photobionts increase the lichens’ ecological fitness in response to varying environmental conditions. Marine live distinct ecosystems compared with their counterparts because of regul...