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A note on the role of the lichen collema auriforma in solution basin development on a carboniferous limestone substrate
Author(s) -
Moses C. A.,
Smith B. J.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
earth surface processes and landforms
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.294
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1096-9837
pISSN - 0197-9337
DOI - 10.1002/esp.3290180405
Subject(s) - lichen , carboniferous , thallus , karst , geology , structural basin , wetting , substrate (aquarium) , scanning electron microscope , geomorphology , paleontology , chemical engineering , ecology , materials science , botany , oceanography , biology , composite material , engineering
Abstract A study carried out on Carboniferous limestone in the north and west of Ireland supports the idea that rock substrate is removed by the direct mechanical action of lichens. An experiment in which the lichen Collema auriforma was subjected to a number of wetting‐drying cycles, showed, using scanning electron microscopy, that contraction of the lichen thallus during the drying phase plucked rock fragments from the substrate surface. This process could contribute to the formation of karstic features including solution basins.