Crustose lichen
Definition
A lichen growth form in which the thallus grows flat against and into the substrate (bone, stone, wood) and cannot be removed without damage to the substrate. Crustose species are most useful for lichenometric dating because their growth is slow, regular, and easily measured.
Related terms
- Biological soil crust (biocrust)
- A community of cyanobacteria, algae, mosses, fungi, and lichens that colonises bare soil surfaces and forms a thin coherent mat. Relevant to...
- Epilithic / epixylous colonisation
- Growth of organisms on rock or stone surfaces (epilithic) or on dead wood (epixylous). In forensic contexts, colonisation of bone surfaces by...
- Lichenometry
- The use of lichen thallus diameter to estimate the minimum age of a surface. Based on the known or measured radial growth...
- Succession
- The predictable sequence of different insect species colonising remains as decomposition progresses. Early stages attract blow flies; later stages attract beetles, moths,...
- Thallus
- The body of a lichen, consisting of fungal hyphae housing algal or cyanobacterial cells. The thallus diameter or area is the measurement...
Explained in
- Plant Growth on Remains as PMI IndicatorA lichen growth form in which the thallus grows flat against and into the substrate (bone, stone, wood) and cannot be removed without damage to the substrate....