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Lichens of the Negev Desert (Israel): Diversity, Distribution, and Relationship with Microclimate

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Biodiversity, Conservation and Sustainability in Asia

Abstract

Lichens are among the most amazing organisms on our planet. Their very structure is unique: a symbiosis of two organisms—a fungus and algae (or cyanobacteria)—and so perfect that they behave and look like an absolute new being. Lichens occur on different substrates almost everywhere. They play a significant role in desert ecosystems where conditions are too harsh and limited for the life of most other organisms. The Negev desert occupying a significant part of the territory of Israel always was of great interest for lichenological investigations. At present, the lichen biota of the Negev desert includes 81 species of which the most common are saxicolous lichens. The studies of lichen ecology and physiology in the Negev desert showed that the main factor which influences lichen growth and activity in different habitats was water availability.

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Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Dr. I. Grishkan for editing the manuscript and Mr. A. Temin for his help with the original illustrations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel

    Marina Temina

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  1. Marina Temina
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Correspondence to Marina Temina .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany & Centre for Environmental Studies, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey

    Münir Öztürk

  2. Biology Department, Faculty of Science & Arts, Hatay Mustafa Kemal University, Hatay, Turkey

    Volkan Altay

  3. Department of Geography, Balikesir University, Istanbul, Balikesir, Turkey

    Recep Efe

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Temina, M. (2021). Lichens of the Negev Desert (Israel): Diversity, Distribution, and Relationship with Microclimate. In: Öztürk, M., Altay, V., Efe, R. (eds) Biodiversity, Conservation and Sustainability in Asia. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59928-7_2

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