Age of Oakmoss

A glimpse into Bio 123: Lichens of the Pacific Northwest, taught by Prof. Hannah Prather.

Meet Evernia prunastri, our favorite campus lichen! Evernia prunastri, commonly known as oakmoss or antlered perfume lichen, is a soft green-whitish lichen that grows abundantly as an epiphyte on tree branches around campus. Lichens are not single organisms, but are composite organisms made of a community of fungi, alga, and bacteria. The lichen lifestyle (or lichenization), although very complex, has been shown to be a strategy utilized by fungi at different times and places across evolutionary history. Recent and ongoing research on lichens continues to reveal new mysteries about this intricate community of organisms, how they form, and how they function in what we call a lichen symbiosis. Because of these unique features, lichens allow an exciting study system for student investigation into biological and ecological concepts, which is exactly what students in Bio 123: Lichens of the Pacific Northwest are doing with campus lichens. This class engages student learning by exploring lichens as simultaneous ecosystems and organisms, considering the ways in which living things are interconnected and interact. Because lichens are so abundant on the Reed campus, students in this course conduct campus-based observations and research, using lichens like Evernia prunastri.