Verrucaria maura

Other lichens exhibit impressive disjunctions between the southern and northern hemisphere ( bipolar distribution, Galloway and Aptroot, 1995). Some species showing circum-bipolar disjunctions are completely absent in the tropics examples include Parmeliopsis ambigua and Verrucaria maura (Litterski, 1999). Others are additionally found in tropical montane and subalpine areas (Litterski, 1999), and are then often widespread in the cool and temperate zones of the northern and southern hemisphere. In subtropical and tropical climates, these species only occur in higher altitudes, corresponding to montane and subalpine zones e.g. Cladonia rangiferina (Litterski, 1999). 

The ecology of marine lichens is rather unknown. Below the spray belt the more specialized lichens such as Lichina and Verrucaria occur (e.g., sixteen species in Europe Zschacke, 1925). Here in the litoral zone (middle and lower hygrohalinic belt) the lichens still are not frequently inundated. The width of this belt depends on the exposure of the coastal sites (Fig. 20). At sheltered coasts the belt is very small and the lichens concentrate at the medium-high water level. This shows a dependence upon the direct influence of seawater, which may be due primarily to the competition with other, less water-resistant species. The species here which are normally considered as a uniform complex behave very differently (Grummann, 1937). Lichina confinis avoids action of waves but tolerates intense insolation (as observed on the Baltic seacoast), while the very thin thalli of Verrucaria maura are extremely scotophilous and, being closely fixed to the rocks, they tolerate stronger washing by the waves but not permanent inundation. 

Grummann, V. J. (1937). Vegetationsokologische Flechtenstudien an Lichina confinis und Verrucaria maura im deutschen Kiistengebiet von Hiddensee. Beih. Bot. Zentralbl. Abt. B 56, 353-408. 

Verrucaria hydrella, 267, 277 Verrucaria margacea, 32 Verrucaria maura, 153 Verrucaria microspora, 363 Verrucaria mucosa, 153, 318, 363 Verrucaria muralis, 349 Verrucaria rupestris, 349 Verrucaria serpuloides, 363 Verrucaria silicea, 326, 327, 363 Verrucaria sphinctrina, 236, 237, 241 Verrucariaceae, 77, 98, 608 Verrucariales, 97, 608 Verrucarioideae, 608 Verrucula, 601 Verrucula rheitrophila, 363 Vestergrenopsis, 616... 

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