Lichens
Lichens are ecologically important because they are sensitive to the atmospheric pollutants, and this is why they are called bio-indicators. The presence of some substances, such as sulphur dioxide, in the air produces changes in the growth of the lichen. The quality of the environment can be assessed by studying the growth of these organisms. Lichens are organisms that colonise an environment that has just settled. They are therefore the first organisms that we can find, for instance, on the rocks of a landslide or, on the mountains, on the rocks left behind by a withdrawing glacier. With time, lichens grow steadily and by studying their size one can determine the year in which the landslide fell or the rocks were left behind by the glacier. These dates are useful to the geologists to reconstruct historical events, to study and gain an insight of the surrounding environment. Many study projects on the movements of Alpine glaciers also rely on this dating system
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Demographers have estimated that on 31 October 2011 world population...
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Italy has a rich biodiversity due to its distinctive geographic...
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From the Multimedia section
Facts
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Bread and cheese, wine or beer
Yeast is used to make wine, beer and bread. When mixed with the bread dough...
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Who lives well with low oxygen?
<i><span style="font-style: normal; " class="Apple-style-span"><i><em>Aquandriella fermentas</em> </i>lives in stagnant waters and can stand complete anaerobiosis...</span></i>
Responsible for fish-plagues
<em>Sporolegnia parasitica</em> is widely present in estuaries and fish tanks and that...
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Bacteria as Sherlock Holmes
A drop of blood, a fragment of skin or a hair found on the scene of a crime can supply…
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Bread and cheese, wine or beer
Yeast is used to make wine, beer and bread. When mixed with the bread dough...
-
Who lives well with low oxygen?
<i><span style="font-style: normal; " class="Apple-style-span"><i><em>Aquandriella fermentas</em> </i>lives in stagnant waters and can stand complete anaerobiosis...</span></i>
Responsible for fish-plagues
<em>Sporolegnia parasitica</em> is widely present in estuaries and fish tanks and that...
-
Bread and cheese, wine or beer
Yeast is used to make wine, beer and bread. When mixed with the bread dough...