-- A --
Apothecium {pl. apothecia). cup-shaped, spore-bearing structures produced by certain types of fungi and lichens.
Ascospores these are the
spores of sexual origin, produced inside the
ascus.
Ascus (Pl. asci.) a sac-like cell of an ascomycete within which
ascospores are formed.
Asexual a form of reproduction neither preceded nor followed by
meiosis in fungi and lichens
-- B --
-- C --
Carbohydrate organic compound consisting of a chain of carbon atoms to which hydrogen and oxygen are attached in a 2:1 ratio, e.g., sugars, starch, glycogen, cellulose.
Chlorophyll the green pigment of plants that captures the energy from sunlight necessary for
photosynthesis.
Chlorophyta a green alga, division of the Protista Kingdom
Chromosome a thread-like structure in the
nucleus of a cell, containing a linear sequence of genes.
Cilium (pl. cilia) a short hair.
Cortex the dense, outermost layer of most
thalli.
Cyanobacterium (pl. cyanobacteria) a blue-green alga from the Monera Kingdom
Cytoplasm the contents of a cell; includes the
organelles but not the
nucleus.
-- D --
Diploid having two of the basic sets of
chromosomes in the
nucleus.
-- E --
Eukaryote cell or organism with a membrane-bound, structurally discrete
nucleus and other well-developed subcellular compartments.
-- F --
-- G --
-- H --
Hypha (pl. hyphae) a fungal filament.
-- I --
Isidia simple or branched protuberances of the
cortex in lichens, which may break off and act as a form of vegetative
propagule.
-- J --
-- K --
-- L --
Lobulate with small lobes.
-- M --
Meiosis the process in which a single
diploid cell becomes four haploid cells in two consecutive divisions of the
nucleus of an
eukaryotic cell.
Mycobiont the fungal partner of a lichen
-- N --
Nucleus (Pl. nuclei, adj. nuclear) the cellular
organelle in
eukaryotes that contains the genetic material.
-- O --
Organelle a membrane-bound body found in the
cytoplasm of the cell that performs specific cellular functions.
-- P --
Pendulous hanging down.
Photobiont the
photosynthetic partner of a lichen, it can be either a green alga or a
cyanobacterium or some times both types.
Photosynthesis the process by which plants convert sunlight into energy.
Podetium (pl. podetia) a stalk-like algae-containing base of an
apothecium
Propagule a
thallus fragment containing both the
mycobiont and
photobiont.
-- Q --
-- U --
-- R --
Rhizine a root-like cluster of
hyphae adapted for attaching a
thallus to its substrate.
-- S --
Sexually Reproduction - the fusion of gametes followed by meiosis and recombination at some point in the life cycle.
Soredia (sing. Soredium) lichen
propagules -- small aggregations of fungal
hyphae around alga cells; formed by the break up of a
thallus.
Spore a reproductive body produced by certain fungi and other organisms, capable of growing into a new individual under proper conditions.
Substrate the surface which an organism is growing on.
-- T --
Thallus (pl. Thalli) - the usually ill-defined `body' of a lichen.
-- U --
-- V --
-- W --
-- X --
-- Y --
Yellow a color used to indicate that a word is linked to the glossary. Only show in vesion 4+ browsers.
-- Z --