![]() ![]() ![]() This combination has enabled lichens to survive in diverse and often hostile conditions, everything from tropical heat to bitter Antarctic cold. Each is a community made up of one or more species of fungus and an alga or cyanobacteria. More than 18,000 species of lichens have been described worldwide. That effort may have an ally almost no one would have guessed: one of the smallest and least conspicuous forms of life-lichens. ![]() But knowing precisely which plots will be inundated and which will remain dry land is a much more daunting task. At a broad scale, we know this to be true. Sea level is rising faster than at any time in recorded history, promising to radically redraw the map. The clock is ticking for many low-lying coastal areas. Authored byįebru| 900 words, about 4 minutes Share this article One of the great infrastructure challenges of the next few decades is to figure out which coastal sites should be abandoned and which can be saved. Photo by PRV images/Alamy Stock Photo Worried about Sea Level Rise? Look for the Lichens. ![]() Because some lichens live for decades, they can be a great gauge of whether a site has faced flooding or saltwater intrusion. Some lichen species are particularly sensitive to salt. ![]()
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