lichen forb/shrub (lichen (forb/shrub)) is prey of:
Spermophilus
Peromyscus maniculatus
Orthoptera

Based on studies in:
USA: California, Cabrillo Point (Grassland)

This list may not be complete but is based on published studies.

Wiry tangles capture fog: lichens
 

Lichens in the Namib desert capture water from fog due to their wiry, tangled branching structure.

   
  "The Namib close to the coast does, however, have one source of moisture that most deserts lack. Almost every day, a fog rolls in from the sea, billowing across the dunes. On slopes where little else can survive, a lichen grows in a great orange carpet. It forms not thin blisters on rocks but bushy structures several inches high. The fog condenses into droplets that hang on the wiry tangled branches and are swiftly absorbed by the fungal partner before the sun is strong enough to evaporate them. The quantity of water captured is miniscule but it is sufficient to enable the algae, held within the fungal threads, to photosynthesise." (Attenborough 1995:264-265)
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Lichen metabolite has antimicrobial activity: lichens
 

The metabolism of lichens protect from colonization by bacteria via the secondary metabolite usnic acid.

   
  "In modern medicine, artificial devices are used for repair or replacement of damaged parts of the body, delivery of drugs, and monitoring the status of critically ill patients. However, artificial surfaces are often susceptible to colonization by bacteria and fungi. Once microorganisms have adhered to the surface, they can form biofilms, resulting in highly resistant local or systemic infections. At this time, the evidence suggests that (+)-usnic acid, a secondary lichen metabolite, possesses antimicrobial activity against a number of planktonic gram-positive bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, and Enterococcus faecium. Since lichens are surface-attached communities that produce antibiotics, including usnic acid, to protect themselves from colonization by other bacteria, we hypothesized that the mode of action of usnic acid may be utilized in the control of medical biofilms. We loaded (+)-usnic acid into modified polyurethane and quantitatively assessed the capacity of (+)-usnic acid to control biofilm formation by either S. aureus or Pseudomonas aeruginosa under laminar flow conditions by using image analysis. (+)-Usnic acid-loaded polymers did not inhibit the initial attachment of S. aureus cells, but killing the attached cells resulted in the inhibition of biofilm. Interestingly, although P. aeruginosa biofilms did form on the surface of (+)-usnic acid-loaded polymer, the morphology of the biofilm was altered, possibly indicating that (+)-usnic acid interfered with signaling pathways." (Francolini et al. 2004:4360)
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Fungal skin prevents water loss: lichens
 

The fungal skin of lichens prevents water loss to the algae below via its dense compacted thread structure.

     
  "Others [lichens] develop minuscule branches and grow into dense curling thickets a few inches high. Their outer skin is formed by the compacted threads of the fungi and is sufficiently impermeable to prevent the loss of water from the partnership; beneath are the algal cells, kept moist and protected from harmful ultra-violet radiation by the fungal skin; and below them, in the centre of the structure, there is looser tissue, also provided by the fungus, where food and water is stored." (Attenborough 1995:216)
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Organism tolerates heat and desiccation: lichen
 

Lichens can tolerate extreme heat and desiccation in part due to conformational modifications in a protein-pigment complex.

     
  "Lichens can also tolerate heat which would desiccate and kill most plants. They shrivel but remain alive and, when the opportunity comes, they take up moisture at extraordinary speed and in great quantities, absorbing as much as half their dried body weight in a mere ten minutes." (Attenborough 1995:217)

"In order to survive sunlight in the absence of water, desiccation-tolerant green plants need to be protected against photooxidation. During drying of the chlorolichen Cladonia rangiformis and the cyanolichen Peltigera neckeri, chlorophyll fluorescence decreased and stable light-dependent charge separation in reaction centers of the photosynthetic apparatus was lost. The presence of light during desiccation increased loss of fluorescence in the chlorolichen more than that in the cyanolichen. Heating of desiccated Cladonia thalli, but not of Peltigera thalli, increased fluorescence emission more after the lichen had been dried in the light than after drying in darkness. Activation of zeaxanthin-dependent energy dissipation by protonation of the PsbS protein of thylakoid membranes was not responsible for the increased loss of chlorophyll fluorescence by the chlorolichen during drying in the light. Glutaraldehyde inhibited loss of chlorophyll fluorescence during drying. Desiccation-induced loss of chlorophyll fluorescence and of light-dependent charge separation are interpreted to indicate activation of a highly effective mechanism of photoprotection in the lichens. Activation is based on desiccation-induced conformational changes of a pigment-protein complex. Absorbed light energy is converted into heat within a picosecond or femtosecond time domain. When present during desiccation, light interacts with the structural changes of the protein providing increased photoprotection. Energy dissipation is inactivated and structural changes are reversed when water becomes available again. Reversibility of ultra-fast thermal dissipation of light energy avoids photo-damage in the absence of water and facilitates the use of light for photosynthesis almost as soon as water becomes available." (Heber 2008:641)
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