Քարաքոսաբանություն

Lichenology is the science about lichens. The term “lichenology” derives from the Greek words “leichen” (which means a lichen) and “logos” (which means science).

The lichen is an association between a fungus and photosynthetic partner which can be either a green alga or a cyanobacterium. More detailed information can be found in the section “About Lichens” of the website.

Lichenology examines the growth, development, reproduction, ecology of lichens, their practical importance in medicine and everyday life. As lichens are very sensitive to air pollution it is suitable to use them as indicators. Different methods and approaches have been developed during last decades for air pollution assessment using lichen indicators.

The term “leichen” is introduced to science by Greek botanist Theophrast who lived in   4-3 centuries B.C. But lichenology developed into science later with the help of Erik Acharius in 18-19 centuries. This is the reason he is sometimes named as “father of lichenology”. He wrote a number of important works which really contributed to the development of lichenology. Later some other scientists, mainly Vernon Ahmadjian, Edward Tuckerman and Konstantin Merezhkovsky also played an important role in the development of lichenology.

The diversity of lichens is called lichen flora. The higher plants and fungi of Armenia are relatively better investigated while the same can’t be said about lichens. So one of the main objectives of this website is to introduce the lichens of Armenia to the readers and to keep them informed.

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