Nathan Chrismas
@thevagrantlichenologist.com
Lichenologist - FRGS - Mountain Leader
Blog: www.thevagrantlichenologist.com
Insta: www.instagram.com/cragology/
Web: www.cragology.rocks
Blog: www.thevagrantlichenologist.com
Insta: www.instagram.com/cragology/
Web: www.cragology.rocks
Reposted by Nathan Chrismas
😍 Great to see some lichen love from April Windle of the @britishlichensociety.org.uk, plus our own Bill Bealey explaining how our LicheN app is used for measuring sensitivity to nitrogen pollution
Featured on BBC News ⤵️
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... 🧪
Featured on BBC News ⤵️
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... 🧪
How lichen hold the secret to a breath of fresh air
An app uses lichen to help monitor air quality in places like the New Forest.
www.bbc.co.uk
February 12, 2026 at 2:09 PM
😍 Great to see some lichen love from April Windle of the @britishlichensociety.org.uk, plus our own Bill Bealey explaining how our LicheN app is used for measuring sensitivity to nitrogen pollution
Featured on BBC News ⤵️
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... 🧪
Featured on BBC News ⤵️
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... 🧪
I'll be spending a bit more time here from now on, pretty neat to have access to all the specimens in the RBGE herbarium
January 19, 2026 at 3:22 PM
I'll be spending a bit more time here from now on, pretty neat to have access to all the specimens in the RBGE herbarium
Ever seen Pseudevernia furfuracea fruiting before? I'm not sure I have, but here it is on Pinus sylvestris on the shore of Loch Gamhna, Rothiemurchus VC96
January 18, 2026 at 1:34 PM
Ever seen Pseudevernia furfuracea fruiting before? I'm not sure I have, but here it is on Pinus sylvestris on the shore of Loch Gamhna, Rothiemurchus VC96
Big new start for me tomorrow - after a decade in the research world, for the next two years I'm going to be working with National Trust for Scotland learning what it takes to be an independent lichen surveyor.
January 11, 2026 at 11:45 AM
Big new start for me tomorrow - after a decade in the research world, for the next two years I'm going to be working with National Trust for Scotland learning what it takes to be an independent lichen surveyor.
Another one from the Tafraout granite. This looks superficially like some images of Acarospora strigata (I've never seen this in person so just having a stab...)
January 4, 2026 at 8:48 AM
Another one from the Tafraout granite. This looks superficially like some images of Acarospora strigata (I've never seen this in person so just having a stab...)
Some neat Psoras from near Tafraout in Morocco. The first I'm guessing is P. decipiens complex (I was wondering if P. savizcii given the pink squamules, but uncertain of the gypsum content of the soil). The second, looking very green after rain, I'm unsure. @annevankow.bsky.social any thoughts?
January 3, 2026 at 5:55 PM
Some neat Psoras from near Tafraout in Morocco. The first I'm guessing is P. decipiens complex (I was wondering if P. savizcii given the pink squamules, but uncertain of the gypsum content of the soil). The second, looking very green after rain, I'm unsure. @annevankow.bsky.social any thoughts?
Reposted by Nathan Chrismas
Ecography - Wiley Online Library nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
How the small host the small: cryptogam trait‐mediated structuring of Antarctic microarthropod communities
Primary producers shape terrestrial biodiversity, but most research has focused on vascular plants, while the role of cryptogams (mosses, lichens and algae) remains under-explored. Cryptogams dominat....
nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
December 13, 2025 at 11:43 AM
Ecography - Wiley Online Library nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Reposted by Nathan Chrismas
Want to work on biodiversity in the Alps? ⛰️
We are offering several internship positions for the upcoming spring and summer in collaboration with the Biodiversity Monitoring South Tyrol 🕷️🦋🦇🐜🌼🦗🪱
biodiversity.eurac.edu/interns-want...
We are offering several internship positions for the upcoming spring and summer in collaboration with the Biodiversity Monitoring South Tyrol 🕷️🦋🦇🐜🌼🦗🪱
biodiversity.eurac.edu/interns-want...
Interns wanted! - Biodiversity Monitoring South Tyrol
biodiversity.eurac.edu
December 9, 2025 at 8:30 AM
Want to work on biodiversity in the Alps? ⛰️
We are offering several internship positions for the upcoming spring and summer in collaboration with the Biodiversity Monitoring South Tyrol 🕷️🦋🦇🐜🌼🦗🪱
biodiversity.eurac.edu/interns-want...
We are offering several internship positions for the upcoming spring and summer in collaboration with the Biodiversity Monitoring South Tyrol 🕷️🦋🦇🐜🌼🦗🪱
biodiversity.eurac.edu/interns-want...
Reposted by Nathan Chrismas
PhD Position in Taxonomic and Molecular Diversity of Epiphytic Lichens, Bryophytes & Microorganisms at Future Forests, University of Freiburg
The University of Freiburg’s Excellence Cluster Future Forests invites applications for a PhD position researching the taxonomic and molecular diversity of…
The University of Freiburg’s Excellence Cluster Future Forests invites applications for a PhD position researching the taxonomic and molecular diversity of…
PhD Position in Taxonomic and Molecular Diversity of Epiphytic Lichens, Bryophytes & Microorganisms at Future Forests, University of Freiburg
The University of Freiburg’s Excellence Cluster Future Forests invites applications for a PhD position researching the taxonomic and molecular diversity of lichens, bryophytes, and associated microorganisms. Learn more about the project, tasks, requirements, salary, and how to apply by January 12, 2026.
agristok.net
December 6, 2025 at 12:02 PM
PhD Position in Taxonomic and Molecular Diversity of Epiphytic Lichens, Bryophytes & Microorganisms at Future Forests, University of Freiburg
The University of Freiburg’s Excellence Cluster Future Forests invites applications for a PhD position researching the taxonomic and molecular diversity of…
The University of Freiburg’s Excellence Cluster Future Forests invites applications for a PhD position researching the taxonomic and molecular diversity of…
Reposted by Nathan Chrismas
This paper raises the possibility that lichens had evolved by the late Ordovician, contemporary with earliest vascular plants 🧪⚒️
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
The rise of lichens during the colonization of terrestrial environments
Evidence reveals Spongiophyton as one of the earliest and most widespread lichens in Earth’s history.
www.science.org
November 25, 2025 at 1:22 PM
This paper raises the possibility that lichens had evolved by the late Ordovician, contemporary with earliest vascular plants 🧪⚒️
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Great article about fieldwork in Iceland this summer (in Icelandic but Google Translate does a decent job). I was invited to join by lichenologist Starri Heiðmarsson who I met thanks to the @ukarcticoffice.bsky.social UK-Iceland Arctic Science Partnership Scheme heimildin.is/grein/25295/...
Hver vill búa á hrikalegu jökulskeri?
Í sumar gekk fjölþjóðlegur hópur náttúrufræðinga yfir Breiðamerkurjökul og upp í afskekktu jökulskerin Esjufjöll. Þau voru þangað komin til að skoða hvernig líf þróast og tekur land undan hopandi jökl...
heimildin.is
November 22, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Great article about fieldwork in Iceland this summer (in Icelandic but Google Translate does a decent job). I was invited to join by lichenologist Starri Heiðmarsson who I met thanks to the @ukarcticoffice.bsky.social UK-Iceland Arctic Science Partnership Scheme heimildin.is/grein/25295/...
Nitrates can really mess up lichens, but Xanthoria seems to deal with it pretty well. This article suggests that hydration plays a role, with Xanthoria better able to cope with stress when moist and metabollically active. #lichenresearch www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Hydration-driven metabolic activity enhances the resilience of Xanthoria parietina (L.) Th. Fr. to nitrate stress
Lichens can utilise nitrogen in molecular, reduced, and oxidized forms, but they preferentially use ammonium due to low energetic cost of its assimila…
www.sciencedirect.com
November 22, 2025 at 6:50 AM
Nitrates can really mess up lichens, but Xanthoria seems to deal with it pretty well. This article suggests that hydration plays a role, with Xanthoria better able to cope with stress when moist and metabollically active. #lichenresearch www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
A while ago I did a little experiment in getting a LLM to write some code to draw pictures of lichens. It was very apparent that it had no idea what it was doing. Looks like the situation hasn't gotten any better.
Companies building frontier LLMs, please let me help you teach your models how to interpret evolution
These are *so* wrong, but I know we can get it right.
prompt: "create an image of a phylogenetic tree with the following topology (((A,B),(C,D)),E);"
These are *so* wrong, but I know we can get it right.
prompt: "create an image of a phylogenetic tree with the following topology (((A,B),(C,D)),E);"
November 20, 2025 at 8:25 AM
A while ago I did a little experiment in getting a LLM to write some code to draw pictures of lichens. It was very apparent that it had no idea what it was doing. Looks like the situation hasn't gotten any better.
Reposted by Nathan Chrismas
Remote sensing of lichens with drones for detecting dinosaur bones: Current Biology www.cell.com/current-biol...
Remote sensing of lichens with drones for detecting dinosaur bones
Brian Pickles and colleagues show that exposed dinosaur bones can be remote sensed
with drones by virtue of colored lichens growing on them.
www.cell.com
November 4, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Remote sensing of lichens with drones for detecting dinosaur bones: Current Biology www.cell.com/current-biol...
I wasn't sure what I was going to get with this lumpy lecidioid thing (mica schist at ~800m VC96). I was half expecting a mutant Rhizo, but microscopy said otherwise....
#lichenGBI
#lichenGBI
November 4, 2025 at 5:42 PM
I wasn't sure what I was going to get with this lumpy lecidioid thing (mica schist at ~800m VC96). I was half expecting a mutant Rhizo, but microscopy said otherwise....
#lichenGBI
#lichenGBI
Reposted by Nathan Chrismas
Based on morphology and molecular data, sixteen new species are described as part of a study on the taxonomy of Protoblastenia in Finland.
🔗 doi.org/10.3897/myco...
🔗 doi.org/10.3897/myco...
October 30, 2025 at 8:31 AM
Based on morphology and molecular data, sixteen new species are described as part of a study on the taxonomy of Protoblastenia in Finland.
🔗 doi.org/10.3897/myco...
🔗 doi.org/10.3897/myco...
Reposted by Nathan Chrismas
#Fire avoidance & long-term population decline in the endangered Florida ground #lichen #Cladonia perforata within a pyrogenic habitat
New #AJB research by @sterlingherron.bsky.social, Katherine Charton, Sarah Haller Crate, Stacy Smith, et al.
doi.org/10.1002/ajb2... #botany #plantscience
New #AJB research by @sterlingherron.bsky.social, Katherine Charton, Sarah Haller Crate, Stacy Smith, et al.
doi.org/10.1002/ajb2... #botany #plantscience
October 29, 2025 at 3:09 PM
#Fire avoidance & long-term population decline in the endangered Florida ground #lichen #Cladonia perforata within a pyrogenic habitat
New #AJB research by @sterlingherron.bsky.social, Katherine Charton, Sarah Haller Crate, Stacy Smith, et al.
doi.org/10.1002/ajb2... #botany #plantscience
New #AJB research by @sterlingherron.bsky.social, Katherine Charton, Sarah Haller Crate, Stacy Smith, et al.
doi.org/10.1002/ajb2... #botany #plantscience
Reposted by Nathan Chrismas
UTTERLY SURREAL LOW ANGLE GLACIER SLIDE!! 😮😱
On Saturday at 11:00 am, a 2 km-long, 25 m-high, and 150-200 m in width section detached off the Ismoil Somoni Glacier (Tajikistan) and slid down the gorge! 🧊🌊
asiaplustj.info/en/node/354309
📽️ via @volcaholic1
On Saturday at 11:00 am, a 2 km-long, 25 m-high, and 150-200 m in width section detached off the Ismoil Somoni Glacier (Tajikistan) and slid down the gorge! 🧊🌊
asiaplustj.info/en/node/354309
📽️ via @volcaholic1
October 28, 2025 at 4:10 PM
UTTERLY SURREAL LOW ANGLE GLACIER SLIDE!! 😮😱
On Saturday at 11:00 am, a 2 km-long, 25 m-high, and 150-200 m in width section detached off the Ismoil Somoni Glacier (Tajikistan) and slid down the gorge! 🧊🌊
asiaplustj.info/en/node/354309
📽️ via @volcaholic1
On Saturday at 11:00 am, a 2 km-long, 25 m-high, and 150-200 m in width section detached off the Ismoil Somoni Glacier (Tajikistan) and slid down the gorge! 🧊🌊
asiaplustj.info/en/node/354309
📽️ via @volcaholic1
Reposted by Nathan Chrismas
There are 110 other posts in the vicinity and I took a closer look at about 40 of them. The original one I noticed still happened to be the best in my opinion, in terms of "terrain" and diversity.
October 24, 2025 at 6:09 PM
There are 110 other posts in the vicinity and I took a closer look at about 40 of them. The original one I noticed still happened to be the best in my opinion, in terms of "terrain" and diversity.
Reposted by Nathan Chrismas
In this paper, we show that photobiont diversity increases as lichens age. Interestingly, as the thallus grows, autosporine algae become more prevalent at the expense of zoosporine algae, likely because the latter play a key role in lichen establishment. 1url.cz/@Proto
October 21, 2025 at 8:04 AM
In this paper, we show that photobiont diversity increases as lichens age. Interestingly, as the thallus grows, autosporine algae become more prevalent at the expense of zoosporine algae, likely because the latter play a key role in lichen establishment. 1url.cz/@Proto
Stereocaulon condensatum. This is a thing frequently associated with mine spoil so really nice to see it in a more natural setting - exposed soil flushed by mineral rich rock at ~800m VC96 #lichenGBI
October 21, 2025 at 7:07 AM
Stereocaulon condensatum. This is a thing frequently associated with mine spoil so really nice to see it in a more natural setting - exposed soil flushed by mineral rich rock at ~800m VC96 #lichenGBI
Some very fine looking Trapeliopsis pseudogranulosa VC106 #LichenGBI
October 18, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Some very fine looking Trapeliopsis pseudogranulosa VC106 #LichenGBI
Reposted by Nathan Chrismas
PhD opportunity with me at University of Edinburgh linked with Forest Research, funded by E5 DTP.
On the microbial mechanisms of soil carbon cycling in tree-planted upland soils. Apply before 14th Dec. Please share with your network.
Pic: one of our Scottish sites.
e5-dtp.ed.ac.uk/project?item...
On the microbial mechanisms of soil carbon cycling in tree-planted upland soils. Apply before 14th Dec. Please share with your network.
Pic: one of our Scottish sites.
e5-dtp.ed.ac.uk/project?item...
October 17, 2025 at 3:25 PM
PhD opportunity with me at University of Edinburgh linked with Forest Research, funded by E5 DTP.
On the microbial mechanisms of soil carbon cycling in tree-planted upland soils. Apply before 14th Dec. Please share with your network.
Pic: one of our Scottish sites.
e5-dtp.ed.ac.uk/project?item...
On the microbial mechanisms of soil carbon cycling in tree-planted upland soils. Apply before 14th Dec. Please share with your network.
Pic: one of our Scottish sites.
e5-dtp.ed.ac.uk/project?item...
Reposted by Nathan Chrismas
Part of: Exploring the Hidden Fungal Diversity: Biodiversity, Taxonomy, and Phylogeny of Saprobic Fungi
doi.org/10.3897/myco...
doi.org/10.3897/myco...
Exploring the Hidden Fungal Diversity: Biodiversity, Taxonomy, and Phylogeny of Saprobic Fungi
Saprobic fungi, also known as saprophytic fungi, are considered the “key players” in decomposition and essential ecosystem components. They have a cosmopolitan distribution and can oc...
doi.org
October 17, 2025 at 8:15 AM
Part of: Exploring the Hidden Fungal Diversity: Biodiversity, Taxonomy, and Phylogeny of Saprobic Fungi
doi.org/10.3897/myco...
doi.org/10.3897/myco...
Nice new study from Veronika Kantnerova and @skaloud.bsky.social - lichen photobionts are not fixed from the 'birth' of a thallus and increase in diversity as a lichen ages academic.oup.com/femsec/artic...
Validate User
academic.oup.com
October 17, 2025 at 7:29 AM
Nice new study from Veronika Kantnerova and @skaloud.bsky.social - lichen photobionts are not fixed from the 'birth' of a thallus and increase in diversity as a lichen ages academic.oup.com/femsec/artic...