India, July 22 -- A team of researchers has unveiled five new species of lichen-forming fungi belonging to the genus Allographa an important indicator of forest health and environmental quality because of their sensitivity to pollution and habitat changes, from the biodiversity-rich Western Ghats of India.
This can help identify ecologically sensitive areas, strengthen long-term environmental monitoring, and contribute to evidence-based conservation policies and sustainable management of forest ecosystems.
Allographa is a genus of script lichens or lichen-forming fungi (a fungus that teams up with algae or cyanobacteria to create a lichen). with elongated fruiting bodies in the family Graphidaceae. It has more than 200 species. Molecular ...