14/04/14 - 19/04/14
This intermediate level course is open to anyone who already has taken an introductory lichen course such as Introduction to Lichens running just before this course.
We will focus in detail on understanding the most important characters for identifying lichens, so that participants can gain confidence in using keys and identification guides for themselves. We will be exploring some of the lichen-rich habitats that make Scotland famous worldwide for its luxuriance of lichens, but there will also be dedicated time for 'consolidation' of new terms and characters by practicing with keys as a group and individually. Part of the course will be to introduce participants to best practice, tips and techniques with microscopes. We will also explore some of the ecological and evolutionary forces that shape the natural world's diversity by discussions in the field and in the laboratory. Evening lectures will range from the diversity and utility of the special chemicals found only in lichens, to the diversity and evolution of the lichen symbiosis.
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