Tiina Randlane (born 10 September 1953) is an

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

n mycologist and lichenologist.

Life and career

Randlane was born in

Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...

and completed her undergraduate studies at

Tartu State University The University of Tartu (UT; ; ) is a Public university, public research university located in the city of Tartu, Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is also the largest and oldest university in the country.cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

in 1977. She pursued further education at the same institution, obtaining her candidate's degree in 1986. Her thesis explored the lichen flora of Estonia's western islands. Randlane's professional journey at the

University of Tartu The University of Tartu (UT; ; ) is a public research university located in the city of Tartu, Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is also the largest and oldest university in the country.

began in 1975 when she started as a technician. She has maintained her affiliation with the university throughout her career, progressing to her current position as an associate professor. Randlane's research primarily concentrates on

lichen A lichen ( , ) is a hybrid colony (biology), colony of algae or cyanobacteria living symbiotically among hypha, filaments of multiple fungus species, along with yeasts and bacteria embedded in the cortex or "skin", in a mutualism (biology), m ...

taxonomy image:Hierarchical clustering diagram.png, 280px, Generalized scheme of taxonomy Taxonomy is a practice and science concerned with classification or categorization. Typically, there are two parts to it: the development of an underlying scheme o ...

and ecology. Her publication record includes close to a hundred scientific papers and book chapters. One of her notable contributions is spearheading the development of a comprehensive global taxonomic database for lichens. A significant portion of her work has been dedicated to studying the lichen

biodiversity Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...

of Estonia and the broader

Baltic region The Baltic Sea Region, alternatively the Baltic Rim countries (or simply the Baltic Rim), and the Baltic Sea countries/states, refers to the general area surrounding the Baltic Sea, including parts of Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. Un ...

. Throughout her career, Randlane has been instrumental in compiling Estonia's

Red Data Book The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological spe ...

s and subsequent Red Lists of Lichens. She served on the editorial board of '' Folia Cryptogamica Estonica'' for over two decades, from 1996 to 2020. In 2020, she took on the role of

associate editor An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...

for the journal ''

The Lichenologist ''The Lichenologist'' is a bimonthly peer-reviewed scientific journal specialising in lichenology, including taxonomy, systematics, ecology, biogeography, and conservation. It is published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the British ...

''. Beyond her research endeavors, Randlane has played a pivotal role in shaping Estonian lichenology. Her engaging lectures and field courses have inspired numerous students, fostering a new generation of lichen enthusiasts. She has also been committed to making lichen knowledge accessible to the public, co-authoring a multilingual series on Estonian macrolichens for a general audience. Randlane has contributed significantly to the development of online educational resources covering Estonian lichens,

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular plant, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic phylum, division Bryophyta (, ) ''sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Wilhelm Philippe Schimper, Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryo ...

es, and

vascular plant Vascular plants (), also called tracheophytes (, ) or collectively tracheophyta (; ), are plants that have lignin, lignified tissues (the xylem) for conducting water and minerals throughout the plant. They also have a specialized non-lignified Ti ...

s. Additionally, she has been actively involved in expanding the lichen

herbarium A herbarium (plural: herbaria) is a collection of preserved plant biological specimen, specimens and associated data used for scientific study. The specimens may be whole plants or plant parts; these will usually be in dried form mounted on a sh ...

at the University of Tartu, adding nearly 7,000 specimens that she collected and identified. Randlane's contributions have been recognised with several accolades from the University of Tartu. She received the university medal in 2003, followed by the medal of honour a decade later in 2013. In 2021, she was awarded a special medal commemorating "100 semesters at the University of Tartu". Her efforts in science communication were acknowledged in 2010 when interactive online identification guides she helped develop won the top prize for innovative science popularisation in Estonia. In recognition of her significant contributions to the field, the 60th issue of ''Folia Cryptogamica Estonica'' was dedicated to Randlane on the occasion of her 70th birthday. The lichen species '' Pyxine tiinae'', '' Leptogium tiinae'', and '' Lepraria tiinae'' were named in her honour in this issue.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Randlane, Tiina 1953 births Living people Estonian mycologists Place of birth missing (living people) Women lichenologists University of Tartu alumni 21st-century Estonian women scientists

Life and career

See also

References