A vagrant lichen is a lichen that is either not attached to a substrate, or can become unattached then blow around, yet continue to grow and flourish.
/ref> Some authors reserve the expression "vagrant lichen" for those lichens that never attach, that is, those that are ''obligately'' vagrant, referring to vagrant forms of other species as "erratic lichen".[ Habitats include saltbush (mallee) vegetation zones in Australia, ]steppes
In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without closed forests except near rivers and lakes.
Steppe biomes may include:
* the montane grasslands and shrublands biome
* the tropical and subtropical gr ...
of Eurasia, Arctic tundra
In physical geography, a tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. There are three regions and associated types of tundra: Arctic, Alpine, and Antarctic.
Tundra vegetation is ...
, and the North American prairie
Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...
.[ They range from the low elevations of the ]Namib Desert
The Namib ( ; ) is a coastal desert in Southern Africa. According to the broadest definition, the Namib stretches for more than along the Atlantic coasts of Angola, Namibia, and northwest South Africa, extending southward from the Carunjamba Ri ...
to the high-altitude Andean páramo
Páramo () may refer to a variety of alpine tundra ecosystems located in the Andes Mountain Range, South America. Some ecologists describe the páramo broadly as "all high, tropical, montane vegetation above the continuous timberline". A narrower ...
.[ There are under 100 identified vagrant species, most commonly in the '']Aspicilia
''Aspicilia'' (sunken disk lichen) is a genus of mostly crustose lichen, crustose areolate lichen, areolate lichens that grow on rock. Most members have black apothecia discs that are slightly immersed in the areolas, hence the List of common na ...
'' and ''Xanthoparmelia
''Xanthoparmelia'' (commonly known as green rock shields or rock-shield lichens) is a genus of foliose lichens in the family Parmeliaceae.Field Guide to California Lichens, Stephen Sharnoff, Yale University Press, 2014, This genus of lichen i ...
'' genera
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial s ...
.[
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References
Lichenology
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