This book brings together the results from over 2000 years of investigations into Greek lichens by workers from many countries. Greece has a rich lichen flora but it is not well known, in large part because previous publications are scattered through a wide, and often obscure, literature. This comprehensive and detailed checklist puts the study of Greek lichens onto a firm foundation, and will be indispensible for any botanist with an interest in Greece. Lichenologists throughout the Balkans and the eastern Mediterranean region will also find it of value.

"The Lichen Flora of Great Britain and Ireland published in 1992 was an outstanding achievement for British Lichenology. It was a pioneering work and the first of its type in Europe. This much enlarged revision reflects the considerable accumulation of new information that has occurred since the publication of the first edition and is symptomatic of the enormous advances in lichen taxonomy over the last two decades. There are keys to 327 genera and 1873 species, which is an increase of 386 species since it was first published. The publication provides detailed information on morphology, chemistry and distribution for each species written in language that is readily accessible, avoiding obscure terminology. Both the glossary and introductory sections have been expanded and the latter includes helpful advice on the identification and examination of lichens. The preparation of this new treatment has involved a large number of contributors both in the UK and overseas and represents the culmination of lichen studies at this time. This book is undoubtedly the standard work for the identification of lichens in Great Britain and Ireland and will be indispensable to all serious students of British, Irish and overseas lichenology and other biologists working in related fields of ecology, pollution, chemical and environmental studies."--Publisher's description.

A comprehensive, up-to-date review of lichens as biomonitors of air pollution (bioindication, metal and radionuclide accumulation, biomarkers), and as monitors of environmental change (including global climate change and biodiversity loss) in a wide array of terrestrial habitats. Several methods for using lichens as biomonitors are described in a special section of the book.

The Lichens covers the structure and development, physiology of the intact thallus, environmental response and effects, secondary metabolic products, and symbiont interactions of lichens. This book is divided into five parts encompassing 19 chapters. It also includes appendices consist of a taxonomic scheme, methods for isolating and culturing lichen symbionts and thalli, and methods for isolating and identifying lichen substances. The first part of this book describes the original fungal cell and its development into specialized cells of which the various tissues and thalli are composed. This is followed by discussions on sexual reproduction of ascolichens and basidiolichens and on systematic criteria for the definition of taxa in different hierarchical steps. This book also explains the types of propagules produced by lichens and the submicroscopical investigations of lichens, including phycobiont and mycobionts' substructure and symbiotic relationship. The second part of this book examines the physiological aspects of lichens. It includes discussions on metal cation uptake and translocation in vascular plants and on lichens' role in rock weathering and soil formation. This part also studies photosynthetic rates and nitrogen absorption and metabolism by the intact thallus of lichens. Succeeding chapters discuss physiological and morphological responses of lichens to the most important environmental factors and the relationship of these factors to lichen distribution. Substrate preferences of lichens and their causes and implications with regard to the ecology, distribution, and taxonomy of lichens are also examined. This text also discusses lichen thalli growth, methods of measurement, and factors influencing growth. Finally, the concluding parts deal with the biosynthesis of lichen substances, secondary metabolic products, and symbiotic relations of lichens to fungi and algae. This multi-authored book is an ideal source of information for researchers, teachers, and students who wish to broaden their knowledge in the diversity of lichenology.

Although Europe has a high diversity of fungi and many species are threatened, no fungal species are yet included in the appendices of the Bern Convention or the EU Habitats Directive. Conservation action has often neglected fungi due in part to past insufficient knowledge of their ecology, distribution and status. This report, which contains very detailed information on 33 species threatened in Europe, was originally prepared as a list of candidate species for protection at the European level. They certainly deserve the attention of conservation agencies

As an intricate association between a fungus and one or more green algae or cyanobacteria, lichens are one of the most successful examples of symbiosis. These fascinating organisms survive extreme desiccation and temperatures. They are adapted to a great variety of habitats, from deserts to intertidal zones, from tropical rain forests to the peaks of the Himalayas and to circumpolar ecosystems. Lichens are extremely efficient accumulators of atmospherically deposited pollutants, and are therefore widely used to monitor environmental pollution. Their wide range of secondary products show pharmaceutically interesting fungicidal, antibacterial and antiviral properties. Lichens are extremely difficult to culture. This manual provides well-tested tissue culture protocols, protocols for studying lichen ultrastructure, (eco)physiology, primary and secondary compounds, and for using lichens as bioindicators.