Lichen biodiversity in the threatened Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain of North America: Improving classification, conservation, and communication

地衣是一种具有独特生活方式的真菌，与藻类和/或蓝藻具有半寄生关系。尽管地衣对维持陆地上健康的生态系统至关重要，但长期以来对它们的研究仍然不足。该项目的核心是对美国大西洋中部海岸平原地衣多样性的调查，这是一种有效、全面的手段，可以解决最不为人所知、对环境最敏感的生物群体之一的关键信息差距。调查数据将通过一个独特的系统整合新编写的计算机脚本和程序，用于解决与保护和生态有关的许多问题。该项目将确定该地区的保护优先事项，并将产生两本书长的地衣作品。在准备这些治疗方法时，作者将不同于传统的方法，使用动态的在线资源来纳入专业人士和业余爱好者的见解。调查人员将教授一系列课程，指导不同的高中生和本科生，并培养一名博士生。与区域土地管理人员和博物学家的广泛互动和合作，包括由调查人员领导的为期三天的研讨会，将确保该项目对保护工作产生最大影响。

Lichens are fungi with a unique lifestyle involving a semi-parasitic relationship with an alga and/or cyanobacterium. Although lichens are critical to maintaining healthy ecosystems on land, they remain chronically understudied. This project centers on a survey of lichen diversity in the environmentally threatened Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain of the United States and represents an efficient, comprehensive means of addressing a critical information gap for one of the least known and most environmentally sensitive organismal groups. The survey data will be used to resolve numerous problems related to conservation and ecology through a unique system that integrates newly written computer scripts and programs. The project will set conservation priorities in the region and will result in two book-length works on lichens. While preparing these treatments, the authors will depart from traditional approaches by using dynamic online resources to incorporate the insights of professionals and amateurs alike. The investigators will teach a series of courses, mentor a diverse cohort of high school and undergraduate students, and train a PhD student. Extensive interactions and collaborations with regional land managers and naturalists, including a three-day workshop led by the investigators, will ensure that this project has the maximum impact on conservation efforts.