Some of the World’s Strangest Organisms Could Help Us Understand the Impacts of Climate Change

Lichens are common in northern regions, where herbivores on the tundra often depend on them as their only source of food. These symbiotic organisms are made up of fungi and algae. Although they are more noticeable in cold climates, they are widespread across all terrestrial environments—and some species can even be found underwater. Their defining characteristic is their remarkable resilience to the most extreme natural conditions. This is why we tend to notice them only in places where other plants can no longer survive.

“They regularly dry out, which helps protect their photosynthetic system from damage. Special lichen compounds further support this process by shielding them from solar radiation. Measurements show that the effect of these compounds is equivalent to sunscreen with SPF 5, making them remarkably effective natural sunblocks,” explained Katalin Veres, research fellow at the Forest Ecology Research Group of the Institute of Ecology and Botany, HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research (HUN-REN CER).

She and her colleagues mainly study lichen communities and their environmental conditions in natural habitats. Their research explores the factors that enable lichen species to thrive in different ecosystems under specific environmental conditions. As part of the research centre’s forest ecology projects, they also examine how various forest management practices aimed at timber production affect lichen communities, and how conservation-oriented forest management can contribute to their enrichment.

In one of their most complex studies, the researchers compared lichen communities in open calcareous sand grasslands on opposite sides of sand dunes near Fülöpháza and Bugac. The south-west-facing slopes receive more sunlight overall than the north-east-facing ones, resulting in distinct microclimatic conditions. By analysing differences in lichen community composition under these contrasting microclimates, the potential impacts of climate change can be modelled.

They also examined how different species adapt to their environment, how their photosynthetic activity changes, and whether their physiological processes vary with the seasons. Their findings suggest that different lichen species employ distinct strategies to cope with extreme environmental conditions and demonstrate a remarkable capacity to adapt to such extremes. In other words, lichens appear to be well equipped to withstand the expected impacts of climate change.

“It’s fascinating that although lichens can survive in the most extreme natural environments, they’re highly sensitive to human-induced disturbance. They grow incredibly slowly—by just a few millimetres per year—and take a long time to recover from damage. Many species are also slow to spread from one habitat to another. For these reasons, protecting lichens and preserving the natural state of their habitats is of utmost importance,” emphasised the HUN-REN CER researcher.