Course: Discovering Lichens (Online)

This beginner course will introduce you to the wonderful world of lichens. You will look at what exactly a lichen is, how they reproduce, interact with their environment, indicate levels of air pollution, and much more.

You will also build skills in identifying lichens and become familiar with the terminology used and where to find them out in the field. If you’ve always had more questions than answers about this fascinating lifeform, then this is the course for you.

What will be covered in this course?

• What a lichen is
• Lichen biology
• Lichen ecology
• Terminology and methods used in identifying lichens in their natural habitat

By the end of this course, you will:

• Understand the lichen symbiosis
• Be able to distinguish between the most important lichen growth forms
• Understand lichen reproduction and dispersal, lichen growth, water relations in lichens
• Understand the contribution of lichens to the nutrient cycle and their ecological interactions with other organisms, as well as lichens as indicators of air pollution
• Be familiar with the basic terminology used in, and methods for, identifying lichens
• Be able to identify which habitats and substrata are rich in lichens

This is a 4-week online course covering 4 topics, for which you will complete a variety of self-led online study content, activities, assignments and live Zoom sessions. Time commitment is approximately 2-3 hours a week and an E-certificate is provided upon completion.

This course is eligible for a student discount. If you are a current student, please use discount code BioStudent20 at checkout for 20% off.

Please refer to the Field Studies Council website for further information and to book.