Got an idea for the newsletter? Leave it here, and we'll stick it in the next one!
- What do we know about lichen conservation? We're losing insects, plants, and animals at an alarming rate due to human influence. I would presume fungi are experiencing similar deleterious consequences and perhaps lichen are as well, i.e. shoreline lichen that cannot adapt to the rising ocean temperatures. I think that might be an interesting pitch for an article and/or topic for the next newsletter (lichen conservation, lichen biodiversity, anthropogenic threats to lichens, etc.). Happy to collaborate if someone wants to write it together! Kazamzam (talk) 12:55, 1 December 2023 (UTC)
- Hi Kazamzam. I think this would be a great topic for the next newsletter – and a great choice for our first task force collaboration. Maybe the two of us can work on a short newsletter piece that could be the starting point for a much bigger Wikipedia article. Lichens are definitely at great risk. Littoral lichens (those growing beside the ocean) are certainly in danger of being swamped by rising sea levels; they grow slowly, so can't "move higher" as quickly as plants might. And, more critically, algae don't adjust rapidly at all to climatic changes, which means lichens will increasingly struggle with the earth's rising temperatures. See here for some grim details. MeegsC (talk) 18:04, 1 December 2023 (UTC)
- @MeegsC - I love it! Lichen biodiversity is a thorny subject but I did a quick GScholar search and found a few papers on lichen conservation and biodiversity, both for their own sake and as an indicator for the larger environment. What would you think is the best way to divide the subjects, or just put it all together in one big article (I smell FA status in our future)? Conservation of fungi must be the best template given the overlap with lichen, but there are a few other articles like Decline in insect populations, Pollinator decline, and Decline in amphibian populations that might be good starting places as well. Kazamzam (talk) 19:39, 1 December 2023 (UTC)
- Hi Kazamzam. I think this would be a great topic for the next newsletter – and a great choice for our first task force collaboration. Maybe the two of us can work on a short newsletter piece that could be the starting point for a much bigger Wikipedia article. Lichens are definitely at great risk. Littoral lichens (those growing beside the ocean) are certainly in danger of being swamped by rising sea levels; they grow slowly, so can't "move higher" as quickly as plants might. And, more critically, algae don't adjust rapidly at all to climatic changes, which means lichens will increasingly struggle with the earth's rising temperatures. See here for some grim details. MeegsC (talk) 18:04, 1 December 2023 (UTC)