Büdel B., Becker U., Follmann G. & Sterflinger K.
(2020):
Algae, Fungi, and Lichens on Inselbergs,
In: Porembski S. & Barthlott W. (eds), Inselbergs. Ecological Studies, vol. 146,
p. 69–90, Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Chapter in book.
[Conclusion: ]
It is not clear whether the biofilms of the bare rock of inselbergs are old communities, but there are many reasons to believe so. First of all, cyanobacteria are the oldest organisms on earth, possessing oxygenic photosynthesis, which, in many species, is combined with the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen. The second is the ability of cyanobacteria, as well as
of cyanolichens, to withstand long periods of drought in a dehydrated state, showing no measurable …
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