Caloplaca obamae
Encyclopedia
Caloplaca obamae is a species of lichen
in the fungus genus Caloplaca
. It is the first species to be named in honor of United States
President Barack Obama
. C. obamae was discovered in 2007 by Kerry Knudsen on Santa Rosa Island
in California
and published in March 2009. Knudsen states that he chose to honor Obama for "his support of science and scientific education" and wrote the manuscript for publication of the species in the time between Obama's election and his inauguration.
in diameter and form patches that can be 0.2–1 mm in diameter, ultimately covering an area on the soil up to 6–7 cm2. The algal layer is discontinuous and usually 50–100 μm thick under the granule patches. It appears that C. obamae is sterile and does not produce ascospore
s; the apothecia that were present in specimens may belong to an associated species, Caloplaca ludificans.
Caloplaca obamae is similar in appearance to Caloplaca xanthostigmoidea.
marine terraces. It has not yet been discovered on mainland California, San Miguel Island
, or Sandy Point on Santa Rosa Island. It occurs from Beecher Bay to Soledad Canyon on Santa Rosa in grasslands that have been heavily grazed for over a hundred years. Introduced animal populations are being removed from the island and it has been suggested that C. obamae, which had nearly gone extinct when cattle ranches were active, will make a comeback on the island. It is commonly found growing with other terricolous lichen species and bryophyte
s.
Lichen
Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...
in the fungus genus Caloplaca
Caloplaca
Caloplaca is a lichen genus, composed of a number of distinct species. The distribution of this lichen genus is world wide, extending from Antarctica to the high Arctic. It includes a portion of northern North America and the Russian High Arctic. There are about thirty species of Caloplaca in the...
. It is the first species to be named in honor of United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
. C. obamae was discovered in 2007 by Kerry Knudsen on Santa Rosa Island
Santa Rosa Island, California
Santa Rosa Island is the second largest of the Channel Islands of California at 53,195 acres . Defined by the United States Census Bureau as Block 3009, Block Group 3, Census Tract 29.10 of Santa Barbara County, California, the 2000 census showed an official population of 2 persons. It is part of...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and published in March 2009. Knudsen states that he chose to honor Obama for "his support of science and scientific education" and wrote the manuscript for publication of the species in the time between Obama's election and his inauguration.
Description
Caloplaca obamae produces a thin thallus arranged in orange granules that are 30–50 μmMicrometre
A micrometer , is by definition 1×10-6 of a meter .In plain English, it means one-millionth of a meter . Its unit symbol in the International System of Units is μm...
in diameter and form patches that can be 0.2–1 mm in diameter, ultimately covering an area on the soil up to 6–7 cm2. The algal layer is discontinuous and usually 50–100 μm thick under the granule patches. It appears that C. obamae is sterile and does not produce ascospore
Ascospore
An ascospore is a spore contained in an ascus or that was produced inside an ascus. This kind of spore is specific to fungi classified as ascomycetes ....
s; the apothecia that were present in specimens may belong to an associated species, Caloplaca ludificans.
Caloplaca obamae is similar in appearance to Caloplaca xanthostigmoidea.
Distribution and habitat
Caloplaca obamae is endemic to the northern side of Santa Rosa Island on clay soils of the PleistocenePleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
marine terraces. It has not yet been discovered on mainland California, San Miguel Island
San Miguel Island
San Miguel Island is the westernmost of California's Channel Islands, located across the Santa Barbara Channel in the Pacific Ocean, within Santa Barbara County, California. San Miguel is the sixth-largest of the eight Channel Islands at , including offshore islands and rocks. Prince Island, off...
, or Sandy Point on Santa Rosa Island. It occurs from Beecher Bay to Soledad Canyon on Santa Rosa in grasslands that have been heavily grazed for over a hundred years. Introduced animal populations are being removed from the island and it has been suggested that C. obamae, which had nearly gone extinct when cattle ranches were active, will make a comeback on the island. It is commonly found growing with other terricolous lichen species and bryophyte
Bryophyte
Bryophyte is a traditional name used to refer to all embryophytes that do not have true vascular tissue and are therefore called 'non-vascular plants'. Some bryophytes do have specialized tissues for the transport of water; however since these do not contain lignin, they are not considered to be...
s.