isidium
lichen structure
Quick Summary
An isidium is a small, outgrowth from the surface of a lichen's thallus, resembling a soredium. Lichens themselves are complex organisms formed by a symbiotic relationship between algae or cyanobacteria and fungi. The main body of a lichen is called a thallus.12
Isidia serve as a means of asexual reproduction for some lichens. When these structures break off from the main thallus, they can establish new lichen growth. This is one of several ways lichens can propagate, alongside fragmentation and the formation of soredia.3
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