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Story: Lichens

Cross section of a lichen

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Cross section of a lichen

This magnified cross section of a leafy lichen shows the partnership between green algal cells (stained red) and fungal threads (stained blue). Most of the lichen is made up of fungal material with the alga cells confined to the upper half, where they intercept light and carry out photosynthesis.

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Private collection

by Bill Malcolm

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How to cite this page

Maggy Wassilieff, Lichens – Features and life history, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/10980/cross-section-of-a-lichen (accessed 5 June 2026).

Story by Maggy Wassilieff, published 1 March 2009.