James C. Lendemer PhD Student, City University of New York (Lehman College), New York, NY B.A., The University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA (2006) Expertise: Lichens and Lichenicolous Fungi

Profile

My research focuses on taxonomic and floristic studies of lichens and lichenicolous fungi, particularly (though not limited to) those that occur in North America. Much of my field work is conducted in the middle Atlantic States (Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia) and all physiographic regions of the southeastern United States (Appalachian Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain). However, my interests in the impact of global climate change on lichens have led me to conduct large scale studies on the northern tip of the Great Northern Peninsula of the Island of Newfoundland (Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada) in an effort to gather baseline data that can be used in future studies to assess changes in the composition of the delicate limestone barren lichen communities that are found there.

In recent years I have also become interested in taxonomy and evolution of the genus Lepraria (the topic of my thesis). Using a multifaceted approach involving extensive field work to observe the species in nature and better understand their specific ecological role/requirements, molecular techniques, micro- and macro- morphological characters (particularly Scanning Electron Microscopy), and chemical data my colleagues and I hope to arrive at a better understanding this highly successful lineage of lichenized fungi that has evolved to reproduce entirely asexually.

The goals of my research are two fold; 1) to document and describe the biodiversity of North American lichens and lichenicolous fungi, groups that are poorly known and undercollected as a whole; and 2) to use these data to establish a realistic picture of the status of these taxa so that their needs for conservation, mitigation, and protection can be addressed.  In addition to my lichenological studies I edit and publish the primarily online lichenological journal Opuscula Philolichenum, am an associate editor of Bartonia (The Journal of the Philadelphia Botanical Club), and chair of the Bryophyte and Lichen Technical Commission (BLTC) of the Pennsylvania Biological Survey (PABS).

Selected Publications